How to avoid the grind...

If you build gates you know that there are many important factors that determine the strength and performance of a gate.  Making all joints where two pieces of material come together as strong and stable as possible is critical to the longevity and function of a gate.

In welded gates, this means getting the tightest fit possible before welding.  There are many ways to do this.  If using round pipe for a gate frame, notching an arc “saddle” into one piece of pipe is the best way to get a tight fit, with minimal gap to fill with weld.

For those who only do this occasionally, a saw or grinder may suffice, although there is a lot of time invested in using these tools, and they are by nature imprecise.  The preferred method is to use a pipe notcher that has hard tooling designed to take exactly the right amount of metal away at the point where another pipe will meet it at 90 degrees.

Pipe notchers can make the job much easier, and the gate can be made much stronger using a notcher.    A good notcher is not necessarily cheap.  A cheap notcher is  not necessarily good.  Make sure that the notcher you buy is well made, and has cutting edges that can be sharpened. Consider as well the amount of use you will get from the tool.  If you are welding three gates a year, a notcher may not make sense.  If you are welding three gates a month, it makes sense to have one.  If you are doing three a week, you really shouldn't hesitate to buy one.  If you buy a good one, you will have it for a lifetime.

Some fabricators take advantage of new hinge options that have recently become available that allow a gate made on a frame of square tubing to be hung on a standard round post.

Square steel or aluminum tubing allows the fabricator to use 45 degree miter cuts to make tight fitting joints that are easily welded for strength.  This method also allows ample area at the joints for reinforcement or “gussets”.
Among the advantages to a square tube frame is ease of assembly, strength, and the flat faces on which pickets can easily be mounted.

However you choose to build your gate, we can help.  We offer the finest American made pipe notching tools available, through Vogel Tools, as well as our own line of hinges that allow the use of any combination of round to square, square to round, square to square, or round to round applications.

Call Modern Fence Technologies today.