Welding, any tips on making a pair of entrance gates

Thelostcountry

I Can weld, never made a pair of gates tho, nothing fancy ,for the front of the house so would have to look half decent:) what steel to use , 20mm solid box maybe

ART6

Thelostcountry wrote: »

I Can weld, never made a pair of gates tho, nothing fancy ,for the front of the house so would have to look half decent:) what steel to use , 20mm solid box maybe

If you mean 20mm square bar, then the gates will be very heavy indeed and far stronger than necessary as well as the steel being a devil to cut with anything other than a bandsaw. Something like 25 mm square hollow section would be adequately strong and much easier to work with.

sky6

You could use something like 30mm x 15mm light wall Box section for the outer frame. Then use 15mm or 20mm to fill in between the Frame. As it's light wall you would need to practice Welding with a few scrap bits first. So as you don't blow holes when you come to weld the Gates themselves.

knickerbocker

My 2cents worth.... work out a design first.......then figure out what materials to use!
Throwing steel dimensions into the equation before knowing the span or height of the project seems pointless does it not?

Thelostcountry

Cheers Lads.


Have this in mind , think id manage it, biggest thing getting the curves the same, should work out tho.

slimjimmc

Thelostcountry wrote: »

Cheers Lads.


Have this in mind , think id manage it, biggest thing getting the curves the same, should work out tho.

Could it need a diagonal brace to stop sagging?

Stella Virgo

buy the time u buy ,cut,measure correctly,keep everything square,paint 2/3 coats,fit latch etc.......u would be way better off buying s/hand off done deal ,etc ....
but dont let us stop you.....

ART6

slimjimmc wrote: »

Could it need a diagonal brace to stop sagging?

Good point, but if the gate was constructed out of something like 25mm SHS then the top curved bar would be under tension and should stop sagging. Bending the RHS to that shape is another matter -- it is possible but might need the services of a bender to do it. Jumping up and down on a length of it would be unlikely to work! Perhaps, instead of the curve, and inclined straight?

Thelostcountry

Stella Virgo wrote: »

buy the time u buy ,cut,measure correctly,keep everything square,paint 2/3 coats,fit latch etc.......u would be way better off buying s/hand off done deal ,etc ....
but dont let us stop you.....

if you find gates for a ton on DD let me know.


Thanks

EunanMac

Most domestic decorative gates I see use over specified steel sections far too heavy for the purpose. Steel is much stronger than people seem to realise, and a lighter gate looks much better in a domestic situation. Also no need for big thick ignorant welds. There's no need for out of proportion components. Form should follow function.

Another good tip is check out hot dipped galvaniser companies websites, they will give you their requirements in terms of sizes and drainage holes etc.

Also if your welds are not neat and tidy at least grind them down to something tidy looking, and also remove all the slag and spatter. Some people don't seem to bother.

Thelostcountry

ART6 wrote: »

Perhaps, instead of the curve, and inclined straight?

That would work too. altho I think the curve would be easy enough to form with a series of slits/cut to the box once I get the curves correct, fill the cuts with weld.

EunanMac

The curved section would be better done with flat iron and two intermediate supports placed at the third points.

Tokyo

Most of the gate looks like a pretty easy build - you're going to need to weld a strip of steel at the back of the timber strips to give you something to bolt them to. The curved sections at the top are another story though - TBH the only way it's going to look right is if you run it through a set of rollers to add the curve to it. If it were me I'd ring around to a couple of steel suppliers - a decent place might have a roller they're willing to run the two lengths through for you for the price of a couple of pints...

Thelostcountry

Thanks Guys,I appreciate all the help/advice .