gate

[wallace]

It is time for a new garden gate, the present one is 20years old. The tennon on the clasp side has snapped through years of bashing, its on a spring to keep closed. I bought a pile of oak sleepers last year cheap. I've often wondered if those french oak sleepers would be any good for anything other than raised beds. I ripped one up into useable bits.



Not sure how old they are but they have some spalting and soft rot. Probably been sat in a bundle for a couple of years.





I had every intention of using hand tools a bit but got bored rather quickly. Sorry Mike.






Scary trenching head was perfect. You'd think these would try and walk through the work but they dont. Next was some holes done on the LP borer built in 1926.







I just took the corners off the tennons to get them to fit the rounded mortice holes.





Not the prettiest lump going.



I want to carve the house number into it but never done it before, will look at mikes stuff and try and copy.

 

[AndyT]

I like working with hand tools but I think if I had any of your old Wadkin machines I'd be using them as often as I could find an excuse!

It'll be interesting to see how usable those cheap sleepers are when sawn into smaller sections.

 

[Cabinetman]

Yes you’ve certainly got some wonderful bits of kit there, I thought at first the trenching machine was a sort of end grain slicer lol.

 

[duke]

Hand tools , nice machinery and the gate looks good.

 

[Trevanion]

Nice to see the machines in action.

Looks like you were conned, those aren't oak sleepers but inferior beech ones.

 

[Accipiter]

Nice to see the machines in action.

Looks like you were conned, those aren't oak sleepers but inferior beech ones.

Hadn't had a close look until your mention... Just zoomed in and certainly seem to have the flecks as seen in beech.

If it is beech I wouldn't be expecting it to last for long outside without lots of treatment application and regular retreat.

 

[Richard]

Looks like you were conned, those aren't oak sleepers but inferior beech ones.

I also strongly suspected beech. Assuming that's definitely what it is, therefore non-durable, Wallace might consider this gate build as a practice run for the replacement one, preferably in something durable (oak?), he'll need to make in a couple or so year's time, ha, ha. Slainte.

 

[Trevanion]

I also strongly suspected beech. Assuming that's definitely what it is, therefore non-durable, Wallace might consider this gate build as a practice run for the replacement one, preferably in something durable (oak?), he'll need to make in a couple or so year's time, ha, ha. Slainte.

I have actually used Beech externally a couple of times and have been surprised with how well it has lasted, obviously coated with a preservative but I don’t think it’s as terrible as people make out, likely no worse than Scot’s Pine.

 

[Richard]

I have actually used Beech externally a couple of times and have been surprised with how well it has lasted, obviously coated with a preservative but I don’t think it’s as terrible as people make out, likely no worse than Scot’s Pine.

In truth I was being somewhat facetious ... even though beech is classified as non-durable meaning it typically rots out usually in less than five years: critically durability categorisation indicates longevity when the wood is in soil contact, and a gate isn't in soil contact so longer service in life than five years can be expected. However, my experience of beech used externally is that it goes to look manky very quickly (months only) left without some sort of protection or preservative treatment. Slainte.

 

[wallace]

Nice to see the machines in action.

Looks like you were conned, those aren't oak sleepers but inferior beech ones.

You know I hadnt even noticed but thinking about it machining oak creates a very distinctive smell which annoys my sneck. By the robbing little tinker. They were obviously not pine sleepers and were silvered and very heavy so didnt even consider checking. Why would someone want beech sleepers.

 

[Accipiter]

Possibly not 'sleepers' as such but just cut to the dimensions of... Possibly the seller didn't know they were beech and, from the 'sleeper' dimensions thought they were Oak sleepers... (trying to be kind - not knowing the person you dealt with)

 

[wallace]

Possibly not 'sleepers' as such but just cut to the dimensions of... Possibly the seller didn't know they were beech and, from the 'sleeper' dimensions thought they were Oak sleepers... (trying to be kind - not knowing the person you dealt with)

Market place so buyer beware, seller owns a agricultural merchants.

 

[Trevanion]

Why would someone want beech sleepers.

I suppose Beech would be perfectly serviceable for non-exposed uses, such as underground mining tracks and so on, if they even still use timber sleepers for that kind of thing.

 

[wallace]

Dug out my never before used cheap carving chisels







I suppose I might improve my carving when I remake the gate next year

 

[duke]

Good carving job, much better than what I have done.

 

[Accipiter]

Better than anything I've attempted