I've been making a featheredge garden gate this weekend, and have just
got to fit the diagonal bracing. Most gates I've seen in the Sheds and
garden centres have the diagonals parallel - bottom left to centre
right, and centre left to top right. One or two have them meeting in the
middle - bottom left to centre right, and centre right to top left.

Any reason one should be better than the other?

--

Jeff

On 14/05/18 07:14, Jeff Layman wrote:
I've been making a featheredge garden gate this weekend, and have just
got to fit the diagonal bracing. Most gates I've seen in the Sheds and
garden centres have the diagonals parallel - bottom left to centre
right, and centre left to top right. One or two have them meeting in the
middle - bottom left to centre right, and centre right to top left.

Any reason one should be better than the other?

All depends on the joint quality and the size of the diagonals

Some say put the diagonals in tension as then they won't bow (Eulers
instability theory).

Other say that wood joints in tensioin are a Bad Thing so put them in
compression.

--
How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think.

Adolf Hitler

On 14/05/2018 07:46, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 14/05/18 07:14, Jeff Layman wrote:
I've been making a featheredge garden gate this weekend, and have just
got to fit the diagonal bracing. Most gates I've seen in the Sheds and
garden centres have the diagonals parallel - bottom left to centre
right, and centre left to top right. One or two have them meeting in
the middle - bottom left to centre right, and centre right to top left.

Any reason one should be better than the other?

All depends on the joint quality and the size of the diagonals

Some say put the diagonals in tension as then they won't bow (Eulers
instability theory).

Other say that wood joints in tensioin are a Bad Thing so put them in
compression.

Compression - always, and a tight fit, unless you want the latch
side of the gate to slowly droop.

On Mon, 14 May 2018 07:14:42 +0100, Jeff Layman wrote:

I've been making a featheredge garden gate this weekend, and have just
got to fit the diagonal bracing. Most gates I've seen in the Sheds and
garden centres have the diagonals parallel - bottom left to centre
right, and centre left to top right. One or two have them meeting in the
middle - bottom left to centre right, and centre right to top left.

Any reason one should be better than the other?

Surely it's top to opening side and bottom to hinge side - L & R have
nothing to do with it.
I assume it's so that the brace is in compression and that avoids having the
joints under tension.
--
Peter.
The gods will stay away
whilst religions hold sway

On Monday, 14 May 2018 08:16:53 UTC+1, PeterC wrote:
On Mon, 14 May 2018 07:14:42 +0100, Jeff Layman wrote:

I've been making a featheredge garden gate this weekend, and have just
got to fit the diagonal bracing. Most gates I've seen in the Sheds and
garden centres have the diagonals parallel - bottom left to centre
right, and centre left to top right. One or two have them meeting in the
middle - bottom left to centre right, and centre right to top left.

Any reason one should be better than the other?

Surely it's top to opening side and bottom to hinge side - L & R have
nothing to do with it.
I assume it's so that the brace is in compression and that avoids having the
joints under tension.
--
Peter.
The gods will stay away
whilst religions hold sway


+1

PeterC Wrote in message:
On Mon, 14 May 2018 07:14:42 +0100, Jeff Layman wrote:

I've been making a featheredge garden gate this weekend, and have just
got to fit the diagonal bracing. Most gates I've seen in the Sheds and
garden centres have the diagonals parallel - bottom left to centre
right, and centre left to top right. One or two have them meeting in the
middle - bottom left to centre right, and centre right to top left.

Any reason one should be better than the other?

Surely it's top to opening side and bottom to hinge side - L & R have
nothing to do with it.
I assume it's so that the brace is in compression and that avoids having the
joints under tension.

+1
--
Jim K


----Android NewsGroup Reader----
http://usenet.sinaapp.com/

On 14/05/2018 10:02, Jim K wrote:
PeterC Wrote in message:
On Mon, 14 May 2018 07:14:42 +0100, Jeff Layman wrote:

I've been making a featheredge garden gate this weekend, and have just
got to fit the diagonal bracing. Most gates I've seen in the Sheds and
garden centres have the diagonals parallel - bottom left to centre
right, and centre left to top right. One or two have them meeting in the
middle - bottom left to centre right, and centre right to top left.

Any reason one should be better than the other?

Surely it's top to opening side and bottom to hinge side - L & R have
nothing to do with it.
I assume it's so that the brace is in compression and that avoids having the
joints under tension.

+1


If the catch for the gate is at the top then possibly the gate will tend
to twist about this point when forced open/closed so it's possibly
better to have the diagonal bracing ending where the gate latch is fitted.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On Mon, 14 May 2018 11:23:51 +0100, alan_m wrote:

On 14/05/2018 10:02, Jim K wrote:
PeterC Wrote in message:
On Mon, 14 May 2018 07:14:42 +0100, Jeff Layman wrote:

I've been making a featheredge garden gate this weekend, and have just
got to fit the diagonal bracing. Most gates I've seen in the Sheds and
garden centres have the diagonals parallel - bottom left to centre
right, and centre left to top right. One or two have them meeting in the
middle - bottom left to centre right, and centre right to top left.

Any reason one should be better than the other?

Surely it's top to opening side and bottom to hinge side - L & R have
nothing to do with it.
I assume it's so that the brace is in compression and that avoids having the
joints under tension.

+1


If the catch for the gate is at the top then possibly the gate will tend
to twist about this point when forced open/closed so it's possibly
better to have the diagonal bracing ending where the gate latch is fitted.

Hadn't thought of that - also, more wood for the latch, especially in a high
gate where the latch might need to be a bit below centre for short people
(like a neighbour's daughter, carrying stuff).
--
Peter.
The gods will stay away
whilst religions hold sway

Well all things being equal, I would say one big brace which is lower on
the hinged edge. Those with two braces and a central bar, are a little
harder to call of course. My old woodworking master at school always baked
the doors so that the hanging weight was compressing the cross stay, not
pulling it off.
Brian

--
----- -
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please!
"Jeff Layman" wrote in message
news
I've been making a featheredge garden gate this weekend, and have just got
to fit the diagonal bracing. Most gates I've seen in the Sheds and garden
centres have the diagonals parallel - bottom left to centre right, and
centre left to top right. One or two have them meeting in the middle -
bottom left to centre right, and centre right to top left.

Any reason one should be better than the other?

--

Jeff

Brian Gaff wrote:
Well all things being equal, I would say one big brace which is lower on
the hinged edge. Those with two braces and a central bar, are a little
harder to call of course. My old woodworking master at school always baked
the doors so that the hanging weight was compressing the cross stay, not
pulling it off.

For 'clever' gates made by good joiners/carpenters maybe that's true
but in my bodjoinery world the brace will be on one side or the other
so the joints will be in shear! :-)

--
Chris Green
·

Jeff Layman wrote

I've been making a featheredge garden gate this weekend, and have
just got to fit the diagonal bracing. Most gates I've seen in the Sheds
and garden centres have the diagonals parallel - bottom left to centre
right, and centre left to top right. One or two have them meeting in
the middle - bottom left to centre right, and centre right to top left.

Any reason one should be better than the other?

The first is mechanically better.

The second looks better if you are an obsessive.
..

On Monday, 14 May 2018 07:14:45 UTC+1, Jeff Layman wrote:
I've been making a featheredge garden gate this weekend, and have just
got to fit the diagonal bracing. Most gates I've seen in the Sheds and
garden centres have the diagonals parallel - bottom left to centre
right, and centre left to top right. One or two have them meeting in the
middle - bottom left to centre right, and centre right to top left.

Any reason one should be better than the other?

the differences are fairly trivial. I prefer the brace in tension as it tends to pull the door together if any bits get loose.


NT

On 14/05/2018 07:14, Jeff Layman wrote:

Any reason one should be better than the other?

We had one where the brace went from hinge-top to lath bottom. The
joints opened up, and it sagged. So I put a wire across the opposite
diagonal, and a little tension got it back in place.

(OK, a lot of tension. Two strands, and a bit of wood wound around and
around to twist the wires.)

Andy