Thread: Gothicy Gate Post W.I.P

Tweet

Some updates..

Here is the caulking applied to the edges. As stated, I just smeared it about.



I did get a good start on the base. Originally all the corners were to be mitered, but I decided that my sander could just round the edges, give a more man made look. Once again, I just used simple butt joints to complete the task. I used 2x6's to make the base.

Started by cutting 2, 2x6's to the width of the post. A generous bead of glue, and some screws.



Clamp the wood down really good.



This first row of the base is predrilled and screwed thru from the inside of the post. Otherwise the 2x6 would probably just rip out of the particle board.



Flip and repeat.



The next 2, 2x6's are cut to the width of the outside edge. Otherwise, same procedure.



Completed first row.



Moving on to the next row. Same basic procedure.



The completed base.

For now, the post is upside down. I dont want any stress on the joints until the glue dries. I took advantage of this and applied more caulking, this time to the inside of the base. It aint pretty, but it does the job.

That's 1 solid base!!

Great job.

Originally Posted by 4ToUov

That's 1 solid base!!

Great job.

Thank you, I dont intend for these babies to fall apart anytime soon.

On a side note, I havent had a chance to work on this project anymore, do to other obligations, but I had an evil thought.

These posts are hollow! Imagine the stuff you could hide in one of these suckers!

You know, like some prickish teen comments about the "lameness" of the haunt, then at the right moment, hit a button, and out of the top springs a head, or gawd knows what. ha ha hahahaha mooohaaaaa

Will have to keep this in mind for the future.

Pretty much, this is where I left off. As you can see, the base really adds size and dimension, and weight to the post.



Time to start working on the "cap". I decided that it needed to over hang a bit, just to add some character. I used some 1.5 inch pine to to the job. Miter all corners, added plenty of glue, clamped, and shot a bunch of brads in.



All pieces attached, while the glue is setting, time to work on the sloping pieces.



Lets talk about sloping pieces.... just for a refresher, here was the original idea:



Let me start by saying, it took 2, i repeat 2 frustrating days, off and on, to figure out how tall, how steep, and what to make the slopes out of. At first I started with particle board. Because of cost. I bought 2 sheets, knowing I would probably mess up a piece or two. "Mess up" is an understatement.

I was going to take some pics, of the pile of cutoffs from the particle board, I got side tracked though. Lets just say $5 of research! The first panels were 12 inches tall, sloped 17 degrees, and met at the corners at 45 degrees. If you dont get all that, dont worry, even master carpenters can get messed up with compound angles. It looked "ok". Except my wife pointed out that the post, with that cap, looked... well, to keep things clean, it looked "manly" if you catch my drift. Ok, on to version 2. V2's cap was shorter, I think 7 inches, and sloped in at 30 degrees with a 45 degree miter. I sloped it further to reduce its "pointy-ness". It looked like crap. Im not sure why, the corners didn't even consider meeting each other, and by this point the particle was chipping. Failure of the cap so to speak.

Finally, version 3. SUCCESS. I bought some 3 inch pine. I decided to treat it like crown molding. I simply cut all angles at 45 degrees. Period. The picture gives you a far better idea. I made a master piece to set my miter saw to. And used it several times while cutting the 4 "production" pieces. Its hard cutting wood to work in a 3 dimensional world.



Once again, lots of glue and brads.



The top is simply 3 inch pine, glued and nailed down..



Not shown in the picture, but all corners have been caulked. This baby should hit the sander tomorrow.

Ok, got a bunch more done today. The main goal was sanding and getting this item ready for the paint'n booth. Not that I have a booth.. I decided that instead of doing all those sharp corners, to do soft rounded corners. I know, I know... Let me explain. I decided that I want this post to match more closely the actual architecture of my home. I want it to look like it could actually exist in the space. Not just some element that is there to add some creepiness. So.....

I decided that the best first step was to do some shaping. I used both an angle grinder, with a sanding disk, and a random orbital sander. Let me say this, if you need to remove a quantity of wood quickly, the angle grinder is the way to go. Even with a 120 grit sanding disk, wood was practically disappearing before my eyes. Its best to practice on some scraps until you get a feel for how the angle grinder sands. The R.O.S. sander on the other hand did the nice detail work.



Some sharp edges to soften



After



The cap getting the same treatment



Now were getting closer. It needs something. I decided not to go with the corner details. Something about them I didn't like. Cant put my finger on it...



Ahhh... banding around the lower half. I wont go into all the details. If you have been following along you know that Im a fan of glue and the brad nailer.



Final sanded product. I had to remove all the screws, and counter sink them. I figured that no matter how many coats of paint I applied, they would show through. I filled the dimple and all remaining cracks, crevices, wood knots, etc. with more caulking. Then hit it with the R.O.S. sander. I think it looks fairly decent. Tomorrow, my plan is to prime and paint.

Looks awesome... I gotta know one thing.... How much that thing weigh????

Originally Posted by dirtTroll

Looks awesome... I gotta know one thing.... How much that thing weigh????

Thanks, and too much Probably around 40 lbs.

They look fantastic. I can't wait to see them finished.

I really appreciate the positive comments. I feel like the gate post is really coming along.

Meanwhile, back at the Bat Cave...

I did get 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of "make it stone" valspar paint on the post. Unfortunately, do to a migraine this afternoon, which hasn't stopped until just a little while ago, I havent put the 3rd coat of paint on. So.. no decent pics to share. Hopefully tomorrow the 3rd and final coat will go on. I will try to get some more pics up by tomorrow evening.

I did decide on Spar Varnish as the sealer. I know in the beginning this was up for debate. I read all the labels, and am confident that varnish IS the way to go... if its good enough for boats, it ought to work for me. I have never used varnish, always used poly, so this should be interesting.

I decided on a "topper" for the cap. At first I was going to use a finial, this is a rather crummy pic, but you get the idea. I found these at Hobby Lobby for $6 each. I will find some use for them eventually.



Then my wife pointed out that it wasn't creepy enough. We like creepy, not blood and guts... so, I thought about a gargoyle. I happen to have 1. But I have only the 1, and if I make more of these post, thats a serious problem. So.... I waited for inspiration. Then.. it came. I was trying to get to sleep the other night, and I had a vision. I dont want to "release" all the details, but lets just say it involves "monstermud"!

Even if I only get this one post built this year, its going to look sweet parked in front of the house. I figure this prototype will benefit everyone in the sense of how to preserve particle board for outdoor use. I would hate to build several only to have an epic failure!

Will keep yall posted as this winds down.