Walking the Fence Line - Making the "Line Scope Holder"

For decades, fencing in one’s property has created anxiety for many a land or homeowner. Thousands of dollars are often spent on surveys, attorney fees, and court costs. In some case the property owner’s fence was proven to be on their property, while in other cases, on someone else’s property. Either way, an ounce of prevention can easily avoid a pound of trouble.

           Usually you cannot simply draw a string between the survey markers because: 1. the distance is too long to make sure that the string is tight and straight, and 2. grass, shrubbery, and trees may be in the way.. 

           A surveyors’ transit is usually used to sight property lines, but they cost anywhere from a couple of hundred to thousands of dollars. The cheaper ones have a limited range of about 200 feet. So what to do? 

           Golfers often use a “golf scope” to the measure distance from where they are to the green. Many of these scopes have a set of cross-hairs similar to rifle scopes. To use them in golf, you put the cross-hairs on a target (the green) and read the distance. But we will use this feature differently. These scopes cost from $15 to $50, and can be found at most golf outlet stores or pro shops (Google “golf scopes” for a list of available scopes).

           Hand holding the scope however is not sufficient to get an accurate reading for the fence line. The scope has to be steady, and like a transit, it needs to sit on a tripod. Simply taping the scope tot he transit does not work well, and thus we need the handy, dandy “Line Scope Holder.”

12" piece of 2x2 wood

8" piece of Velcro

1 t-nut 1/4-20

2 1/2" pan head wood screw

pencil

small straight edge or ruler

tablesaw

drill

a set of standard or brad-point drill bits

a set of Forstner drill bits

hammer

Select a 2”x2”x12” piece of quality hardwood wood. I used some left over 2x2 select poplar.

Determine the center of one end of the wood. Using a pencil and straight edge, draw lines on one end of the wood, diagonally from one corner to the other corner.

Set your table saw blade to 45 degrees and adjust its height to the center mark on your wood stock. Next, adjust the table saw’s fence to the width of your wood stock.

In this step you will be cutting a "V" out of the wood. Using a push stick, make your first 45 degree cut. Turn the wood around and then make your second 45 degree cut. Remember to cut safely!

Cut the length of your wood to that of your scope. If your scope has a flared out area, such as an eyecup, do not include it in determining the length.

On the inside of the “V”, mark the center of the length of your scope holder.

Select a 1/16" or 1/8" drill bit and drill a hole through the wood at the base of the “V.” 

Determine the diameter of the t-nut's base (has the spikes on it) and select a Forstner bit that is equal to or slightly larger then the diameter of the base.

Turn the holder over and drill a hole about 1/16” deep (thickness of the t-nut flange), placing the bit's center on the pilot hole you drilled in step 7.. 

Next, determine the outside diameter of the threaded part of the t-nut (generally 5/16").

Replace the Forstner bit with a regular drill bit that is the width of the t-nut shaft and drill through the hole you drilled in step 7.

Place the threaded barrel of the t-nut into the enlarged hole you drilled and hammer in the t-nut.

At this point you are done but you can add a few more steps to finish off the project and make it more professional.

Sand, stain and urethane the wood. 

Cut 1" off the strip of Velcro and attach it at the center of one side of your holder using one of the pan head screws.

Attach the longer piece of Velcro to the center on the opposite side of the holder using the remaining screw.

NOTE: Be sure to remove any protective covering if the Velcro has an adhesive back. If there is no adhesive backing, you can add some glue to help hold the Velcro in place.

You can also add a thin cork or rubber sheet to the base of the holder to provide for an even better grip when attaching the scope to your tripod.

YOU ARE DONE

Now that you have your Line Scope Holder built, mount it on your tripod and center the tripod over your property line marker. I suggest moving it in 6-8 inches to make sure that your fence will be on your property. Go to the furthest point away from you where you will be putting in a fence post. Using a plumb bob, line up where your first post will go and mark that point on the ground and hammer in a wood or metal stake.  Move to the next post area and repeat the line up process until all of your fence posts have been marked and staked. 

Do not hammer in a stake beyond 6".  Good Luck!

NOTE: Depending on the length of your property line, you may want to

One final note about the Line Scope Holder, if you don’t own a golf scope or cannot find one, you may want to try using a laser pointer. It will operate in the same manner but must be used at dawn or dusk. During normal daylight it will be hard to see where the laser is pointing. Also, most hand-held laser pointers do not have the power to reach more than a short distance. If you use a laser, make sure that it can reach at least 150 feet.