Feet 'n Inches
Out of the rat-race at last
- Messages
- 544
- Location
- Devon, GB
I treated myself to one of Metalcraft's metalworking kits (shear/punch, bender/roller, twister and scroll formers) a couple of weeks ago and decided that it was high time the old front gates were replaced - unless I'm mistaken they've been they're for near on 50 years.
It's been over 20 years since I last seriously worked with steel and more like 30 since I tinkered with ornamental ironwork, but I thought, what the heck, let's dive in and do a biggish project.
I was surprised that a lot of the old skills I would need were just dormant (need a bit more practice on fillet welds though - thank god for grinders ) and the Metalcraft kit is easy to use and produces pretty good results. Material-wise, I used 20 x 20 x 2 SHS for the frame, alternating 12mm round bar and 12 x 2 flat for the uprights. The scroll-work and the circles are 12 x 2 flat.
The pic below is of one of a pair of driveway gates, nothing too ornate as we live in a bungalow built in the late 50s.... no fancy walls with gate pillars with lions heads or stone balls on the top.
Hopefully the angle at the bottom will complement the slope of the hill we live on.... I'll find that out next weekend when I hang the gates.
It's been over 20 years since I last seriously worked with steel and more like 30 since I tinkered with ornamental ironwork, but I thought, what the heck, let's dive in and do a biggish project.
I was surprised that a lot of the old skills I would need were just dormant (need a bit more practice on fillet welds though - thank god for grinders ) and the Metalcraft kit is easy to use and produces pretty good results. Material-wise, I used 20 x 20 x 2 SHS for the frame, alternating 12mm round bar and 12 x 2 flat for the uprights. The scroll-work and the circles are 12 x 2 flat.
The pic below is of one of a pair of driveway gates, nothing too ornate as we live in a bungalow built in the late 50s.... no fancy walls with gate pillars with lions heads or stone balls on the top.
Hopefully the angle at the bottom will complement the slope of the hill we live on.... I'll find that out next weekend when I hang the gates.