I've built a fence before. Or at least helped out with it. Usually you would use posts, to of course attach the boards to. You have to dig the holes and set them in there. It really doesn't matter how big the posts are, but it all depends on how tall you want your fence to be. And set them as far apart as you desire. Once you have the posts in and set then you put on the boards. And that's basically it.

Hope that my info is helpful.

~carebear~

lol...good advice, but I'm asking if my design is sound. I don't want a good Texas wind to undo all my hard work (namely, making a fence from scrounged lumber and pallet wood).

if your property is subject to any sort of serious gusting, 1/8" ply sections (even bolted thru perimeter framing and with cutouts small enuff to determined interlopers out) may not be able to handle the load unless youre planning to build frames with perhaps 6 vertical braces spaced regularly and a  center horizontal brace.  youll need to weatherproof your plywood as well.  if you set the sheets too close to the ground, you may impede lot drainage.

if you set the sheets too close to the ground, you may impede lot drainage.

Good thought...but easily overcome, at least.

My design was a 1 foot diamond in the center (with chicken wire covering the hole for said interlopers), with "vents" to the corners...I'll do some more checking on whether it can hold. Meanwhile, more vertical braces is not out of the question...given the four foot height I can easily obtain as much wood as I need for vertical braces...it'll just take a little time (again with pallet wood on this one). It doesn't have to look pretty on MY side of the fence...my longterm plan calls for climbing plants to enhance the appearance.

im guessing there must be some sorta timber or construction industry site--maybe even home depot or lowe's--that you could access to locate tolerances, recommendations or even municipal specs that would help you determine what 1/8" ply can handle as well as optimal design configurations.   if you cant find em online, im almost positive that home depot, etc will have that kinda stuff available to prospective customers.   just act like one and let em guide you

lol...good thought.

I might have access to some better quality scavenged materials, after all, so I can use the plywood for my first plan: skinning my kids' treehouse and our portable chicken coops and a skirt for the bottom of the greenhouse.

I would strongly suggest more than a single vent hole in the center. The trick to keeping a fence standing in a wind storm is to reduce the surface area exposed to wind. This is the primary reason chain link will sithstand high winds, it has almost no surface area for wind forces to push against.

Even with strong post supports, plywood will present a high surface area. I would suggest cutting your diamond pattern across the entire surface of the wood, spaced at intervals appropriate to the size of the cuts to reduce the surface area and allow most of the wind to pass through the fence.

One word of caution, do not make the spacings so close as to reduce the strength of the wood as this will defeat your intended purpose.

I would strongly suggest more than a single vent hole in the center.

Yeah, that's why I was going with the designs to the corners. I have to be careful as well how much space I would have to cover for critter guard.

Anyway, I'm exploring the other options at my disposal. The plywood will make a decent skin for a few projects I have around the yard, but I thought I'd explore the fencing possibility before I put it to other use.

something just occured to me:  altho it would take a buncha time depending on how big the property is you wanna fence...and it would require maybe three times as much plywood...you could make a fence with plywood slats that looked like a louvered window turned on its side. youd dodge the wind problem, obviate the need for chickenwire (just space the slats close to each other) and the thing might even look cool. you'd need to make modules with framing oriented widthwise(the horizontal pieces of which would need to be carefully notched to receive and hold the slats)and a center strut (ditto). 

when you were done, you'd understand why im being paid not to go into design.