Sweetpea's pathetic excuses for not fixing the MR2

What about a flashing warning beacon on the top of the post? LED or old school revolving ?
Professional serious approach to not getting the postman.
James

Razor wire?!

Moving swiftly onwards...


Well spotted. The big gate does indeed run right across the back of the pedestrian gate. I thought long and hard about this.

I decided not to have a flashing orange beacon simply because they look so fugly. Besides which 3/4 of the people in South East England wouldn't even notice it because they'd be too busy snap-twitter-booking their friend on their bleedin' phone.

However, if the pedestrian gate is left open the drive gate will hit it. This would be a problem. The drive gate does stall eventually but it has a good push before that happens.
So I thought about having another opto sensor across the pedestrian opening to detect if the gate had been left open. But that's complexity and complexity causes problems.
I thought about swinging the pedestrian gate such that the drive gate would push it closed. But then some prat could potentially hit the front of my valuable heritage sports car with it.
So I went the simple route and put sprung hinges on the gate so it can't be left open.

I can fit sensors later if I find I need to.

James

With the mention of Spielberg I was expecting some kind of derring do so was a bit deflated by it all.
Please can we request some sort of action heroics in the next instalment ?
Looks nice, as does the drain cover.
James

You guys are witnessing the birth of a new saying and all you can do is moan.

I'll give you anything that. "...it's like watching a gate close" will soon be knocking references to the evaporation of pigment solvents off top spot any day now. 😂

All that exterior work must be worth valuable SWMBO points.
Now would be a good time to mention future car plans....turbo's, super-chargers etc.
Things of that ilk!

I think I'm about to blow any SWMBO points on another project... Ah well, sometimes you just have to get on with things and be damned.

Anyway, back to the plot.



We beetled off to buy a new gate / door to replace this tired looking and rotten old thing.




However the new gate / door thing seemed to come as a kit of parts.




Not an unexpected turn of events. The gate is fairly tall compared to it’s width so making one was always likely.
My original plan was to do simple half lap joints, screwed and glued at the corners. But looking at all that lovely wood and dreaming of the fun I could have with power tools… Hmmm. Mortice and tenon joints. Hmmm.

The only down side of this is that it’ll take a lot longer to build. But… Mortice and tenon joints… Hmmmmmm.

First thing I need is to make a jig to get the mortices consistently in the right place. Years ago I made a bench that I could mount the baby router in the bottom of. Time to resurrect it to make the jig.




The jig is just a bit of ply with a slot in it to guide the router. Two battens on the bottom allow it to be clamped to the work, and the bit clamped across it is the router’s end stop.




So here’s the jig clamped to the end of a bit of wood with the big CMT monster ready to do it’s party piece.




Look dad! As if by magic, a mortice. Admittedly one with rounded ends but that’s not a big problem.




So having cut one mortice I just move the jig to the next position and cut another. They all wind up the same size and in the middle.
Sweet!




Tenons next.
I cut these on the table saw.




By shaving one side off and then turning the work over and doing the other side the tenon winds up bob in the middle. On each tenon I started with the blade set a little low - giving a tenon that was too thick - and then raised it slowly until the tenon was a snug fit in the mortice.
I used the same technique to cut the tenon to length.

And lastly I used a good old manual chisel to round the ends off to suit the rounded mortices that you get from the router.




So there you go… Mortice and tenon joints. Hmmmm.




Not wishing to rub it in but having the tools makes this stuff relatively easy. I can’t imagine what horrific wobbly tenons I’d get using an old fashioned tenon saw. Sadly I’m just not anywhere near that good.
The other thing to note is that I’ve cut the rebate that the panelling will sit in. The rounded corner was left by the power tool and was squared off later.




One door kit ready for gluing.
I’ve also cut the diagonal brace pieces to stop the door sagging. They were biscuit jointed into the frame for convenience.

Lastly, screw some tongue and groove to the frame.




I always thought tongue and groove was a sexual technique…

So here, in all it’s glory, is one home made door / gate thing. I reckon it's like a bought one.




I still need to get some filler into the screw holes holding the tongue and grove on and gloss paint it. But the interesting stuff is done.

James

Hmmm. Tongue and groove…

To be honest the entire front of the house needs burning off and repainting. And I want to change the garage door for a pair of wooden doors that are a little more 30s and a little less 70s.
Yeah, it's never ending. But I sort of knew that so I can't complain. Looks good when it's done though!

James

I wish I could work at my speed too! Think it was 3 days not including getting bits of tree to cut up.

PS
Not that there is anything wrong with your joints!
Nice door.