Brackets for Temporary Support of a Rail Between Upright Posts During Construction of a Fence or the Like

A device for temporarily supporting an end of a rail during installation thereof between a pair of upright posts, said bracket comprising:

• a planar main portion having a vertical leg that is coplanar with a horizontal leg that reaches perpendicularly outward from the vertical leg at a spaced elevation below a top end of said vertical leg, said planar main portion having opposing inner and outer faces;
• an upright bracing flange reaching perpendicularly inward from the vertical leg of the planar main portion at an upright outer edge of said vertical leg that resides opposite the horizontal leg of the planar main portion;
• a seating flange reaching perpendicularly outward from the horizontal leg of the planar main portion at a horizontal upper edge of said horizontal leg;
• and
• a shoulder flange reaching perpendicularly outward from the vertical leg of the planar main portion at an upright inner edge of said vertical leg that resides opposite the upright outer edge thereof.

A method of installing a rail between first and second upright posts that have facing-together lateral sides that intersect adjacent outer sides of said uprights posts at outer corners thereof, said method comprising:

• (a) with a bracket device having an inside corner, a support seat and a shoulder that resides in perpendicular relation to said support seat, achieving a squared position of said bracket device on the first upright post by embracing the inside corner of said bracket about the outside corner of the first upright post, said squared position acting to (i) place the support seat of said bracket device adjacent to the lateral side of the first upright post in perpendicular relation to the outside corner of the first upright post, and (ii) place the shoulder of said bracket device adjacent to said lateral side of the first upright post in parallel relation to the outside corner of the first upright post at a distance inward therefrom;
• (b) with said inside corner of the bracket device embraced about the outside corner of the first upright post, fastening the bracket device to the first upright post to maintain the squared position of the bracket device thereon;
• (c) seating an underside of the rail atop the support seat of the bracket device with a first end of the rail in close adjacency or abutment with the lateral side of the first upright post and with a face of the rail in abutment against the shoulder of the bracket device, and, with a second end of the rail supported on the second upright post, fastening the first end of the rail to the first upright post;
• and
• (d) unfastening and removing the bracket device from the first upright post.