Building a garden gate


TerryMcK

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Bandsawing some 12/4 thick x 4" wide stock today with wedges to stop this white oak closing up on the kerf. It must be severely case hardened.

With oak timbers that thick, it would be shocking if it weren't case hardened. :)

 

This is a good journal you have going here!

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I'm glad people are enjoying the build so far.

 

Here is the latest.

 

Mullions and Dry Fit

 

The mortises for the mullions were cut in a previous process so fitting the mullions was a simple process. First of all the stock was milled to a hair over 18mm (around 3/4")  thick and one face jointed. Each component was cut to length and then cut to final width.

 

Fitting the mullions was just using the smoothing plane on all faces which removed all milling marks and produced a sliding fit.
 
1-IMG_0497.JPGA pile of mullions
 
Then a tenon marking out template was made from some 1/4" plywood. This was just to ensure all the tapered tenons were cut at the same angle. We could have used a sliding bevel but sometimes the wing nut gets in the way.
 
1-IMG_0484.JPG
Wedged tenon template
 
There was one more bottom rail to make. This is 4.1/4" wide x 1.5/8" thick. Marking off the top rail tenon shoulders ensures that the shoulders are all the same length.
 
1-IMG_0487.JPGMarking the tenon shoulders. I like to use a marking knife for my joinery.
 
Then it was a combination of some chiselling, the router tenon routing jig and a rabbeting block plane to produce the tenons.
 
1-IMG_0488.JPG
 
I had to use some epoxy to glue a split back together prior to marking the tenons. You can see the glue on the end grain
 
Then using the template I cut the tapers on the tenons by hand using a japanese rip saw.
 
1-IMG_0490.JPG

Tapers cut.

 

Finally finishing off all the tenons with a chisel and a cheap rasp. No Auriou's used here - just the Lowes big box store UK equivalent!

 

1-IMG_0491.JPGA very blurred picture of a chisel.

 

1-IMG_0482.JPGThere's that rasp I mentioned! Quality stuff  :P  :D

 

An initial dry fit of the top and mid rails with the mullions and then fitting the stiles was done as a sanity check. We had to use the rabbeting block plane to get a slip fit for each joint.

 

1-IMG_0494.JPG

Finishing the tenon faces

 

We could then mark off the routed slot in the lower part of the stiles onto the mid rail. This is so the ends of the tongue and groove boards can slide into the midrail. After marking this the dry-fit was disassembled and we could machine the slot in the underside of the mid-rail. 
 
Here is the gate in it's dry fitted state.
 
1-IMG_0500.JPG

Mullions fitted. I may need a bigger bench! (Quint - "We're gonna need a bigger boat" [Jaws 1975])

 

1-IMG_0503.JPG

Initial dry fit

 

More jobs to do
 
There are several jobs yet to do:
  • Shape the top of each stile
  • Make some diagonal braces
  • Make the tongue and groove boards
  • Carve the letters and numbers into the various faces of the gate.
  • Glue up
  • Apply some gold leaf to the numbers
  • Apply finish
  • Fit to the brick gate posts
Not sure how heavy it is as I've not weighed it yet but I can say it is solid but moveable.
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Ken, the epoxy should hopefully fill all the voids and keep that pesky moisture out - famous last words. Yes I have two assistants - Amber and Anna.

 

post-3084-0-63506700-1409672684_thumb.jpAmber and post-3084-0-14066700-1409672658_thumb.jpAnna both of the shop cats.

 

I found that I was using "I" a lot - see I was just doing it then - so decided to put in a few "we's" as well for variety  ;)

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Terry,

I'm coming to the party late but the build looks like it's going nicely!  I woke up at 3am today....have no idea why...and finally at 4

I said this is going no where so I got up and have read your entire build (thus far) this morning.  Man, it's like reading a good book!

I am curious, what epoxy are you using?

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Terry,

I'm coming to the party late but the build looks like it's going nicely!  I woke up at 3am today....have no idea why...and finally at 4

I said this is going no where so I got up and have read your entire build (thus far) this morning.  Man, it's like reading a good book!

I am curious, what epoxy are you using?

Hi Tim, sorry you couldn't sleep but glad you are reading the build so far :) . I will be using West Systems 105 resin with 205 hardener. It is intended for boat building so, assuming the gate doesn't float away in the rain, the joints should stand up well to the ingress of moisture. I've used this many times on outdoor projects or anywhere where a piece can become wet.

The only exposed end grain will be on the top and bottom of the stiles and the bottom of T&G boards. The top of the T&G boards will be covered with epoxy and inserted into the groove on the underside of the mid rail.

The top of the styles are due to be shaped tonight and I will post an update.

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Not much was done last night but here is the latest update:

Cross Bracing

Cross bracing for the lower section of the gate is essentially to aid long time stability. The bracing needs to be less than 45 degrees to each stile otherwise the braces are not actually doing anything. The timbers were milled and cut to length. I chose an angle of 40 degrees and marked out each cut. Then using the tablesaw and mitre gauge the cuts were done.

 

1-IMG_0506.JPGMitre gauge is set at 40 degrees but due to parallax error from where the camera is looks less

 

1-IMG_0507.JPGThe braces are left long at the moment.

 

As this exposes a lot of endgrain, endgrain glue joints not being very strong, each end will have a #20 biscuit slot cut into them to reinforce. A corresponding set of biscuit slots will be cut into the top of the bottom rail and the underside of the mid rail. Then the lower rail could have its top face bevelled to aid rain water run-off. A straight portion was left at each position where the bevel mates to the lower rail.
 
After initial glue up the braces will be trimmed to their final length and glued into place with the biscuits.
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Not much was done last night but here is the latest update:

Cross Bracing

Cross bracing for the lower section of the gate is essentially to aid long time stability. The bracing needs to be less than 45 degrees to each stile otherwise the braces are not actually doing anything.

 

 

 

 

Terry, Good to know as I didn't already!

Just out of curiosity, It shows that you posted this at 5;23 this morning. Is that your time or ours, say CST? It looks like you are 6 hours ahead of CST?

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No it was 11:23 AM my time which currently is UTC+1 (GMT+1) to account for daylight saving time here in the UK. I think the forum software allows you to state where you are and in which time zone. So the posting you just made looked to me as if you posted it at 3:12PM when you probably posted at 9:12AM your time.

 

Currently we are 6 hours ahead of CST. When the clocks revert back to regular UTC/GMT in late October we also get dark nights and will be 5 hours ahead of Texas. 

 

It's always a nightmare trying to work out what time it is when Marc does his live transmissions. Invariably it's about 1 in the morning here! I think I've caught it twice live at around midnight.

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I've just weighed the gate components I've made so far with a large spring balance - the bits in the dry fit picture - and it weighs 60 pounds. I'm currently milling the tongue and groove boards and they weigh around 8 pounds so the original calculation of 71 pounds (ish) is about right.

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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.

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