how to make garden gates

[festive]

I was looking at all these online sites on ready made wooden garden gates for driveway in an arched style design. I feel quite confident in making the gates, apart from the arched top piece. Any body got any good guides or info on how i make the curved piece to go along the tops of the gates?

TIA

 

[2scoops0406]

Can you post a picture of what you are trying to achieve?

 

[festive]

Hi Eddie,

sure, he's something similar. Im confident with the framework and cladding on the front. But its that curved top edge, im guessing some sort of template with a strip of wood marked onto MDf perhaps? But how to you make a curve ie cut the timber etc.

Here's the link, it's the derwent im looking at copying http://www.woodworkersuk.co.uk/paired_gates_1.htm

 

[splinter]

Firsly it will depend on what tools you have,a jigsaw and router would be handy,
You are going in the right direction with the thin strip of wood and the mdf template .To mark out the template fix a nail at both ends of apeice of mdf and then fix a nail where you feel you want the curved on the top rail to change direction bend the strip of wood between these 3 nails to give the shape you want moving the centre nail until you are happy with curve.
remember the shape of curve is limited to the width of timber that you can cut this out of.
cut curve out with a jigsaw and clean up edge with a spokeshave or rounded block and glasspaper.
then determine the width of the rail and mark out with a penciland a thin block of that width .cut out with a jigsaw,or if you have a router with a guide wheel set it to the width and use that.
the template is ready to use , using a jigsaw and a router with a straight bit with a roller guide at top .If you want to use aguide bush you're template will have to be narrower to accomadate the width of the bush

 

[festive]

Thanks Splinter, so looking at those gates im going to need a fairly thick piece of timber to accomodate that curve?

 

[splinter]

Thanks Splinter, so looking at those gates im going to need a fairly thick piece of timber to accomodate that curve?

Looking at them ,I would say you could cut the curved rail out of a 6" maybe 8" wide peice of timber at the most

 

[Scrit]

And the tool answer is a bandsaw to rough shape and a spindle moulder to do the final curve......

 

[splinter]

And the tool answer is a bandsaw to rough shape and a spindle moulder to do the final curve......

gawd, I wish life was that easy

 

[splinter]

If you drag you're mouse across the curves point to point you will see the curves are quite shallow.For want of a better way of explaining ,they have been lifted up to give that impression of depth

 

[Scrit]

The problem with a router is that you're limited to a 2in depth of cut, and even if you are able to make a pass from either side then you'd still only get a 3in or so cut. My spindle on the other hand will eat 4in height. I suppose it all depends on the size of the gate, which we still don't know..........

Scrit

 

[splinter]

Iagree with you scrit like I said earlier in a round about sort of way I would love to own a bandsaw and spindle moulder