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Gothic Gate Post New W.I.P. UPDATE!!

4K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  PlainfieldDan 
#1 ·
I must say its been quite a while since I have posted here. Mainly due to projects around the house, getting the garden ready to go, etc. I have lurked periodically when I had the spare moment, but now I feel rejuvenated! Its time to build something! Plus my porch is cleaned off. Last year we were putting siding on the house, a total mess!

Some of you may recall a thread I had last year:

http://www.halloweenforum.com/tutorials-step-step/93300-gothicy-gate-post-w-i-p.html

That thread basically was my attempt at a gate post. Lots of ideas were mashed out and tossed around in that thread. I think overall, it turned out pretty decent... the gate post that is.

The original:



I was surprised to find that some members were still looking at, and posting in that thread. I have to say thank you, to everyone who posted, and followed along. Because of that I was inspired to fulfill my desire to complete the project. That is, to build the remaining posts. And the fence to go between...

So here we go, my must do list for 2011.

1. Build a matching twin for the existing gate post. Those 2 will then become the corner posts.

2. Build 2 more gate posts in the exact same style, only taller. These 2 will be for the gate.

3. Address the shoddy "address numbers" that I used last year.

4. Build fence and gate, to attach to gate posts.

5. Repair and touch up work on MMMR (mini monster mud reaper)

6. Decide on 3 more toppers similar but different then MMMR.

7. Include a tutorial on casting resin. I plan to add a couple of fresh new features that will require casting resin in custom shapes. If you have always wondered about it, its not as hard as you might think. Stay tuned..

8. An entirely new paint scheme, that can be completed by anyone without the need for those expensive cans of "make it stone" spray paint. Cheap is the key, and what ever colors you want.

As you can see, I have my work cut out for me. Being that its just now June, I think I can do it. Lets get started!

I went to Lowes to pickup some building supplies to get things started. You may recall that the body of the prototype post was made from particle board. Im not going to get back on that argument. Check out my water proofing solution in: http://www.halloweenforum.com/tutorials-step-step/93300-gothicy-gate-post-w-i-p.html

Anyways, I discovered something.. Lowes (my local location) doesn't sale particle board anymore :eek: Honestly, they have sold that product for as long as I can remember! Now all of a sudden.. BOOM its gone. Not to be dissuaded, I switched gears. I decided to go the plywood route. Problem solved.

I opted for the 2 foot by 4 foot sheets of 15/32 BC plywood. Less then $10 bucks a sheet. A little more expensive then the a-fore-mentioned product, but it is certainly stout enough. I chose the 2x4 sheets because I like working with that size. I feel comfortable ripping that on my table say, unlike a 4x8 sheet. And not to mention I have no way to transport the 4x8 sheets. :rolleyes: Just wont fit in my Toyota.

Heres what I started with:



After ripping 2 2x4 sheets down to 11-3/4 inches each you should have 4:



The construction of the gate post pretty much went just like it did in the previous thread. The only major difference is in the corner bracing. Unlike particle board, plywood likes to bend and bow. The original had small scrap blocks, these new posts have corner braces that run the full length. Check out the pics for the difference. The 1st pic, being the original.



Aside from that, its the same build. The twin nearly complete.



Im holding off on making the cap of the post until all 3 are ready. Its time consuming setting up the table saw and miter saw repeatedly, over and over. Especially being that I have to miter 12 of the exact same thing. Moving on.

As I said earlier, the original post, and its new counter part will become the corner post. The new posts that will be intended as "gate posts" will be nearly identical, except taller. 11-1/2 inches taller.

The taller post are built similar to the shorter post. Same base, etc. Because I bought 4 foot long sheets of plywood, and ripped those in 11-3/4 inch wide panels, I could take two of the panels and cross cut 11-1/2 inch extensions. The fastest, and safest way to cross cut plywood, and keep each piece almost identical is with a sled or a temporary rip fence.



All those episodes of The New Yankee Workshop finally paid off! The idea is that a block of wood is clamped to your rip fence. You set your width accordingly. As the wood enters the blade it is no longer touching the fence. Therefore, no binding, no kick back, you get to keep all your fingers!:D

To be continued...
 
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#2 ·
Continuing on..

Everything goes together the same, only with the extra extensions. I started building the walls with the extensions first. More support that way.



Nearly complete, just need to finish the banding.



Speaking of banding, in order to cover the joint where the extensions are, a bit of banding goes right over top. Remember my number one rule, more glue!



Well thats it for now. I plan to finish the banding on post number 3 and start on the final gate post, number 4 tomorrow, hopefully.
 
#3 ·
Early this morning I finished up the banding on the posts, put all 3 together and took a couple of pics. You can really get a feel for how much taller the new gate post's will be.



After that, I was off to Lowe's to pick up the final 2 sheets of 15/32 plywood, in hopes of getting the majority of the 4th post completed. None to be had! The guy in the lumber department told me it would probably be Monday before anymore was in stock. Time to switch gears again..

I went back home and decided to work on the "caps" to the 3 posts. As I said before, I was wanting to wait and cut all the pieces at once. Being that I didn't have much else to do, thats what I did.

Back when I made the original post cap, I made a master piece to set the table saw and miter saw too. I figured I would eventually be making more. To my surprise, I couldn't find it. I looked hi and low, but it didn't turn up. After several trial cuts, head scratch'n, and a few choice words, I had to admit defeat. I couldn't remember the bevels used for the compound angles.

I found a website that had a calculator. I punched in my numbers, and voila, all the angles needed. For those who are curious, total length, 13-3/4 inches. Both sides beveled to 45 degrees. Each end compound miter, end 35 degrees, bevel 30 degrees. And I thought I could remember that.:rolleyes:

Caps partially installed. Almost done.


After that, I applied caulking. Didn't think a picture was needed.:D

Im impressed as to how fast this is going. Of course when you have something to look at, that you already built, it helps. Just have to finish the cap on the taller post, then build the 4th post! Then will be covering some more fun stuff.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the compliments. If your interested, or anyone for that matter, the calculator I used is here: http://www.pdxtex.com/canoe/compound.htm

You just punch in your numbers, and voila, you get the angles. For instance, I knew that I wanted the side pieces to tilt or slope in at 45 degrees. I just couldn't figure out the corner bevel. As long as you know how many sides, and the angle you want, it will give you the rest.
 
#10 ·
Your work is freaking awesome.....
I have been looking at column plans for a few years now and had not found just the right ones. Until NOW. I am in the process of making my colums to your design. Thank you so much for sharing your talents. Any updates, particularly regarding your plans to change how you painted them?
Inquiring (and panicking) minds want to know.
Thanks again and seriously your work here was nothing short of inspiring.
Dan
 
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