My non-traditional gate

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Finished it on the weekend.It's a gate at the top of my driveway near my front door. Height is about 5 foot. The frame was an existing gate - I just had to shorten and narrow it.I was going to go with off-the-shelf rossettes and things for the infill section, but figured it would look like a gate assembled from off-the-shelf components.My wife drew the design on paper at 1:1 scale.I transferred it to sheet timber, lay the frame on it, and started welding. And swearing.The steel is 16mm x 3mm flats. (Not sure what that is in your quaint dimensions.)I bent the curves on the grass in the backyard around a terracotta plant pot.Where the curves intersect, I made opposing notches so they fit together. That sounds easier than it was - especially given some pieces intersected over a dozen times.Total time = 16 hoursTotal cost = $45 (bearing in mind I already had the frame)Pain in arse factor = huge (halfway through I wished we'd gone with off the shelf components)Still, it's nice to have a unique gate.- Those stairs are the ones I dropped on my foot last year before I started wearing shoes while working.- The decking is 2 inch hardwood fixed by stainless screws. Attached Imagesgate 3.pdf (49.7 KB, 694 views)
Reply:Hi Scott,I like your gate, it looks really good, looks like it was a bit of work to get it all to fit right. Did you do the lock for it, I am about to make a double arched set and have to have three locks on them.Good to hear you have started on the spillway, have you decided on how you are going to get the water into it yet. Would love to see some photo's as you go.Do you get much time in your shed now daylight savings have finished?.Simonhttp://members.optusnet.com.au/~abba/index.html
Reply:Good looking gate. I'll give you 9.9 on the PIA factor.
Reply:Simon,The lock was on the existing frame, so thankfully I didn't have to touch it - I always seem to have trouble when I fiddle with locks. It's not a great lock, but somebody determined to get in with just jump the gate - it's a lock to keep honest people out.I've sort of worked out how to get the water into the spillway. I've made a cardboard mock-up of the reservoir and now have to make it out of steel - probably 3mm sheet. I'm well out into unchartered waters here, which is where I like to be. I'd like to test the mock-up, but it will fall apart pretty quickly. I might paint it inside and out with Ormonoid and give it a go anyway. I'll know in a couple of minutes whether it sort of works. It would be a pity to make it the thing out of steel and have it be a dismal failure.Sandy,9.99
Reply:Two resized gate pics - better view.In a couple of weeks I'll forgotten all about the PIA factor. Attached Imagesgate 1.pdf (72.9 KB, 239 views)gate 2.pdf (88.3 KB, 190 views)
Reply:Nice job scott! Cool design from the wife. Notching all the intersections must have been a pain. How did you do it? Did you weld them all? Good job! Looks great............p.s. how is that toe anyway?
Reply:thats a good looking gate. I like it.
Reply:Hey scott,Very nice!  You and your wife make a good team.  That beats the heck out of your standard burgular bars.Last edited by smithboy; 04-04-2006 at 09:59 AM.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:Nice job scott! Cool design from the wife. Notching all the intersections must have been a pain. How did you do it? Did you weld them all? Good job! Looks great............p.s. how is that toe anyway?
Reply:One addition to the gate I'm thinking about doing once I've recovered from the PIA factor is adding some coloured glass pieces to some of the openings. Just the smaller/medium size ones. Less than a dozen of them. I'll do them in coloured celophane first to see if they look any good.Scott
Reply:Nice gate! You can paint some parts of it red and call it the "Van Halen" gate. www.The-Motorhead.com
Reply:As great of a job that is. Do you realize how easy that gate now is to climb?
Reply:It was pretty easy to climb when it had bars with one cross piece. I had to do it myself once. Most gates only keep honest people out.Last edited by scott brunsdon; 04-05-2006 at 01:34 AM.
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