Building a garden gate


TerryMcK

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:D 

LOL - definitely not Freddie.

Just finished making the T&G. When you only have a router table, not a shaper/spindle moulder, it's a multi stage process but I batched them out and they are made now.

More photos and story will follow. Going for a well deserved beer.

I agree, a good cold beer is a guys way of patting himself on the back for a job well done :D

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Wait now...when you say 60 pounds, you mean quid right? Don't you guys weigh things in 'stone' over there? :)

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We certainly do but only when it relates to a persons weight. The "official" weight system is kilograms and grams. I was brought up with pounds and ounces but actually understand both. Same with feet and inches. People still use that (even youngsters) when related to the height of a person. All the rest of the time they use metres, centimetres and millimetres which again is the "official" standard. Again I was taught both imperial and metric in the 1970s.

Don't get me started on litres against gallons and pints. ;)  

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We certainly do but only when it relates to a persons weight. The "official" weight system is kilograms and grams. I was brought up with pounds and ounces but actually understand both. Same with feet and inches. People still use that (even youngsters) when related to the height of a person. All the rest of the time they use metres, centimetres and millimetres which again is the "official" standard. Again I was taught both imperial and metric in the 1970s.

Don't get me started on litres against gallons and pints. ;)  

   I don't know about litres, but I sure do know about pints!  They taste so good when you need one!

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We certainly do but only when it relates to a persons weight. The "official" weight system is kilograms and grams. I was brought up with pounds and ounces but actually understand both. Same with feet and inches. People still use that (even youngsters) when related to the height of a person. All the rest of the time they use metres, centimetres and millimetres which again is the "official" standard. Again I was taught both imperial and metric in the 1970s.

Don't get me started on litres against gallons and pints. ;)  

Yeah but if I looked at my wife and said "oh you weigh about 10 stones.....me thinks there would be violence.

As far as "pints"....that gets interpreted here all sorts of ways but often involves consumable things!

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Here is the next instalment:

 

Tongue and Groove boards

 

The tongue and groove boards were made next. To do this some 6/4 oak was roughly cut to width. Then each of these boards had one face cleaned up and an adjacent face jointed at the jointer. Then, using a wider blade on the bandsaw, each board was carefully resawn. This produced two boards of roughly 18mm thick (just under 3/4"). Then each board was run through the thickness planer to finish at a hair over 15mm (just less than 5/8") thick.

 

1-IMG_0508.JPGResawing some 6/4 oak

 

On my original design there are actually 2 sets of boards to produce a pleasing design. They were to be alternately spaced narrow-wide-narrow. However on reflection there was a lot of waste produced with this design and I only had a limited amount of stock. It was decided to make equal width pieces.
 
The end boards have to be custom made to fit. One of those boards has a tongue and a rabbet. The other has a groove and a rabbet.
 
CaptureTG.JPGOriginal design showing T&G boards with alternate width boards and differing end boards
 
Using a Trend tongue and groove router bit on the router table a tongue was machined in one edge and a groove in the other face. This particular T&G'r produces straight cuts without a chamfer so another pass through the router table with a chamfering bit installed was used to machine the decorative chamfer.
 
1-IMG_0509.JPGInitial batches made with one cutter to produce the groove
 
The process is first of all to remove one cutter from the set and use the assembly to cut a groove in one of the edges. This was repeated on every board in the set.
 
Then the 2nd cutter is added to the assembly with a series of precision spacing washers. The more washers that are added the tighter the eventual tongue and groove joint - adding washers increases the thickness of the tongue. All the boards were run through the cutter assembly to produce the tongues.
 
Each end board was cut to width and either had a tongue or groove cut into it. These were put to one side until the glue up of the stile and cross members will be done. Ultimately a rabbet will be cut in each of these end sections when the width of each board is determined.
 
1-IMG_0512-001.JPG
Another view of a smoothing plane!
 
Then using a smoothing plane each board had any remaining milling marks removed. The final process on the boards was to cut the chamfers. I used a chamfering bit without a bearing to do this. Just running the boards against the router table fence enabled this. Moving the fence to do the chamfers on the shoulders of the tongue was also possible this way.
 
1-IMG_0513.JPG
Chamfering bit cutting the chamfers
 
Commercially a spindle moulder (shaper) would be used to produce the T&G boards in one pass. But as I don't have one the router table was used. Several passes and tool changes later a big pile of T&G boards were made. Only have to cut them to length now.
 
1-IMG_0516.JPGA pile of T&G
 
1-IMG_0518.JPGI will try and pick out any bookmatched or pleasing grains before final assembly.
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A fairly quiet evening last night not much happening in the shop:

 

Shaping the stiles

As the top of the stiles had been left cut longer it was a simple job to mark out and cut the tops.

I was going to make a template to do this but found an ideal one in my drafting equipment. It is an acrylic protractor. It is the exact size I wanted.
 
First of all I marked out some base lines 40mm (just over 1.1/2") up from the top of the upper mortise. Then I marked out another line 60mm (just under 2.3/8") further on from this line. Then I simply joined the dots. I projected this around to the other face and marked that too. This is just as a visual reminder when cutting. You don't want to cut the wrong piece out at this stage!
 
2-IMG_0523.JPGA protractor used to mark out the curve
 
1-IMG_0522.JPGTwo mirror images
 
Then they were cut out on the bandsaw and finished on the oscillating spindle sander.
 
3-IMG_0524.JPGThe curves finished.
 
After the glueup I will round all the edges of the stiles with a handheld router with a roundover bit.
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  • 2 weeks later...

OK everybody I've returned from my sojourn to France and I've got a few photos of pieces of antique furniture you may be interested in.

I can always start a new thread if anybody is interested rather than this thread. Let me know.

 

Anyway here is the first piece I thought you may be interested in seeing:

 

La table de chevet
Here is a good example of a bedside table that shows the importance of trying to keep woodworm in check.
 
The piece is an antique of unknown age, (maybe a knowledgeable reader could supply the period of manufacture), it has wonderful pierced cabriole legs, a shaped top and a single lockable drawer in the front apron. The dovetails in the drawer were all handcut and the base was made from 3 boards of oak glued together and roughly cut to fit in grooves cut into the drawer sides and front.
 
1-IMG_0567.JPGOn the face of it the table looks fabulous
 
1-IMG_0568.JPGLook a little closer and some holes can quite easily be seen
 
1-IMG_0569.JPGZoom in and you can see those pesky bugs have had a big meal
 
1-IMG_0580.JPGThe base of the drawer is made of three boards with some quite rough edges left on the rabbet planing.
 
1-IMG_0579.JPG
 
An interesting detail at the back of the drawer. A new one on me.
 
 
So make sure you either use kiln dried stock or treat the timber with an approved insecticide to avoid ending up with problems like this piece has. Of course the bugs may have got into the piece by some other means during its history.
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