How I Built Our NEW GATES 

Thank you for that insight.

Not necessarily. A brace on a gate with two rails , top and bottom can have the brace go either way. From outside edge top lock side to bottom inside edge hinge side. In this manner the brace is holding up the top rail keeping everything sorted. My preferred method as the weight of the gate pushes down on the rail joints pushing them together. The other method top inside hinge edge to bottom outside lock edge. This method carries the weight on the bottom rail and as such puts pulling pressure on the joints used to secure the rails. Still works but better for less weight. In a 3 rail gate as this using both methods is aesthetically nice but is strong enough as the centre is pushed up by the bottom brace and pulled up by the top brace. More than sufficient for a gate of this weight. But the important thing is the vertical side rails in this case. A small light weight gate can be made with top rails and one brace and how you brace is more relevant. In a gate with vertical side rails and a middle rail the important part is securing the middle rail to the hinge side. The outer lock edge of the top rail is supported by the joint on the outer edge of the middle rail holding up the vertical rail supported by the braces. So having 2 braces going outer edge to inner edge on each half of the gate creates 2 load points one outside joint of the top rail and one outside joint of middle rail. Using this other method makes the outside joint of the middle rail the main load point. Both usable gate building methods achieving the same results but method used dictates the size and strength of rails and braces and even jointing methods. There is nothing stopping you building a gate with a square frame and two braces in a cross. As long as your bracing and joints is sufficient for the application. Some people get stuck in their ways usually by what they have been taught by someone or by reacting to failings usually caused by errors in build rather than design method used. In essence use the right size timber and suitable joints for your application and there are more ways to skin a cat.

I was going to point out the cad pas screws used here. Even those green or blue decking screws would last a bit longer.

Doesn't matter if its not in contact with the ground, tanalised timber is also used to stop wood boring insects chewing the timber away.

That' right, the top cross brace is set in the fall position, it should be the same as the bottom brace to maximize the drop support.

Yea i was thinking the top braces were the wrong way round and would allow the top weight of the gate to pull down on the lock side

Who cares about physics? Union Jack braces are bound to be stronger because they're British.

yes, this is what I need to know too:)

The gate hangs on its hinges so the weight hangs on the opposite side. The brace is on the hinge side "pointing upwards" on the opposite side to support the hinges by taking some of the weight. The bottom braces are therefore correct. The top braces are the wrong way and doing nothing!

@@gbwildlifeuk8269 It would appear to be a DIY store thing to brace both ways so I assume they dont have to stock both hands, sort of understandable but wrong and it looks amateurish.

I think he went waaaaaayyyyy out of da box on his 25 hr gate build I could do da same thing he did +add my own lil Tweeks and twroksn prolly half da time it took dis dude I think he wants to be da next Bob Villa !!!!!!!!!!!

Yes very timely, I am ready to rebuild some gates. Yours came out great !

I believe this also a great help if one feather edge board gets damaged so enabling a easy swap

Well this guy nails through both

4x2

There is a screw stop you wind in on the right hand side.

Yes

That’s what I was always taught as well.

It is wrong but i didnt want to be that guy ... thanks 😂

Pretty sure I said this in the video? Yes that is correct. 👍 Mind you, with the half laps and bottom brace there isn’t much benefit from the second brace. These are using the reversible design as at the joinery and I have never had any issue with theirs and they know what they’re doing. 👍

The Restoration Couple The top brace is now in tension and the bottom one in compression. Both in compression would probably be stronger considering it’s difficult to to make a strong connection that can handle tension.

Yeah look at any gate that’s dropped and it’ll be the wrong brace that’s dropped even if the top brace is correct. The tenons will probably hold it but if you braced them both correctly you needn’t have bothered with the tenon

And a shopping list would be cool too!

Pva is not waterproof

It still would have been better to run them parallel low on the hinge side.

Very unprofessional looking with braces wrong, looks cheap.

Shame about the excessive adds

They’re not great but didn’t help that the whole stand was on a sloped section of concrete. 🙄

Charltons. Great company, make gates for the Royal estates and National Trust, etc.

@@TheRestorationCouple Cheers, i'll pop in for a look, im only the other side of Frome

Any professional joiner would be laughed out of the workshop for fixing the braces the wrong way. ALWAYS bottom hinge to top latch.

Not controversial at all. Braces on wood gates and doors go from bottom hinge side to top latch side. Metal gates are braced the opposite way. Wood is stronger in compression, metal (steel/ wrought iron) is stronger in tension. Professional joiners the world over know this.

@@globeforever9777 You are correct. I noticed as soon as I saw the thumbnail. It is amazing to me that you see so many gates braced like this, even sold commercially. For a garden gate it is probably fine but it is still not right.

This was my first thought when I saw the gate construction obviously just doesn't understand gate construction leverage and gate sag.

😂