Gate Entrance Project Started

[TNhobbyfarmer]

I recently started the fabrication and erection of a new gate entrance at the driveway of my getaway cabin. I am going for a western ranch style look. I cut three cedar logs off the farm where the cabin is located. The vertical logs are about 10 inches in diameter and the horizontal top log is around seven inches.

These two pics show how I cut notches in the top end of the vertical logs with a chainsaw and then cut out the remaining wood to form cradles for the horizontal log to sit in.

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

I then started the process of attaching the horizontal top log while the three logs are still on the ground. I would have preferred to put the horizontal log on after the vertical logs were put in the ground, but the my FEL doesn't reach high enough. The vertical logs are 16 feet long, and I would have to have rented some sort of high lift to place the horizontal log so I decided to try to erect it all at one time. Here is a pic of the logs still on the ground during fabrication.

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

After attaching the the logs together, the next step was to "attempt" to raise the completed entrance high enough to get the vertical logs to drop into two previously augered holes. Here is a pic of that attempt. I raised everything as high as my FEL would go, but unfortunately there wasn't enough bucket height to get the poles to drop into the holes. Here is a pic of things as they stood at maximum bucket height.

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

Not to be defeated, I borrowed a neighbor's tractor and chained the two vertical logs to that bucket and backed up verrrrry slowly.

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

Finally the logs dropped into the holes. Hallelujah! I ran out of daylight and all I could was brace things up for now. I will go back later and put concrete in the holes. I also have a lot of fence work to do as a part of this project. I will make some wooden gates maybe hang a sign and who know where this will eventuall go. I'll update as things progress further.

 

[bmac]

Very Nice!! Look out, Harv - Got a little competiion brewing.

 

[EddieWalker]

Jerry,

Great project !!!!!!!!!!!!!

The only thing better then a one tractor job is a TWO tractor job.

I really like the look of your entrance. I've thought of doing the same thing, but then I get carried away in my designs and get lost in my ideas. One that I keep going back to is having three posts on each side. The tallest ones are like you already have, but then the next one is shorter and the third one is shorter still. Wrap them in a metal band at three poins for strength and an accent. Metal cutouts on the top of the post are fun, but so are metal brackets at the corners!!! It goes on and on. hahaha

The cabin in your valley is just perfect. Thanks for sharing.

Eddie

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Great Project, looks good.

I wish we could do them that way around here. But between our clays and our bugs I doubt an entryway built like that would last more than six or seven years.

Every day I see pipe entryways leaning over because the posts were only set four feet deep. Water seeps between the concrete footer and the clay and gravity gets some leverage. Then when the clay starts to dry up it expands and heaves the footers up and over. Heck, it moves houses, even swimming pools installed these days have piers installed to keep them in place.

The only wood I've seen that seems impervious to rot in our soils is Bois D Arc (Osage Orange). I've personally pulled bois d arc posts that have been in the ground forty plus years and found them intact, harder'n a bad girls heart, but sound. Our Eastern Red Cedar seems to be durable if the post is all heart wood. The sap wood goes away over time from what I've seen.

We'll be starting our timber entryways last part of this week or early next week, weather permitting.

 

[rtdiggr]

The entrance looks great, and your retreat looks nice and relaxing.

Shane

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

Jerry,

Great project !!!!!!!!!!!!!

The only thing better then a one tractor job is a TWO tractor job.

I really like the look of your entrance. I've thought of doing the same thing, but then I get carried away in my designs and get lost in my ideas. One that I keep going back to is having three posts on each side. The tallest ones are like you already have, but then the next one is shorter and the third one is shorter still. Wrap them in a metal band at three poins for strength and an accent. Metal cutouts on the top of the post are fun, but so are metal brackets at the corners!!! It goes on and on. hahaha

The cabin in your valley is just perfect. Thanks for sharing.

Eddie

Thanks for the kind words Eddie. I am considering the two extra staggered posts per side like you suggest. I see a lot of that out west.

I'm curious what you mean by metal brackets at the corners. I'm open to all suggestions as to how to attractively complete the entrance.