Fence capping

[soup]

What is the "best" way to put wooden caps on wooden fence posts?

Old school has a pre-drilled hole which a screw is put through the cap into the post with a bed of silicone in between. Wife is convinced that the cap should be glued (gripfix or similar) to the post. I doubt this gluing as the grain on the post is vertical whilst that of the cap will be horizontal and I have always been told that wood should never be fixed immobile with grains at right angles. Would the Gripfill be flexible enough to cope with any minor shifting due to expansion.

[Brian Gaff]

I think in time whatever you do, will need redoing due to the cracking or warping of the cap, assuming its real wood like mine. Glue does not seem to work well on treated timber either.

I have to say, I refitted with some nails, and bash them back in every so often.. grin. Brian

[Andy Burns]

Gripfill seems to have a consistency somewhere between chewing-gum and body-filler, it never quite goes off.

[PeterC]

I used non-solvent Pink Grip on mine - after all it's not totally exposed to the rain. One of the gales in the Winter blew one cap off. Used a bit more Pink and a touch of silver - a stainless steel ribbed nail and that seems to have held it.