Wood for gate?

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Endgrain.

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Hi

I have to make a nice garden gate which needs to be painted. Can I use Travis standard joinery pine?
I would use wood preserver prior to paint.
Otherwise I would need to use a hardwood, which is not easy to get hold of and get to size. Plus the extra tongue and grooving.
I have basic workshop with table saw and thickneesser but no jointer. Joinery costs for sized wood are very high.
Have been procrastinating over this for a while.

Probably easier to buy a gate.

Any opinions appreciated.
 
Just to share my experience

A few years back I needed a new gate, due to its being a non standard width, I elected to make one, I used new tongue & groove floorboards, this was for a six foot high gate about two foot wide

I made it fairly well I felt, it was very sturdy and heavy

I primed it, undercoated and gave it several top coats of gloss

I also used mastic to seal any tiny gaps, just in case, I also fitted a bar on the top to stop water ingress into the end grain, it had a good gap underneath and wasn't touching the floor

Within about four or five years it disintegrated

The new T&G wasn't treated, whether that was the reason I do not know
 
Unless you are just doing it to make the house look good for sale, you will be better off making something which will last and will need to use something durable, probably Iroko.

You say that hardwoods are "not easy to get hold of" - whereabouts are you?
 
phil.p":q3nyb7uz said:
Whatever you make your gate from I would steer well clear of T&G.


Phil

I made a large tonge and groove framed gate for the side entrance. It is tanolised timber with water based top coat from wilko which I redo every year and looks like new. Not had any problems. I always allow for movement.
 
Blockplane":pelehq12 said:
Unless you are just doing it to make the house look good for sale, you will be better off making something which will last and will need to use something durable, probably Iroko.

You say that hardwoods are "not easy to get hold of" - whereabouts are you?


Blockplane

Well the problem is getting hardwood timber and getting it to size at reasonable price. I do not have the facillity to go to saw mill and get timber to size myself. Actualy I have no idea where to purchase Iroko.
I am in Gloucestershire.
 
whatknot":1vv87in2 said:
Just to share my experience

A few years back I needed a new gate, due to its being a non standard width, I elected to make one, I used new tongue & groove floorboards, this was for a six foot high gate about two foot wide

I made it fairly well I felt, it was very sturdy and heavy

I primed it, undercoated and gave it several top coats of gloss

I also used mastic to seal any tiny gaps, just in case, I also fitted a bar on the top to stop water ingress into the end grain, it had a good gap underneath and wasn't touching the floor

Within about four or five years it disintegrated

The new T&G wasn't treated, whether that was the reason I do not know


Whatknot

That is very similar to my dimension. Yes without preserver it will go soft quickly. The tanolised timber however, will last very well especially when such precautions are taken as minimising water ingress etc. The problem is the risk of splitting and general bows etc when a higheer quality finish is requred with paint.

What did you do next?
 
If you do decide to go the T&G route. Treat the T&G before assembly. It is water ingress into those joints which starts the rot.
xy
 
xy mosian":ftick9jo said:
If you do decide to go the T&G route. Treat the T&G before assembly. It is water ingress into those joints which starts the rot.
xy

Yes, I see. What are the alternatives though? panels which will also allow water in. at least the t&g takes the water down.
What are the alternatives?
 

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