"pakdog" wrote in message
news
I'd like to install a fence on my property using 4x4 posts attached to
metal brackets set in concrete. Would like to hear from anyone with
experience who could share tips, problems to avoid, etc. One question is
how to drill the holes true to run the bolts through one side of the
bracket, through the post, and out the other side of the bracket.

I assume you are building some type of wooden privacy fence. One thing you
might consider is using metal posts instead of wooden ones. The last fence
I had built used schedule 40 3" round metal posts. Galvanized schedule 40
posts are very heavy duty and will far outlast wooden posts and they are
about as cheap. You can set them directly into the concrete without having
to worry about the brackets you mentioned. You attach the metal posts to
the rails via clamp type brackets.

If you still want to use the wooden posts, what I would do is take a piece
of 4x4 and drill a hole(s) through it that you know is completely plumb.
Then clamp the guide 4x4 to your post flush on all 3 sides. Set the drill
bit into your guide and then start drilling. This will keep your drill
plumb as it goes through the post. Of course you'll have to use a drill bit
that's longer than 8".