kritterspaw

It’s not like we go out looking for projects. I swear they just come to us.

We have a chain we put across our driveway when we are off the mountain, but as we have aged I think it has gotten heavier. So we decided we should replace it with a gate – a 16 foot long gate. Of course, we couldn’t just buy it – we’d design and build it.

We drafted up a design, bought metal, and began the process. We ground the ‘frame’ and welded it together.

With the frame built, we ground the weld joints and began to cut, bend, and weld the struts in place.

Our design included a sun & sun rays, which we decided to differentiate using re-bar. To bend the 20″ diameter sun circle we sought out something 20″ in diameter and sturdy enough to bend around – a tree!

With it cut and welded in place, we began measuring, cutting, grinding, and welding the sun rays in place.

We put supports in the corners, and began the long arduous process of grinding and polishing the joints, and welds.

We added a turnbuckle to bolster the heavy 16′ gate as needed once in place, for which we bent a hook, and threaded the bar stock such that we could tighten it.

We fit the gate so that we could tack weld the hinges, final weld, and grind.

The final steps were to manufacture and weld mounting brackets on the gate for the bear we purchased online. Then we cut and welded our previous chain as a closure mechanism.

We’re pleased with the result, as it makes for a one-of-a-kind custom entrance.