Despite the emergence of new attractive building materials, traditional wood is not losing its position. It is beautiful, durable and easy to process. No special skills are required to work with wood. True, it is a fire hazard and deteriorates from moisture, but this can be easily corrected with special impregnations. Let's figure out how to make a wooden gate with your own hands so that it turns out beautiful and functional.
Material selection
Like any street structure, the gate is constantly exposed to adverse factors. These are precipitation, temperature changes, ultraviolet radiation, frost. Without proper protection, everything irreparably damages the material. Different breeds exhibit varying degrees of weather resistance. This must be taken into account when choosing. Let's find out the characteristics of tree species.
- Larch. A representative of conifers, therefore it contains a large amount of resin. Thanks to this, it has high moisture resistance and is resistant to rotting. However, impregnation with an antiseptic is still necessary. One of the advantages is the beautiful color and pronounced texture.
- Spruce. Refers to soft rocks, prone to rapid rotting upon contact with moisture or soil. Easy to process, but at the same time strong and durable (subject to regular treatment with wood impregnations). The price of such lumber is low.
- Birch. It has dense, hard wood. Difficulties may arise during processing. The lumber is well polished, deeply impregnated and painted with high quality. In humid conditions it rots quickly and requires regular treatment with an antiseptic.
- Pine. A soft, pliable breed. It is durable, resistant to deformation after drying, and lightweight. Pine is easy to work with. It is quite simply processed and impregnated with high-quality special compounds.
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When choosing lumber, not only the species, but also the type of board is taken into account. It is not necessary to buy the most expensive “Extra” or “Prima” products, but you also don’t need to buy low-quality ones. For the gate, choose a material of at least third grade. You should definitely inspect it carefully before purchasing. There should be no rot, discoloration or stains, or dead knots falling out. The geometry of the board must be correct.
Another important aspect of the choice is the purchase of raw materials that have undergone atmospheric drying. This is an edged board, timber, lath or lining. Working with raw lumber is strongly discouraged. After assembly, there will inevitably be an atmospheric drying process. Wooden parts are deformed, which will spoil the appearance of the structure and negatively affect its functionality.
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Preparation of tools, materials and workplace
The wooden gate is assembled on a flat surface. For a private yard, the best option would be to install two long beams on the trestles, and a sheet of chipboard on top of them.
To make a gate with your own hands you will need the following carpentry tools:
- Hand drill with adjustable speed, feather and regular drills;
- Jigsaw, passing hacksaw (with small teeth);
- Screwdriver;
- Hand router with shaped and quarter cutters;
- Planer (you will need both a regular and an electric one);
- Hand tools: set of chisels, hammer, clamps, square, pencil, tape measure;
- Hip (for assembling frame sashes) or strong rope;
carpenter's tool
For painting work you will need a brush, fine and medium-grained sandpaper (sander). Depending on the type of coating, paint, impregnation, and varnish are purchased.
Loop with long wing
To hang the sash, buy hinges. There is a large selection in stores, it’s only worth noting that “antique” forged fittings look especially harmonious, and hinges with a long overlay wing, when installed on a lattice sash, will add rigidity to the structure and prevent the sash from sagging.
Locking hardware
For locking, you can also give preference not to ordinary latches and latches, but to choose something extravagant.
Types of gate structures
Before you start making a wooden fence gate with your own hands, you need to think about its design. There are three options.
Frame
A frame is assembled under the canvas, onto which the sheathing is fixed. The base can be made of metal or wood. The result is a rigid frame of different sizes and configurations. The frame is formed by bars and jibs. The latter are placed diagonally, they strengthen the base. The location of the jib can be different, it depends on the size of the canvas and its purpose. Most often, frames are found in the form of the letters Z, L or X, but other options are also possible.
Reinforced frames are considered the most durable. For their manufacture, not only diagonal and horizontal, but also vertical elements are used. This system turns out to be as rigid as possible. It deforms less, is resistant to mechanical stress and lasts much longer. To connect and simultaneously strengthen the frame elements, metal parts are chosen.
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Framework
It differs from the frame one in the presence of a frame inside which the canvas is assembled. The base frame is made of metal, less often of wood. The result is a structure that is as rigid as possible and therefore durable. To assemble a metal frame, choose a corner or profile pipe. The parts are welded or bolted. Wooden planks are attached to the finished frame and secured with self-tapping screws.
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With arch
A frame or frame gate with an unusual top part. An arch is installed on the pillars where it is fixed. It turns out to be a beautiful entrance group. If possible, the arch is additionally decorated with climbing flowering plants or just greenery. Sometimes, instead of or together with an arch, a small canopy is placed over the canvas. Its shape and design may vary.
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The filling of the frame and frame can also be different. The planks are installed close to each other or at some distance. Sometimes lamellas of different lengths are chosen; after fastening, they form the upper or lower edge of a given shape. There are a lot of options, there is room for creativity and interesting ideas.
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Selecting gates and wickets
Regardless of what type of fence will be installed, you need to take into account not only the width of the gate and wicket, but also their type. In the case of gates, models with an electric strike and intercom are increasingly being installed. However, ordinary gate locks are also still used.
As for gates, you can choose between swing (single, double) or sliding models. Choosing the right solution is not always a matter of preference. Swing gates must open towards the center of the site, so they require more space.
When there is no such place, it is best to choose sliding gates. However, in this case you need to remember that for this you need a suitable place along the fence.
Gates and wickets are key elements of every fence. The correct layout of such elements will increase the comfort of entering and exiting the territory, and also ensure safety. To achieve the best result, you can choose the gate together with the wicket, rather than separately.
How to make a frame wooden gate with your own hands
Of the many options, we will focus on the simplest frame structure. We will analyze in detail the process of its manufacture and installation.
Preparation
They start with the implementation of the project. It is necessary to determine exactly what the door will be like. Measure the height and width of the passage. The swing structure should not be wider than 1,200 mm, otherwise it will pull out the fastenings with its weight. Reinforced loops or increasing their number do not always help. The optimal door width is 1,000 mm. This is enough for free passage in bulky warm clothes. For a garden or summer cottage, install a panel of 800 mm.
Theoretically the height can be any. For all-season models, a gap of about 300 mm must be left at the bottom. It is needed for free opening in winter. If there is a lot of snow in the region, the gap is increased. The standard door height is within 2,000 mm. It depends on the purpose of the product and the desires of the owners.
After the dimensions are determined, the type of frame is selected. They decide how many jibs need to be installed and how to arrange them. At this stage, you can make a drawing to make it easier to calculate the amount of material. After the calculations, they buy bars, fittings and boards. Lumber can be purchased with a small reserve in case of unexpected damage.
Cheap or expensive gate?
Many garden lovers simply cannot imagine that any other material other than wood will appear in their space. Elements made from it (wooden gates or wickets) have long been valued by summer residents.
Swing gates go well with gazebos, houses, or, finally, with the above-mentioned vegetation. However, choosing cheap models is not necessarily a good option, it is better to invest a little more to enjoy high quality.
Therefore, you should choose durable, reliable and aesthetically pleasing wooden gates for your garden, which will delight owners for many years with their impeccable appearance and practicality.
Device, types of structures
The gate is supported on support posts. It consists of a door leaf, placed with or without a frame, which is attached to the pillars with hinges (curtains). It can be a built-in part of the gate or located separately from it. For reliability and convenience of closing/opening, it is equipped with a latch, a lock (padlock, electromechanical or other type), and a deadbolt. To prevent precipitation from getting into the door lock, a small canopy is installed on top. To notify you of the arrival of guests, a bell and intercom are installed at the gate, and a surveillance camera is mounted above.
According to the design and method of opening, the gate can be swinging or sliding. It can be part of sectional, rail, combined devices with gates, but they are used extremely rarely.
In the private sector, the most popular type is the swing gate, including because you can quickly make such a gate yourself.
Wicket made of corrugated sheets photo
You can make a gate from corrugated sheets with your own hands in several versions. For example, designs are made in the same style as the fence or, conversely, contrast with it. The gate looks great in combination with brickwork or wide pillars made of light stone. You can decorate it using a canopy over the opening, forged edging and other elements, or even hang a mailbox. Using your imagination, it’s easy to create a gate that has a strict, solid or, on the contrary, a bright and fresh look
Polycarbonate – a new generation material
This material appeared on the construction market recently, but has already managed to win the preferences of summer residents.
A gate made from this material has a refined and attractive appearance. It is easy to process and assemble, does not fade in the sun and has a high degree of wear resistance.However, despite all its attractiveness, there are negative aspects of its use:
- is destroyed by both high and low temperatures;
- does not tolerate mechanical stress;
- is not an environmentally friendly material.
