Custom Modern Wood and Metal Fence Gate - February 2021

Overview

This project involved building a custom side-yard entry gate that combines the sustainability and wamrth of wood elements with the sleek durability of stainless steel. The goal of this project was to maximize privacy and curb appeal, all under a reasonable budget. The gate was composed of two main components: a metal frame, and a row of wood slats.

I wanted the gate's metal frame to be mosyly hidden, with hidden hardware. Ideally, the wood slats would look like they're floating. To achieve this, I decided that each slat would attach to the gate from the rear. Thus, all hardware is hidden from the front. I started by measuring the opening to fill, and subtracting 3 inches from each dimension. I then cut, prepped, and welded 1 1/4" steel tubing into a recatangle that fit these dimensions. I then welded little 90 degree brackets onto the upright sections, spaced 9" apart. I also welded a female gate release to the inside of the frame, at the appropriate height. Finally, I sanded, primed, and painted the entire frame, using rustoleum textured finish black paint.

I knew that I wanted wide wood slats, as that would create a modern look. With this in mind, I purchased 8" x 1" redwood slats. These were less than an inch thick, for a low profile and light weight, but were wide enough to acheive the looks I wanted. I decided to space each board 1" apart. Thus, the gate wouldn't look like a wood wall, but would instead have sleek gaps whose sizes maintined privacy. I should've used a finish of some sort on the wood, to keep it from turning gray and rotting, but I was only 14 and didn't think ahead, so I didn't. Since this gate would be outdoors, I didn't want to use steel screws to mount the slats to my frame. Thus, I opted for brass screws. these were #8 screws, just 0.5" long. Each slat was secured to a 90 degree bracket on each side using a total of 4 screws per slat.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with how the gate turned out. It maintains privacy, looks sleek, still stands, and I've gotten many compliments from passing neighbors. While my family has since moved, Google street view still shows the gate as installed. For a 4+ year old gate made by a 14 year old, I'm pretty stoked!

What I Learned

• How to weld galvanized brackets to stainless steel safely
• Fastening techniques for sleek looks
• Designing with both aesthetics and structural integrity in mind