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I finally got around to building a rustic yard gate for the newly fenced front yard (read about the fencing project <a title=”here” href=”http://www.motherearthnews.com/common-fare/beautiful-rustic-dog-fence.aspx” target=”_blank”>here</a>). I chose green Osage Orange wood for the rustic gate project because it is durable and we have plenty of it growing in our hedgerows and woodlots. Since this rustic gate would be used several times each day, I wanted it to be light and strong so I split the standards and rails from billets rather than using full dimension billets. Once the green wood dries it will lighten up further. As an added bonus, splitting the billets exposed the bright orange heartwood, which adds some nice color to the gate — it will oxidize to a rich brown before too many seasons pass. </p>
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<p>The first step of the project was to select the right tree for the job. While looking for just the right Osage Orange tree, I noticed a copse of young American Elm trees that I hadn’t seen before. We have a few mature American Elm trees but these are the first replacements I’ve found so far.</p>
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<p>I eventually decided to cut a several-year-old Osage Orange sprout that was growing from a large stump that had been cut years ago. This stump has yielded us several fence posts and material for other projects. That Osage Orange re-sprouts several trunks from a stump makes harvesting them a little easier on the mind. </p>
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<p>Using the 1964 IH truck’s spare tire (on the rim) and its replacement as a tool to stabilize one end of the piece of Osage Orange tree, I slowly but surely split the billet with my ancient froe. The resulting halves will become the gate’s upright standards. </p>
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<p>I pared and shaped the split Osage Orange billet with an ancient cooper’s axe I found at a local junk shop. This hatchet-like device has a blade with a bevel on only one side and a slight curve to make it easy to hew without whacking your hand on the wood you are hewing upon. </p>
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<p>The next step was to cut and split out the top and bottom rails for the gate. You can see the end of one rail in the background. Yes, that pipe gate in the ’69 Chevy pickup’s bed is serving as a workbench for boring the 0.75-inch wide through mortises in the gate standards. </p>
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<p>The ends of the rails were trimmed with the cooper’s axe to fit the through mortises. I drilled three holes per mortise and chopped out the waste with a one-inch wide chisel. The rails were pinned in place with a pair of 6 penny nails. </p>
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<p>The final step in building the gate frame was installing a diagonal brace — I’m measuring for it here. Once that was installed, I stapled the fence wire to the frame and cobbled together a serviceable hinge mechanism that consists of some scrap steel strap and round rod. The gate swings nicely and should serve its purpose for decades to come. </p>
<p>Photos courtesy Karen Keb. </p>
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<a href=”http://www.grit.com/biographies/oscar-h-will” target=_self>Hank Will</a>
<em> raises hair sheep, heritage cattle and many varieties of open-pollinated corn with his wife, Karen, on their rural Osage County, Kansas farm. His home life is a perfect complement to his professional life as editor in chief at GRIT and Capper’s Farmer magazines. Connect with him on </em>
<a title=Google+ href=”https://plus.google.com/u/0/117459637128204205101/posts” target=_blank rel=author>Google+</a>.</p>
