Question:
Help building a wooden gate?
2010-06-28 22:19:34 UTC
I understand basic wooden gate concepts and how your suppost to brace them by placing a piece of lumber diagonal across the back of the gate to carry the load. Many gate pictures I see don't appear to have that concept in mind, some just a 2x4 straight across etc. I have a picture of a gate that i like and was wonderig how a guy would go about bracing it or building it for that matter. The cutting and fitting of the lumber isn't so much the problem as understanding the design of it. Thankyou, and please see the link. http://statics.atcloud.com/files/comments/133/1333410/images/1_original.jpg
Five answers:
?
2010-06-28 23:12:48 UTC
The doors of this gate are much like a cabinet door. They are built using a "frame and panel" design aka "rail and style" method. If I were to build these gate doors I would finish nail them with 15 ga or 16 ga stainless steel fasteners and glue them together with a polyurethane/waterproof glue, instead of leaving the panels floating. Or I would at least glue the rails and styles and finish nail the panels. It all depends on what type of climate you live in. That along with properly attached heavy hinges will allow for many years of use before the doors begin to sag under their own weight. When that time comes string a cable and turnbuckle from the high hinged corner to the low unhinged corner. Tightening the turnbuckle will lift the sagging corners back up.



Your doors contain a "muntin," it is the stiffener across the middle of the door that will help it to stay rigid as well.



If you are unfamiliar with frame and panel construction and rails and styles read this attached wiki article... it does a good job of explaining the basics.



Eh?





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frame_and_panel





You need to cut a channel (called a dado cut) into the rails and the muntin. Note the groove where the panel sits in the frame and panel article. This cut is usually made with a dado blade in a table saw, or a 3/4" dado router bit. The ends of your slats will fit into the dado cut. The dado cut will be on the boards that run horizontally for this project, again the rails and the muntin. Do not nail your slat boards to the back of the frame! Your slats are considered the panel in this type of design.



You should also read up on mortise and tenon joints. The joint that holds the rails and stiles together is much like a bridle joint (aka butterfly joint) only it does not go all the way through the wood stock.



Glue your mortise and tenon joints with gorilla glue. Finish nail your slats, top and bottom, with at least 2 nails each. It is your choice if you want to use glue on the ends of the slats as well. Use ratchet straps (the type used to hold down a load in the back of a truck) to hold the door together while the glue is setting up.



If you live in a rainy climate your gate will sag faster than a dry climate. Support the gate with a cable a couple of years down the road. If you are in an area of Canada where there is a dramatic temperature difference between seasons and not a lot of rain, don't worry about the support cable. Don't forget to drill drain holes, 1/2" diameter between the slats on the muntin and bottom rail. This will prevent water from sitting in your dado cut. You could also glue 3/4" stock between the vertical slats to reduce the space where water can sit.



I hope this addition is not too confusing. I would be happy to clarify anything else through e-mail (see my profile), not edits to my original post.



tools you will need to make these gates...



Table saw OR router mounted in a router table with bit, if using a router make multiple passes as removing too much stock at once is dangerous and ineffective. This will be for the dado and tenon pieces.



Power drill with bits, a SHARP 3/4" wide chisel and a hammer to make the mortise.



A combination square to draw your joinery layout on your lumber.





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortise_and_tenon



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridle_joint



http://www.guttersupply.com/p-gutter-tools-combo-square.gstml
2016-03-03 07:27:11 UTC
48" is a pretty wide gate for fencing that heavy -- 36 is plenty to get lawn mower, wheelbarrow, etc. through. Wider gate has more engineering problems than narrower. I'd respectfully suggest steel posts if you insist on 48. The posts should be set so that the hinge pins are centered on one post, and the latch side of the gate is centered on the other. So if the actual gate is 48 wide, the gate posts should be 48 on center. Be sure to add a diagonal brace between top and bottom gate stringers, and I'd use screws rather than nails for gate assembly. Set posts in cooncrete, at least gate posts, for longer service life.
2010-06-28 22:25:02 UTC
Lowes, Home Depot and other similar stores have a prefabricated frame which you finish by adding your own wood. Very fast and do not warp. Check it out.
cando
2010-06-28 22:29:28 UTC
your link is not linking
Brooke
2010-06-28 22:23:34 UTC
just follow your dreams and your wooden gate will be amazing. please be confident in your doings and your fence will be absolutely amazing.


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
Loading...