On Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:40:59 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

I have put up a 1,100 split rail fence, and am now faced with building
4 gates to go along with it. What I'm looking to build is something
similar to this:

http://tinyurl.com/yfrv6bg

which are cypress. But I don't currently have access to a good local
supplier of cypress and am wondering what else I can build these out
of and keep the weight down. Will P/T pine be too heavy? What are my
other options? How long will untreated pine last outdoors, off the
ground? The gate posts are 6x6's with a concrete collar. The
dimensions are approximately 12' x 3' for the entire gate, ~6'x3' for
each gate 'half'. No, I'm not going to paint or stain them.

Cheers


I built my garden gate out of PT pine. What is so "bad" with it is
that it is usually very wet. You gotta have patience (or a kiln). I
clamped my PT stock for 6 months drying time, but I got to say 9
months is better.

You can use white oak, teak, cedar. Instead of an "X" brace you can
use one brace, corner to corner, to make the gate lighter and it is
just as strong. Your gate posts have got to be solid and stable!