30' driveway gate project.

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Time to get started! Structural question, what is stronger - mitered corners or a butt joint?Last edited by AKmud; 09-15-2013 at 11:39 PM.Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller 252 Miller 250xMiller Syncrowave 250Miller AEAD200 LegendMiller 375 Xtreme plasmaLincoln WeldPak 100Victor O/A
Reply:Nevermind, fixed it...Last edited by AKmud; 09-15-2013 at 11:40 PM.Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller 252 Miller 250xMiller Syncrowave 250Miller AEAD200 LegendMiller 375 Xtreme plasmaLincoln WeldPak 100Victor O/A
Reply:The basic profile so far. Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller 252 Miller 250xMiller Syncrowave 250Miller AEAD200 LegendMiller 375 Xtreme plasmaLincoln WeldPak 100Victor O/A
Reply:Enough for tonight. No welding yet, just lots of cutting. Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller 252 Miller 250xMiller Syncrowave 250Miller AEAD200 LegendMiller 375 Xtreme plasmaLincoln WeldPak 100Victor O/A
Reply:Looking good!Swing style gate?Hobart Stickmate LX235AC/160DCRanger 305GVictor 315 O/A rigHope to acquire in the next couple of years: Hypertherm PM45 and Dynasty 200DX
Reply:Yep, 30' overall (2 - 15' sections)Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller 252 Miller 250xMiller Syncrowave 250Miller AEAD200 LegendMiller 375 Xtreme plasmaLincoln WeldPak 100Victor O/A
Reply:How do you bend square tubing at that length?Lincoln Power Mig 216Lincoln AC/DC-225/125Miller  625 X-Treme PlasmaMiller 211 Forney 95FI-A 301HF 91110Victor Journeyman O/PMilwaukee DaytonMakita  Baileigh NRA Life Member
Reply:Looks good!  What tubing roller are you using?Craig MontgomeryM&L Fabrication, LLChttps://www.facebook.com/pages/ML-Fa...8228829?ref=hl
Reply:Very carefully SAI take it your rolling it from the smoothness of it  Not having a jig table is hard on the knees and back  ...looking good AKThe trick is making it's mirror image look exactly the same you should have the pieces for bothe so it will look the same when laid a top of each otherLast edited by killdozerd11; 09-16-2013 at 11:00 AM.Backed my CATMA over your CARMA oops clusmy me  What would SATAN do ?? Miller Trailblazer 302 AirPakMiller Digital Elite  Optrel Welding HatArcair K4000Suitcase 12RC / 12 VSHypertherm PM-45Rage 3 sawRusty old Truck
Reply:Yep, we rolled them. I have a fencing company near me who can bend all sorts of things. The first attempt they tried to go too far too fast and kinked it pretty bad... Second attempt came out great, I got both pieces to match perfectly. I'm not sure what bender they use but it is pretty sweet. Digital readout and they could set fractions of degrees for the change. I think we ran it through four times taking 1* - 1 1/2* per pass. The offset is 18" over about 9'.Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller 252 Miller 250xMiller Syncrowave 250Miller AEAD200 LegendMiller 375 Xtreme plasmaLincoln WeldPak 100Victor O/A
Reply:What are your material dimensions and thickness? What size post and thickness are you going to use?
Reply:The gate itself is 1 1/2" (.083 wall) sq. tubing perimeter with 1" sq. tubing (.083 wall) pickets.  The posts are 4" sq. tubing (1/8" wall) buried in concrete. I'm estimating each gate section will weigh roughly 180-200#.I'm also going to put a 12" or so piece of 1/8" plate between the top and middle horizontal pieces with the company logo plasma cut into it.Last edited by AKmud; 09-17-2013 at 01:03 PM.Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller 252 Miller 250xMiller Syncrowave 250Miller AEAD200 LegendMiller 375 Xtreme plasmaLincoln WeldPak 100Victor O/A
Reply:Is the tall end of the gate going to be in the center or at the post end?
Reply:Tall side will be at the post.Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller 252 Miller 250xMiller Syncrowave 250Miller AEAD200 LegendMiller 375 Xtreme plasmaLincoln WeldPak 100Victor O/A
Reply:Looking good, please keep adding your progress pictures. Thanks for sharing.
Reply:Doesn't look much different tonight but I did get the outer frame welded minus the outside corners. I also used all the frame pieces as patterns for the other half before I welded anything. All the parts cut out perfect so if I do my part they should be nearly identical. Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller 252 Miller 250xMiller Syncrowave 250Miller AEAD200 LegendMiller 375 Xtreme plasmaLincoln WeldPak 100Victor O/A
Reply:When I do one off gates that have repetitive pickets, I will usually make  picket jigs for welding 4-6 pickets at a time. After tacking those pickets, simply move the jig down, hooking the last picket that was welded in the first slot in the jig. You could use a piece of tube that has two perpendicular tubes welded onto it to hold each picket. Build two jigs, one for the top, one for the bottom. I usually will add some additional pieces that clamp to the top and bottom tubes which hold the jig at the right offset. A little time spent building accurate, easy to use jigs pays off in accuracy and higher quality build.
Reply:Great idea walker, thanks! I'll have 22 pickets in each side at a 7 1/2" spacing. A simple jig would sure speed things up especially for the other half.Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller 252 Miller 250xMiller Syncrowave 250Miller AEAD200 LegendMiller 375 Xtreme plasmaLincoln WeldPak 100Victor O/A
Reply:Pickets all tacked up, time for a bunch of 1" welds...Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller 252 Miller 250xMiller Syncrowave 250Miller AEAD200 LegendMiller 375 Xtreme plasmaLincoln WeldPak 100Victor O/A
Reply:One down, one to go!Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller 252 Miller 250xMiller Syncrowave 250Miller AEAD200 LegendMiller 375 Xtreme plasmaLincoln WeldPak 100Victor O/A
Reply:Nice project!Will the upper section be filled with pickets or artwork, or will it be left clear?MondoMember, AWSLincoln ProMIG 140Lincoln AC TombstoneCraftsman Lathe 12 x 24 c1935Atlas MFC Horizontal MillCraftsman Commercial Lathe 12 x 36 c1970- - - I'll just keep on keepin' on.
Reply:This gate is for a friend's leather shop.  I'm waiting for him to get me a logo that I can plasma cut into some sheet steel.  I'm not sure if I'll fit a piece into the open areas of the gate or over lay it on the front.  With the pickets I turned every other one 45* so the corner of the sq tubing is facing forward.  Its hard to see the difference in the pic but I think it gives it a little something over all flat faces.Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller 252 Miller 250xMiller Syncrowave 250Miller AEAD200 LegendMiller 375 Xtreme plasmaLincoln WeldPak 100Victor O/A
Reply:Other half is done, now it's time for cleanup and paint. Hopefully I can get them hung this weekend.Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller 252 Miller 250xMiller Syncrowave 250Miller AEAD200 LegendMiller 375 Xtreme plasmaLincoln WeldPak 100Victor O/A
Reply:Two things I need to engineer yet - 1. A fairly strong, lockable latch system that is somewhat hidden or at least looks good.2. A rolling support at the end of each section to help take some weight off the hinges.  Any suggestions/ideas would be appreciated.Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller 252 Miller 250xMiller Syncrowave 250Miller AEAD200 LegendMiller 375 Xtreme plasmaLincoln WeldPak 100Victor O/A
Reply:Sometimes a job really pisses you off...So far this gate build has gone really well.....until now. I cleaned all of the pickets with a wire wheel before welding because I knew they would be a pain to get to after they were in place. Today I started the painting process and cleaned the metal with a medium evaporative paint thinner then wiped it all down with a solvent before painting. I started spraying the first light coat with my trusty Rustoleum rattle can and noticed the paint wasn't adhering in places. It is acting like there are waxy deposits in places and the paint just pulls away leaving spotted areas with no coverage. Even primer acts funny and "cracks" then starts sagging on vertical surfaces. I'm guessing there is something on the metal that didn't come off with my cleaning attempts.  I was hoping a second coat would fill things in, but it isn't working.  Now I have a mess of runs and bare spots.  So what is next? Do I need to try to strip all the paint and start sanding the metal first? I'm no painter and usually sell my jobs unpainted, but paint is part of the deal on this job (for a friend...). Any ideas?Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller 252 Miller 250xMiller Syncrowave 250Miller AEAD200 LegendMiller 375 Xtreme plasmaLincoln WeldPak 100Victor O/AYou should have the surface sand or bead blasted (now that its painted).  Sounds like there was grease on the surface.  On bare metal, I scrub it down real good with with this:http://www.amazon.com/POR-15-MARINE-...=pd_sim_misc_1Then I hose it off with water and let it dry real good.  I use heat to get all the moisture out of the metal.  I then use a primer designed to be used with the top coat i am using and the surface i am applying it to.   Thinner is not the best surface prep for painting, soup and water is far better, especially when using Rustoleum out of a can.  If having it sandblasted is not an option, try sanding it, then washing it with soap and water.  Good luck!GarLast edited by Gar; 09-22-2013 at 06:18 PM.Lincoln Electric, Power MIG 256Hypertherm Powermax 45 Miller Dynasty 280DXSmith O/A torchGenesis of a welding table
Reply:Sand the holidays in the paint down to are metal and redcoats. Next time, clean the steel before the build. I use Tide detergent. Pressure wash after build, then I will usually sand lightly with a RO.
Reply:Well, I stomped off and pouted for a while then went to Lowes for some more primer. When I got back an hour or so later the primer went on like normal... I'm guessing I didn't give my "medium evaporative" thinner time enough to actually evaporate.  Anyway, the first two coats are on the upper 3/4 now. Tomorrow I'll flip the sections and give the bottom a couple of coats before finishing the upper part again. I'm hoping to hang these sometime this week.Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller 252 Miller 250xMiller Syncrowave 250Miller AEAD200 LegendMiller 375 Xtreme plasmaLincoln WeldPak 100Victor O/A
Reply:A simpled slide bolt will hide behind the tubing on one side.  Put a dog into the ground.  Too bad about the paint.  I usually clean with soap and water.  I often clean material before I fabricate and again before painting.
Reply:Originally Posted by AKmudTwo things I need to engineer yet - 1. A fairly strong, lockable latch system that is somewhat hidden or at least looks good.2. A rolling support at the end of each section to help take some weight off the hinges.  Any suggestions/ideas would be appreciated.
Reply:Got around to hanging things today! Here it is with both sides hung and paint touched up. Now I just have to finish the latch and work up some type of a support for the center. The posts are a bit too flexible for the weight so I had to strap them to the wooden posts to get things to line up correctly. I think I will fab a metal strap for each post to bind the wood posts to the metal one to help stiffen things up. I'm trying to avoid a cable or other diagonal on the post for purely aesthetic reasons. The metal posts are 4x4 sq tubing, I was wondering how much we would gain by filling the posts with rebar and concrete? Would it be worth it or would they still flex? The left side is open a bit is why they don't appear to be lined up. They actually are less than 1/8" from flush.Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller 252 Miller 250xMiller Syncrowave 250Miller AEAD200 LegendMiller 375 Xtreme plasmaLincoln WeldPak 100Victor O/A
Reply:Its the paint. I got some of the same stuff from AIH and it did the same thing. It is not like the old primer.Northern Light250 EASAB Migmaster w/spool gun175 Lincoln Square wave TIGMiller plasma cutter140 Datona MigFirst tombstone Lincoln,40 yrs oldbrakes,rollers,shears, presses,Logan latheVictor torches
Reply:I often wipe down my metal projects with alcohol before painting.  For very small projects I'll use isopropyl, but larger projects I'll use methyl alcohol.  The alcohol takes away anything greasy or waxy leaving it in the rag and evaporates from the metal within seconds.- MondoMember, AWSLincoln ProMIG 140Lincoln AC TombstoneCraftsman Lathe 12 x 24 c1935Atlas MFC Horizontal MillCraftsman Commercial Lathe 12 x 36 c1970- - - I'll just keep on keepin' on.
Reply:Pretty much got things wrapped up today. We decided to hold off on a support wheel for now, we may add one later. Pretty pleased with the lines overall. There are a couple little things that bug me, but most people won't ever notice unless I point them out.Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller 252 Miller 250xMiller Syncrowave 250Miller AEAD200 LegendMiller 375 Xtreme plasmaLincoln WeldPak 100Victor O/A
Reply:Looks Good to meBacked my CATMA over your CARMA oops clusmy me  What would SATAN do ?? Miller Trailblazer 302 AirPakMiller Digital Elite  Optrel Welding HatArcair K4000Suitcase 12RC / 12 VSHypertherm PM-45Rage 3 sawRusty old Truck