Gates steels choices

[Joel OF]

Obviously steels are chosen to work with a design but generally speaking do you have preferred steel sizes for domestic gates? I'm thinking more along the size lines of garden gates than big double driveway gates, but all input would be interesting.

[John B]

19 hours ago, Joel OF said:

Obviously steels are chosen to work with a design but generally speaking do you have preferred steel sizes for domestic gates? 

No, 

Location, function / purpose and surroundings all need to be considered, as well as a budget figure from the client.

Preconceive your steel or its sizes, and you limit your creativity.

The only criteria I have is it that the material, and its size/section is suitable for the task being undertaken.

[Frosty]

Pick the size that most closely matches the finished product to minimize work but enough larger to allow you the creativity to make what you want. Like John says deciding what size steel to keep on the rack before you know what you need is too limiting and will in fact put you off some jobs. With experience you'll know some size stocks are commonly used and be cost effective to keep on hand on spec.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Joel OF]

14 hours ago, John B said:

Location, function / purpose and surroundings all need to be considered,

Hmm, that's quite interesting because in my head I was only really asking a structural question (I didn't make it obvious that I moreso meant the frame more than the infill) but you've hit on something I've had in the back of my mind, which is to start pitching designs to my own tastes (with the hope that clients will bite and then I can add those pictures of finished commissions to my porfolio so future clients will approach me with an increased sence of what I can offer and come to me wanting what I do) rather than being completely led by what the client wants. I've had some situations where you're so client led because of my reference pics supplied from Pinterest, Instagram etc, you think anyone could do this, you don't need ME, you just need a bloke with a gas torch, there's nothing I can to bring to the table.

I've learned the hard way that it's easy to have misguided pretentious artistic visions about what it is you want to make, when in reality to put food on the table you have to get your hands dirty make whatever the person in front of you wants to pay for...but there comes a point where you have to start saying/offering up via designs and a portfolio - this is what I do, if you want me then you want this sort of thing you want. If you want delicate leaves and folksy stuff for your pretty garden gate, ask someone who does that, if you want chunky ironwork with solid joinery and rivets, ask me.

Coming back to gates - I've always had a preference for flat bar beacause it's shape changes as your perspective to it changes. As gates open and close your perspective on them always change - they're not a static image. To my eye square bar and round bar never really look that different regardless of the angle you look at them - a square bar twist looks the same whichever way you look at it, but rotate a flat bar twist through 90 degrees and you get a different image all togther. I may be wrong but I also get the feeling that in term of weight you get more bang for your buck with flat bar at resisting impact flex than you do with square. E.g if you had a rectangle (a gate frame without infill) made from 40 x 10mm flat bar (1,1/2" x 3/8") with the 10mm (3/8") face on and you kicked it, it would wobble about less than the same rectangle made from 20mm solid square bar (13/16") but they weigh nearly exactly the same. Gates that flex as they close always feel disappointing to me.

 

[Joel OF]

Not sure why I've written the word "my" before reference pics. Maybe a mod could delete that out? It's quite misleading.

[John B]

3 hours ago, Joel OF said:

 this is what I do, if you want me then you want this sort of thing you want. If you want delicate leaves and folksy stuff for your pretty garden gate, ask someone who does that, if you want chunky ironwork with solid joinery and rivets, ask me.

Coming back to gates - I've always had a preference for flat bar beacause it's shape changes as your perspective to it changes. As gates open and close your perspective on them always change - they're not a static image. To my eye square bar and round bar never really look that different regardless of the angle you look at them - a square bar twist looks the same whichever way you look at it, but rotate a flat bar twist through 90 degrees and you get a different image all togther. I may be wrong but I also get the feeling that in term of weight you get more bang for your buck with flat bar at resisting impact flex than you do with square. E.g if you had a rectangle (a gate frame without infill) made from 40 x 10mm flat bar (1,1/2" x 3/8") with the 10mm (3/8") face on and you kicked it, it would wobble about less than the same rectangle made from 20mm solid square bar (13/16") but they weigh nearly exactly the same. Gates that flex as they close always feel disappointing to me.

 

Hi Joel, seems you are already limiting yourself to clients that only want chunky, solid and rivets and thats fine if thats what you do and specialise in that and clients come to you specifically for those characteristics.

With regard to  >>>> "I may be wrong but I also get the feeling that in term of weight you get more bang for your buck with flat bar at resisting impact flex than you do with square. E.g if you had a rectangle (a gate frame without infill) made from 40 x 10mm flat bar (1,1/2" x 3/8") with the 10mm (3/8") face on and you kicked it, it would wobble about less than the same rectangle made from 20mm solid square bar (13/16") but they weigh nearly exactly the same."

"Gates that flex as they close always feel disappointing to me."

Depending on the frame you are holding the bars in, (and other infil details, think triangulation,) you may get less wobble, but you could have more bounce. 

.