Building Oak gates

BarbaraT · 14 Nov 2023

Does anyone know if you can buy the curved bit of wood on a devon gate?
Like a *****, I typed in gate post into google. Does this part have another name?

I would love to cut them from a 100mm thick oak sleeper.. but I don't have a band saw,

This leaves me with extra long router bits or extra long jig saw bits.. but both seem a bit sketchy..

Has anyone made a gate, did you make it from one bit of wood?

Adam W. · 14 Nov 2023

The ideal piece of timber for that, is the section from the very base of a tree which contains the flare at the butt.

I would imagine that this was the timber section that was traditionally used, as the grain would follow the curvature.

Stuff like that can best be sourced from the friendly man at the local sawmill.

It's called the hanging stile BTW, although there may be a stranger name for it in Devon.

niall Y · 14 Nov 2023

I have made a couple of this style of gate, Both the stiles (the curve and the straight) are usually cut, side by side from the same piece of wood - the smaller stile nestling inside the curve of the other,. The straight parts of the cut can be accomplished on a saw bench if you have access to one. - remembering , of course, to take into account the curvature of the blade, which leaves you in different places at the top and underneath of the cut.

It is handy to use a template of ply or MDF to mark out the shape. Making sure to align it perfectly on the top and bottom of the stock. That way you can safely work up to the marked profile.

I have also done this with a hand held ripsaw, The curve I followed with a bowsaw. Cleaning up of the curved section was done with a spoke shave, though you can use a compass plane if you have one.

RobNichols · 14 Nov 2023

BarbaraT said:
I would love to cut them from a 100mm thick oak sleeper.. but I don't have a band saw,

This leaves me with extra long router bits or extra long jig saw bits.. but both seem a bit sketchy..

Controversal of course, but if you haven't got a band saw, this might be one of those jobs where a handsaw would be the best option. It's my tool of choice for doing rip cuts on large unweildy oak boards. I have a frame saw which is great for this sort of thing, but if you're on a tight budget the Spear & Jackson 9515K is a good option. It will take a little elbow grease, but not as much as you might think. And you'll have a lot of control to cut out the shape of the end. Even if all you do is rough it out with a hand saw, and then finish off with a router, that will be a lot safer and more likely to get a good result, than just going in with a router alone.

BarbaraT · 15 Nov 2023

RobNichols said:
Controversal of course, but if you haven't got a band saw, this might be one of those jobs where a handsaw would be the best option. It's my tool of choice for doing rip cuts on large unweildy oak boards. I have a frame saw which is great for this sort of thing, but if you're on a tight budget the Spear & Jackson 9515K is a good option. It will take a little elbow grease, but not as much as you might think. And you'll have a lot of control to cut out the shape of the end. Even if all you do is rough it out with a hand saw, and then finish off with a router, that will be a lot safer and more likely to get a good result, than just going in with a router alone.

I've never used a frame saw.. It does look like the ideal tool.I suspect I might regret buying oak halfway through the cut. If I'm not careful it will be cheaper buying them. I'm visiting a couple of saw mills tomorrow so will price up the wood.

Ollie78 · 15 Nov 2023

Your router bit only needs to be half as thick/long as the wood (plus the template) because you can go from each side so its not much thicker than a worktop joint.
My method is to make a template from thin ish ply or mdf with a jigsaw or you could use a coping saw and sand it to final shape.
If using a guide bush subtract the offset, if a bearing then don`t. Just clamp the template on to the workpiece put a worktop router bit in the router and start cutting do passes of about 15mm maximum depth, or less if you feel worried, do one side then the other. Don`t climb cut.

Ollie