Rectangular fence slats / boards (beveled), planed and chamfered, ends beveled from locust wood

The fence slats are made from selected wood, precisely planed to size, and beveled on the longitudinal sides. The wood contains only knots that are well-grown. Planing creates a smooth surface for the slats. However, minor roughness at the grown knots or other areas with differing wood structure cannot be avoided. The ends of the fence slats have aligned slopes of 45 degrees between their wide sides, so that rainwater does not accumulate on the slats and drains well from the bottom.

Fence slats made from black locust cannot be nailed - the wood is far too hard for that. If you manage to drive in a nail, the wood may split because it does not give in. Even when using wood screws, you must pre-drill. Stainless steel screws are recommended. Only galvanized screws will start to rust outdoors sooner or later, while black locust wood will last for decades.

By choosing black locust wood, you are opting for a wonderful product of nature. This is not an artificial, standardized material. Each piece has its individuality, its liveliness through certain irregularities. These only become defects if they impair functionality.

Dimensional tolerances: The specified thickness measurements apply with a tolerance of 0.3 mm (at the time of delivery). Due to drying, the thickness measurements can decrease by up to 6%. The specified length is accurate to 2 mm.

Quality features: Even, straight-grown wood; at most small, grown-in knots in a low number.

Warping and cracks: Wood is alive, as its moisture content - depending on the ambient humidity and climate - affects the dimensions and internal stresses of the wood. Across the grain (radial, tangential), the dimensions can change by up to 6% in practice, while along the grain (axial) the change is very slight.

Larger internal stresses are released by the wood warping and cracking. This must be taken into account. (Our ancestors, whose main material was wood, did this; we tend to forget it today.)

The above is even more true the harder the wood is; black locust wood is the hardest among woods.

How the wood warps and cracks is not concretely predictable. The drier the wood is, the greater the volume shrinkage and the more and larger the cracks generally are. There can be several cracks, or it can concentrate on just one large crack.

On the other hand, the thickness of the wood is crucial. The thicker the wood, the greater the absolute volume shrinkage that is "compensated" by the cracks. From wood thicknesses of 6 cm, cracks are unavoidable, no matter how carefully it is dried.

The ambient climate can vary greatly. Unprotected or covered outdoor areas, unheated or heated indoor areas, sunny or shaded sides.

Since we do not know the ambient climate at the place of use, we deliver sawn timber air-dried, i.e., with a wood moisture content of about 20%, no more. Then there will be at most minor cracks - in relation to the thickness (see above). In a shaded place, the wood will hardly dry out further.

Rapid further drying of the wood in the sun or in a protected place amplifies the stresses in the wood. Then the wood can warp and crack far beyond the unavoidable extent. If you store the wood, please do so in a shaded, cool place and secured.

Cracks do not impair the strength, load-bearing capacity, and lifespan of the wood.