[sfuller94]

I'll be making a cemetery gate entrance complete with pillars on each side topped with gargoyles. I haven't searched the forum yet but will do so shortly for ideas.

Any advice is certainly welcome! My initial thoughts were pvc pipe and foam construction. Then again, I could use a light wood frame and foam.

Thanks ahead of time! I'm a newby to prop construction, but I'm also an electrical engineer and will probably over do the whole project! LOL!

Seth

 

[Castart]

You might well consider a wooden core to the pillars. Wind tends to knock down foam pillars, even woodcore ones have problems. Then you will have people passing through and the weight will help. MIne are woodcore with foam outside and I still have to run a stake up the center due to the wind we get in October.

 

[sfuller94]

Cool. Thanks! Is there a link to construction photos?

 

[The Pod]

I built wooden frames and then covered them with foam and carved out the details. The gate was made from PVC and 1x2 wood. They weight about 75 to 100 lbs a piece. They are free standing and have held up in 45mph wind storms with 70-80 mph gusts.

 

[1FootNGrave]

Awesome gate and columns...Pod. I too have issues with high winds and wind gust living on a hill crest. I made mine all of wood and added 50 lbs of weight in each one.

 

[EyeballsStudio]

Very cool looking! I built some pillars myself two years ago, and I made a wooden frame with foam panels. They weren't very tall and stayed in place well, but the foam was too fragile for transport. It's good for static props in a home haunt, but not for props that need to be transported on a trailer.

 

[foolishmortal42]

Does anyone have pics or descriptions on how you anchor them to the ground or use weight to keep them from blowing over from wind? Thanks

 

[oaklawn Crematory]

My gate columns bottoms are enclosed with hatch added. I slip 70 lbs of weight in each one to insure they will not topple over in high winds which has been a serious problem in Michigan over the last (4) years.

 

[foolishmortal42]

Thanks for your post Oaklawn. What did you use for weights? Do you put you columns on your lawn or on a hard surface like a concrete driveway?

 

[oaklawn Crematory]

Thanks for your post Oaklawn. What did you use for weights? Do you put you columns on your lawn or on a hard surface like a concrete driveway?

I use solid steel weight lifting weights. The gate columns are on the driveway. The fence usually secures the fence columns in place however, I have driven 1/2 steel rod to box them in during high winds. It seems we always have extremely high winds two or three days before Halloween every dang year.

 

[foolishmortal42]

The fence usually secures the fence columns in place however, I have driven 1/2 steel rod to box them in during high winds. It seems we always have extremely high winds two or three days before Halloween every dang year.

Oaklawn....What do you mean by "driven 1/2 steel rod to box them in during high winds". Do you drive the steel rod into the concrete of your drive way?

Thanks!

 

[oaklawn Crematory]

Oaklawn....What do you mean by "driven 1/2 steel rod to box them in during high winds". Do you drive the steel rod into the concrete of your drive way?

Thanks!

Sorry about that....I use 1/2" round re-bar that is 36" long. In bad weather , I will take a re-bar and pound it into the ground on all four corners of the "fence"column to insure it won't be blown over in the high winds. If it rains at the same time, I will just pull them in for the night. I don't like to pull the columns in because they support the fence but sometimes it is a must. Naturally the fence columns are not in the concrete and are not the same as the "gate Columns" which are on the concrete driveway. I have fence columns every roughly 24'ft with mounted lights on all the columns including the gate columns .

I do not put the gate columns out now until a couple days before Halloween. Even with 70 lbs in each gate column, they become unstable in high winds with the gate attach to them. The gate acts as a huge sail and wants to knock them over. I will detach the gate in high winds.... and at a last resort pull them in as well. I have found out the hard way, if in doubt, pull em in.

 

[Mindtrap]

The combination of wood and foam has always worked best for me. Easier to stake in the ground and holds the foam into place better with pieces of wood trim over foam

 

[Scatterbrains]

the wider the base the better the stability

 

[Richmon]

I used camping stakes on a crossbar on the bottom of my column and put a 50lb bag of sand. Never had a problem.

 

[HallowFear]

I used cardboard tubes (actually barrels from work) coated with drylock and coated the inside with driveway sealer i had to help waterproof then screwed down on the base.
The base is small wood skids (from work) covered with foam and then coated with parging cement (think thats what they call it) I then mixed a bag of cement and poured it into the bases


lids come of the top and barrels seperate for storage in the basement

 

[Devannia]

Nice! Love the pillars.. Hope to make some for my yard haunt.

 

[Castart]

I pound in an old aluminum tube or pvc pipe into the ground then drop the pillar over it. Normally this prevents the piller from falling, worst case the wind leans it. Then if it is attached to the fence, that is just extra support. Normally works, but this year we had high winds and record rains, the ground got soft and I had to go back to rebar stakes with ties on one or two corners to anchor everything.

 

[Rigormortor]

Wow those look great! Really big and tall. Im going to build smaller ones. Like 42 inches tall. Going with the square look and should
be heavy enough so the wind wont blow it over.

 

[TornadoTara]

LOVE... Looks amazing