Need Gate Building advice

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I'm new to welding and know very little about bending.  I have created a design for a driveway gate and now I have to figure out how to build it.  Here is the design....http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeAMmrZu1aNmzkYThis will be made from mild steel and MIG welded together.  Its approx 14 wide and 7 feet tall at its highest point.some questions:1) What do I use to bend the 2 arc pieces (1.5" suare tube)?  Should I just pay someone to bend it for me?2) What's the best way to bend the "vine" (1/2" rod)?  It doesn't necessarily have to be symetrical.  3) What's the best way to get perfect spacing between vertical rods?FYI: I got a quote from an gate business - $3500 !!!!!!  I'm thinking I could make it for a lot less.
Reply:If it was me,  I'd get a big metal table, some 2x8's pieces or large wooden blocks, cut the blocks with the curves you need, create some jigs, weld some metal round stock to the corner of table, fit wooden jigs heat and bend with torch, heat up the metal and just bend it slowly, as far as spacing evenly, again create some type of jig or spacer block, tack weld, go from there, dry fit everything.  Good luck
Reply:Personally, I wouldnt touch it for under about 10 grand, and that wouldnt include electric openers, or any footing or concrete work. So I think 3500 bucks sounds pretty cheap- For that you get thinwall sq tube, mig welds, funky looking bends, and lots of dingleberrys covered with cheap shiny black paint. At least the places on the west coast I have lived.But yes, you can make it yourself for lots less. And learn a lot, and have fun doing it.I have a very large, well equiped shop, and this is how I would do it- for the square tube top curves, I would bend them with my angle rolls- this is a powered 3 roll machine, heavy, expensive, (about 8 grand) powerful, and it would whip those boys out in about 10 minutes. If I didnt have that machine, I would bend them cold on my hossfeld bender, with fixed radius dies. I made the top arches for my carport that way, about 14 feet long, with maybe a 30 foot radius, out of 1 1/2" x 1/8" wall square tube. Again, though, a hossfeld costs big bucks- 800 for the basic machine, then about another 800 for the fixed radius dies. I bought mine 25 years ago, and still use it every day, so for me it was well worth it. A cheap harbor freight bender will not do this sq tube. And sq tube tends to squash when you try to bend it hot.So if it was me, I would pay someone else to roll it- I have a boatyard down the road from me that would do both pieces for under a 100 bucks. Lots of big fabricators have angle rolls, and can do this easily.Now the curvy pickets, on the other hand, you can do yourself.For those, you probably could get away with a cheapo bender- I would recommend going one step above harbor freight, but their prices are hard to beat. You can use a short (3" long) section of big pipe for a die, slip it over the center pin, and get a bigger radius than those little benders usually do. Use vice grips to clamp on stops, so the bend is the same every time, and make marks on your steel ahead of time so the bends are consistently spaced. Shop outfitters, boss benders, hossfeld, american bender, and jd2 all make machines that could do this, and then keep working for you for a long long time. google em all- they all have websites.
Reply:I can buy curvy pickets for about $8.50 for a 42" length.  I would have to join two pieces together for each picket, so thats $17 per picket x 9 which is just under $200.  That sounds reasonable and a lot less effort (but it doesn't help me justify buying a bender- which would be a nice tool to have.  I'll still price them anyway).  Sounds like I should call around and get prices on bending the two arcs.  I haven't learned how to do any heated metal bending yet and I may not be able to make a jig big enough.  Plus the squash issue has me concerned.  Thanks for the advice.
Reply:1.5 inch square tube cantilevered out 13 feet plus gives me a gut feeling that it will be too light.  You have a lot of weight in the half inch bar.  I am inclined to suggest 2 inch square 1/8th wall at least.  Definitely have the arcs formed by a local shop that specializes in that sort of thing.  If they make a mistake they have to wear it.  Yesterday I helped drop some 12 inch channel inot our floor layout and the radius on the bend was two inches out.  It went back on the truck and came back to day correct.
Reply:Seems like the price you got was too high. I'd do it for $2,100, 2,500 if you wanted it powder coated.   You might want to have the arches rolled, the rest you can make a jig & bend yourself.
Reply:This quote included $300 for powder coating. He said he makes no profit on that.   I haven't priced powder coating in this area yet.  I'll try making the gate myself (but send out the arches to a shop).  I'll probably need more advice as I get going.  Stay tuned.