I've been tasked with making a garden gate for Xmas... a half-height one,
along the lines of a picket fence with rounded tops.

The gate is between two hedges, so there's no existing fence or wood to
match up to. What wood is best to use to make a fairly resilient gate
without breaking the bank and without needing re-varnishing every couple
of years?

Pine isn't too sturdy unless you keep redoing it. Pressure treated pine
is better but it's going to be machined, exposed wood so the colours will
be all over the place.

So what's left? Ash? Oak (green or dried)? Poplar? anything else?

"PCPaul" wrote in message
om...
I've been tasked with making a garden gate for Xmas... a half-height one,
along the lines of a picket fence with rounded tops.

The gate is between two hedges, so there's no existing fence or wood to
match up to. What wood is best to use to make a fairly resilient gate
without breaking the bank and without needing re-varnishing every couple
of years?

Pine isn't too sturdy unless you keep redoing it. Pressure treated pine
is better but it's going to be machined, exposed wood so the colours will
be all over the place.

So what's left? Ash? Oak (green or dried)? Poplar? anything else?


Old wooden pallet base runners. The timber is strong enough to dress and
machine. It lasts for ages without much maintenance. It's cheap. Have a
look around your local DIY store or timber merchant for old broken pallets.

That's what our little garden divider fences are made from. :-)

On Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:40:31 +0000, BigWallop wrote:

"PCPaul" wrote in message

So what's left? Ash? Oak (green or dried)? Poplar? anything else?


Old wooden pallet base runners. The timber is strong enough to dress
and machine. It lasts for ages without much maintenance. It's cheap.
Have a look around your local DIY store or timber merchant for old
broken pallets.

That's what our little garden divider fences are made from. :-)

I thought pallets were mostly spruce these days?

"BigWallop" wrote in message
om...

"PCPaul" wrote in message
om...
I've been tasked with making a garden gate for Xmas... a half-height one,
along the lines of a picket fence with rounded tops.

The gate is between two hedges, so there's no existing fence or wood to
match up to. What wood is best to use to make a fairly resilient gate
without breaking the bank and without needing re-varnishing every couple
of years?

Pine isn't too sturdy unless you keep redoing it. Pressure treated pine
is better but it's going to be machined, exposed wood so the colours will
be all over the place.

So what's left? Ash? Oak (green or dried)? Poplar? anything else?


Old wooden pallet base runners. The timber is strong enough to dress and
machine. It lasts for ages without much maintenance. It's cheap. Have a
look around your local DIY store or timber merchant for old broken
pallets.

That's what our little garden divider fences are made from. :-)

I made a full length 30ft x 4ft high garden fence with old pallets around 20
years ago and it looks still as solid as the day it was made. Not sure what
pallets are made with but its strong stuff.

"Steven Campbell" wrote in message
et...

"BigWallop" wrote in message
om...

"PCPaul" wrote in message
om...
I've been tasked with making a garden gate for Xmas... a half-height
one,
along the lines of a picket fence with rounded tops.

The gate is between two hedges, so there's no existing fence or wood to
match up to. What wood is best to use to make a fairly resilient gate
without breaking the bank and without needing re-varnishing every
couple
of years?

Pine isn't too sturdy unless you keep redoing it. Pressure treated pine
is better but it's going to be machined, exposed wood so the colours
will
be all over the place.

So what's left? Ash? Oak (green or dried)? Poplar? anything else?


Old wooden pallet base runners. The timber is strong enough to dress
and
machine. It lasts for ages without much maintenance. It's cheap. Have
a
look around your local DIY store or timber merchant for old broken
pallets.

That's what our little garden divider fences are made from. :-)

I made a full length 30ft x 4ft high garden fence with old pallets around
20
years ago and it looks still as solid as the day it was made. Not sure
what
pallets are made with but its strong stuff.


I know our little fences have been there for years and years. Only painted
them a couple of times in that period, when they looked scruffy enough to
need a lick of paint. They are still strong and firm enough in the ground
to last the same length of time again, by the look of them.

I don't know what wood they are, but they all seem to match in colour and
grain strength. Cost the price of the diesel to bring them home. You do
have to ask for the broken pallets though, as new ones will most likely be
sent back to the supplier to be re-stocked. Broken ones get chucked away in
most places. You might also find them in skips at the side of the road,
which are the cheapest to obtain, and you don't have to ask if you leave it
till late enough at night.

On Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:30:09 GMT, PCPaul wrote:

Pine isn't too sturdy unless you keep redoing it. Pressure treated pine
is better but it's going to be machined, exposed wood so the colours
will be all over the place.

Make the gate first then get it treated.

That's how our gates where made and TBH finding a place than can make and
treat 'em is probably the better option. Unless you have the abilty to
make really tight joints and have clamps big enough to push them together.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:51:16 +0000, Dave Liquorice wrote:

On Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:30:09 GMT, PCPaul wrote:

Pine isn't too sturdy unless you keep redoing it. Pressure treated pine
is better but it's going to be machined, exposed wood so the colours
will be all over the place.

Make the gate first then get it treated.

That's how our gates where made and TBH finding a place than can make
and treat 'em is probably the better option. Unless you have the abilty
to make really tight joints and have clamps big enough to push them
together.

I can make them OK - I have several sash cramps (you can never have too
many), a choice of routers and a crappy table saw. But getting it
pressure treated afterwards is a thought - I hadn't realised there were
places that would do more than dunk it in a tank of miscellaneous
'preservative'.

PCPaul wrote:
I've been tasked with making a garden gate for Xmas... a half-height one,
along the lines of a picket fence with rounded tops.

The gate is between two hedges, so there's no existing fence or wood to
match up to. What wood is best to use to make a fairly resilient gate
without breaking the bank and without needing re-varnishing every couple
of years?

Pine isn't too sturdy unless you keep redoing it. Pressure treated pine
is better but it's going to be machined, exposed wood so the colours will
be all over the place.

So what's left? Ash? Oak (green or dried)? Poplar? anything else?

Oak really. If you want it to go white and pitted and not treat it,

Otherwise pressure treated.

PCPaul wrote:
On Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:40:31 +0000, BigWallop wrote:

"PCPaul" wrote in message

So what's left? Ash? Oak (green or dried)? Poplar? anything else?


Old wooden pallet base runners. The timber is strong enough to dress
and machine. It lasts for ages without much maintenance. It's cheap.
Have a look around your local DIY store or timber merchant for old
broken pallets.

That's what our little garden divider fences are made from. :-)

I thought pallets were mostly spruce these days?

Not natural stone for India fer sure!

Poplar is quite useable in the UK.

PCPaul wrote:
On Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:51:16 +0000, Dave Liquorice wrote:

On Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:30:09 GMT, PCPaul wrote:

Pine isn't too sturdy unless you keep redoing it. Pressure treated pine
is better but it's going to be machined, exposed wood so the colours
will be all over the place.
Make the gate first then get it treated.

That's how our gates where made and TBH finding a place than can make
and treat 'em is probably the better option. Unless you have the abilty
to make really tight joints and have clamps big enough to push them
together.

I can make them OK - I have several sash cramps (you can never have too
many), a choice of routers and a crappy table saw. But getting it
pressure treated afterwards is a thought - I hadn't realised there were
places that would do more than dunk it in a tank of miscellaneous
'preservative'.



Never glue a gate together. Bolt it. The wood expands mightily in the
wet. Breaks any glue joint known to man..

On 16 Nov, 15:30, PCPaul wrote:
I've been tasked with making a garden gate for Xmas... a half-height one,
along the lines of a picket fence with rounded tops.

The gate is between two hedges, so there's no existing fence or wood to
match up to. What wood is best to use to make a fairly resilient gate
without breaking the bank and without needing re-varnishing every couple
of years?

Pine isn't too sturdy unless you keep redoing it. Pressure treated pine
is better but it's going to be machined, exposed wood so the colours will
be all over the place.

So what's left? Ash? Oak (green or dried)? Poplar? anything else?

I found it simpler to buy one ready made and primed at our local car
boot - fifteen quid, only needed posts, hinges and a sneck then a coat
of paint

PCPaul wrote:
SNIP

Pine isn't too sturdy unless you keep redoing it. Pressure treated
pine is better but it's going to be machined, exposed wood so the
colours will be all over the place.

Highjacking your thread slightly, how far does pressure treatment go into
the timber? I use the end grain sealer on cut ends and it seems to work
well, but how about if you rip a length of PTT in half?


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Sun, 16 Nov 2008 21:39:47 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

how far does pressure treatment go into the timber?

Proper "pressure" treatment should pretty much fully penetrate the timber
even big stuff with 12" dimensions. It's done first by putting the timber
under vacuum to draw the moisture/air out, introducing the preservative
and then air pressure does the rest.

Now wether the "treated" stuff you get in a builders merchant is really
"pressure" treated or just sat for 24 hrs in a tank is another matter...

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 16 Nov, 15:30, PCPaul wrote:
I've been tasked with making a garden gate for Xmas... a half-height one,
along the lines of a picket fence with rounded tops.

The gate is between two hedges, so there's no existing fence or wood to
match up to. What wood is best to use to make a fairly resilient gate
without breaking the bank and without needing re-varnishing every couple
of years?

Pine isn't too sturdy unless you keep redoing it. Pressure treated pine
is better but it's going to be machined, exposed wood so the colours will
be all over the place.

So what's left? Ash? Oak (green or dried)? Poplar? anything else?

I had access to some elm some years ago and made a gate out of that.
Used it on the basis that it is a heavily cross linked timber and
therefore tough (chair seats, etc). Lasted about 10 years and one of
the cross supports just broke through.

Rob

Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Sun, 16 Nov 2008 21:39:47 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

how far does pressure treatment go into the timber?

Proper "pressure" treatment should pretty much fully penetrate the timber
even big stuff with 12" dimensions. It's done first by putting the timber
under vacuum to draw the moisture/air out, introducing the preservative
and then air pressure does the rest.

Pressure treated at best goes a few mm into the wood.

Leatsways thats what I have pvserved on all the stuff I've sawn.


Now wether the "treated" stuff you get in a builders merchant is really
"pressure" treated or just sat for 24 hrs in a tank is another matter...

On 16 Nov, 15:30, PCPaul wrote:

What wood is best to use to make a fairly resilient gate
without breaking the bank and without needing re-varnishing every couple
of years?

Sweet chestnut, which you won't find (easily) away from the south
coast.

Second choice is larch, but pick your timbers. It's cheap and its
resinous enough to resist rot well. You want a good straight bit
(larch can be a nuisance for twist when drying) and you want a resiny
bit, not one with a surface that feels too "dry" or "whiskery".

Then repaint it every few years. You're only talking every couple of
years, it's worth this much.

On 16 Nov, 22:45, robgraham wrote:

I had access to some elm some years ago and made a gate out of that.

Strong cross-grain (because of the interlocking wiggliness), but bad
for rot. Good for making coffin bases out of, as it rots through
quickly and lets the body decompose, thus freeing up churchyard space
more quickly. This is also why there's little elm furniture surviving.

Only gates I'd make out of elm would be canal lock gates. When kept
permanently wet, it lasts well.

PCPaul wrote:
I've been tasked with making a garden gate for Xmas... a half-height one,
along the lines of a picket fence with rounded tops.

The gate is between two hedges, so there's no existing fence or wood to
match up to. What wood is best to use to make a fairly resilient gate
without breaking the bank and without needing re-varnishing every couple
of years?

Pine isn't too sturdy unless you keep redoing it. Pressure treated pine
is better but it's going to be machined, exposed wood so the colours will
be all over the place.

So what's left? Ash? Oak (green or dried)? Poplar? anything else?

I made our full height gate out of some "machine rail" (had to look that
name up - half-round timbers, approx. 100mm diameter), and some 100x25
treated softwood. Been there for around 5 or six years with no obvious
deterioration. Just a quick slosh of fence paint to keep it looking
good. (The strap hinges have taken more of a hit - with distinct rusting
despite purportedly being galvanised.) I anticipate at least another 10
years out of it.

Construction was, umm, basic. Three pieces of half-round - in a Z
pattern. Screwed palings to the flat side of the half-rounds with gap of
around 25mm between each paling. Hinges screwed to flats I made on the
half-rounds. Cut top of gate to a nice curve and bottom parallel to the
ground *after* initial trial attachment to post. Has worked just fine.

One point - I did use stainless screws throughout.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

On 17 Nov, 12:18, Andy Dingley wrote:
On 16 Nov, 22:45, robgraham wrote:

I had access to some elm some years ago and made a gate out of that.

Strong cross-grain (because of the interlocking wiggliness), but bad
for rot. Good for making coffin bases out of, as it rots through
quickly and lets the body decompose, thus freeing up churchyard space
more quickly. This is also why there's little elm furniture surviving.

Only gates I'd make out of elm would be canal lock gates. When kept
permanently wet, it lasts well.

Which is why bored out elm logs were used as water pipes.

Regards,

Sid

"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
...
On 16 Nov, 22:45, robgraham wrote:

I had access to some elm some years ago and made a gate out of that.

Strong cross-grain (because of the interlocking wiggliness), but bad
for rot. Good for making coffin bases out of, as it rots through
quickly and lets the body decompose, thus freeing up churchyard space
more quickly. This is also why there's little elm furniture surviving.

Only gates I'd make out of elm would be canal lock gates. When kept
permanently wet, it lasts well.

I'm impressed! - do you make many canal lock gates? Come to think of it who
does make them?


--
Bob Mannix
(anti-spam is as easy as 1-2-3 - not)

On 17 Nov, 13:43, "Bob Mannix" wrote:
"Andy Dingley" wrote in message

Only gates I'd make out of elm would be canal lock gates. When kept
permanently wet, it lasts well.

I'm impressed! - do you make many canal lock gates? Come to think of it who
does make them?

Fixed some bits on one once, it's rare that anyone needs to make whole
new ones from scratch these days.

Every woodworker should spend some time working with big-scale framing
projects, even just as a labourer. You can learn a huge amount about
timber, particularly long-term issues like rot and movement. Stuff I
learned from building barns now affects how I make chairs.