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I'm working on a wooden fence, similar to the picture below. It has a 2"x4" wood rail that will be the length of all four 4"x4" pressure-treated wood posts. This rail will be attached to the posts with screws.

Since the concrete where the posts are attached to is uneven, there will be "empty" space between rail and some posts in-between.

What can I use to fill that unwanted space that's strong enough to insert screws? I don't have the tools to cut the 4"x4" posts to the correct height, so that's out of the question.

enter image description here

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    You have no saws available, yet you're building a fence? – isherwood Sep 30 '18 at 16:46
  • I have a saw, but I assumed you needed a heavy-duty was to cut 4x4 pressure-treated wood. – rbhat Sep 30 '18 at 16:50
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    Negative. It's soft pine or fir, and cuts easily. You could clamp some blocks on the posts below the cut to act as guides, keeping the cut square and preventing accidental damage due to slips. – isherwood Sep 30 '18 at 16:53
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    How big is the gap you need to fill? – Bijington Sep 30 '18 at 19:55
  • I think the answer depends on a lot of things--like how big the gap is, how far apart the posts are, how many pieces of wood the top bar is (one?), how level and flat you want the top bar, how bowed the top bar is. Can you provide more details? I would agree with other comments though that the best way (in theory) to do this is to cut down the height of the tallest posts so that all posts are as even as possible. – spacetyper Sep 30 '18 at 22:15
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The right solution is to trim the higher posts, which can be done with a simple hand saw. You could clamp some blocks on the posts below the cut to act as guides, keeping the cut square and preventing accidental damage due to slips.

The only acceptable alternative (to my mind) is a shim cut of a suitable material, such as wood with the grain oriented across the post. This is actually a more complex task. You haven't said what the dimensions of the gaps are or what finish you need to match, so I can't offer a more specific suggestion.

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