Strong Wooden Gate

The unhinged free side sags from its own weight and from the trauma of being slammed.

Strong wooden gate.

The gate was made by first creating an external frame of 2x4s that were screwed together with exterior screws installed through pre drilled and countersunk holes. When building a wooden gate there are several factors to consider. As for the height many local building codes cap fence and gate heights at 6 feet. Garden gates sag because a square or rectangular frame is essentially unstable.

Diagonal cross braces like this should always angle downward to the lower hinge. This tendency is exaggerated because a gate is held along only one side. This will keep the gate square and prevent sagging. Built with standard diy woodworking joints the gate will twist unless it is braced or pulled into tension.

Once the cross brace is in place secure the last side of the frame. While this tutorial creates a 42 inch wide gate you can scale the gate width up or down as needed by adding or subtracting boards. A well maintained gate on the other hand can be welcoming and give passers by a great impression of the house beyond. Attach the boards with brad nails about 3 16 to 1 4 inch apart all the way across.

You may want a purely decorative gate perhaps to act as an arbor framing your walkway or a more secure gate that provides access to the yard through a fence. If you want to upgrade the wooden gate in a privacy fence or some. The latter can prevent someone from seeing or accessing your private space thanks to solid wood panel design and strong hardware. A broke down gate just makes your house look bad.

Depending on the size you can prevent someone from seeing or accessing your yard with solid wood panel. Here s the place to start. When you decide to build a wooden gate you ll need to keep a few things in mind the first is what your intended purpose is. To complete the frame cover one side of the gate with vertical cedar boards that match the adjoining fence.

The last board may need to be cut down to fit flush with the edge of the gate frame. A diagonal cross brace was then added. Check with your local permitting agency about heights and whether you need to obtain a fence building permit. Design and hardware are what make a wooden gate operate well for decades.

These instructions can be adapted for construction of custom hidden panel lattice or driveway gates. The key is understanding a few basics about gate building and you can build any design gate you want. Have you wondered how to build a gate that will last.