Sunday, February 19, 2012

How to Build a Chain Link Gate

So pretty much, we screwed up. Even though we measured over and over again, when we had actually finished concreting in the gate posts for our gate, the gate posts were too far apart. So, we had to figure out how to build one custom gate.

First we had to build the frame. We did this by purchasing top rails. Ours were 1 3/8 inch in diameter. We measured very carefully, and cut them to size. Below is a diagram displaying how we calculated how long our rail segments had to be. We needed our gate to be 51" in width. By testing the elbow pieces and seeing how far we could shove the elbow pieces onto the rails, we calculated that because the elbow pieces added 2 inches onto the length, our segment needed to be four inches shorter than our 51" width. Follow the same procedure for the gate length, and keep in mind the total high should be about one inch shorter than your fence height, so the gate is able to swing without touching the ground. Ours measured 47" tall for a 48" fence.
Here I am assembling the frame.


Here's a close up of the gate elbow.


Then we used gate hardware to put the gate in place.


We proceeded to attach the fencing to one end of the gate using 1 3/8" tension bands, stretch it to the other, and attach at that end.


And we have a gate! We still need to trim the top off of the chain link fencing, but for now that's just a cosmetic consideration. Our puppy can now run around!

18 comments:

  1. Thanks for helping me figure out how to add a gate to my chain link fence in Calgary. I wasn't sure how to install it, so I almost called someone to do it. Thanks!

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  2. Can I ask where you got the hardware? Like the actual frame and corner pieces?

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    Replies
    1. We got the hardware at Home Depot, although I think most large home improvement stores should have the pieces. The frame is made from a "top rail" cut into pieces with a hacksaw. The corner pieces are "gate elbows".

      Thanks for reading!!

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    2. Did you use anything to bond the elbows to the top rail or just slide them on? Thank you for this tutorial!

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  3. Hi, nice post. Well what can I say is that these is an interesting and very informative topic. Thanks for sharing. Cheers!

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  4. Oh this seems to be a great idea to build a chain link gate. It is simple and easy to build. Thanks for the post!

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  5. I honestly had no idea you could make these yourself. It's looks a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. I really want to put a gate around my yard before we get a dog and this is perfect.

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  6. Wow, I am very impressed that you did this yourself, it looks really good! Was it very difficult? How long did it take? We have three big dogs and I need to get a fence for my yard that is reliable. http://www.securityfencesystems.com/commercial.php

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  9. Hi there! great stuff, Thanks for sharing a very interesting and informative content, it helps me a lot in looking for chain link fence gate , keep it up!

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