canman Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Hello All, A friend has asked me to look into building him a set or wrought iron gates for his drive way. I have never built any, and have never looked at any up close. Where can one find some good information? Books, web site etc. What is the worst part of the job? It looks challenging, but also a lot of fun? Any help or advise would be appreciated. Thanks, Kevin Please remember to pray for and support our troops. May GOD bless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Give us some idea of your blacksmithing experience and tool that you have available. Look at Blueprint BP0120 on this site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canman Posted January 3, 2007 Author Share Posted January 3, 2007 Glenn, I am very new to blacksmithing. I have just recently finished building me a coal forge. I have been heating and beating when I can. I have a coal forge a couple of hammers, and a full machine shop and welding service. ( I have my own machine shop and welding service at home, it is my other job, the one I enjoy........) I have taken up blacksmithing as a hobby, and to get a different perspective on metal working. Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 There is a COSIRA book that is primarily dedicated to gates with lots of step by step pictures. I don't know if it's one of the ones that is now downloadable from the web; but I have a hard copy at home and will get the cite on it tonight. Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Canman, may I suggest that you do a little homework (research) into the design and construction of gates and then build a gate for use at a sidewalk or path to a garden. This will expose many problems in construction, and give you confidence to proceed. If you don't have a garden, lay it down flat and use it as a coffee table. (That idea courtesy of Ed Ash) Takes lots of photos during the construction so you can show the rest of us how you did it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbender Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 canman, First, I have never actually built a gate (every time I start to think about it, the amount of metal involved ends the thought quickly), but I have read the CoSIRA book on fences and gates. From what I have found there, the individual pieces of the gate do not have to be that elaborate or difficult to forge. The major effort is in assembly, particularly for those that use forge-welded collars. If you can weld well enough that the welds don't have to be hidden, then your gate project can go very quickly. Now all you need is a design and a few template to make sure the pieces are forged to the correct size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_sandy_creek_forge Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 Gates: While I've never built a full gate (see the reason presented by lbender above;)) I have done other projects that require pretty exact layout of angles and shapes. The best advice I can give is to get a layout table. I found one that is 4 ft. X 7 ft. at a farm auction for $20 US dollars. It has a 1/4 inch steel sheet/plate for a top and is supported by a solid base made of construction grade lumber. It is about 24 inches tall and takes three guys to pick up and move (although i can lean and push and pull and scoot it myself if I need to) When I have a design set I either trace it or draw it out on the table top with chalk, then as I am building I can take each element of the project to the table, compare it with the outline drawing and adjust to fit. It really helps getting everything lined up straight. If you can't get a proper layout table (price, etc.) I would imagine that a sheet of 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch plywood on a couple sets of sawhorses would work. Just remember that plywood is a flammable substance another option would be laying it out on a concrete floor, althought this requires stooping down and up quite a bit. Hope that helps some. -Aaron @ the SCF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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