Question regards tongue & groove gate making...

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

Out of interest how would you fix it together?

Going from what you say you'd slot the T&G all together, no glue, just naturally slotted together.

Then on the rear there would be a length at the top & bottom with a Z in the middle - so total of 4 horizontal pieces & 1 diagonal.

How would you fix those to the rear of the T&G? In the video he glues & screws.

If its a gate under 1m high I would just have a top and bottom rail (ledge) and one diagonal brace. If its any taller then add a middle rail and a second brace.

I would cut the boards to length, place them face down on a bench then use sash cramps to cramp them up but with 2mm plastic packers between the boards whcih creates that space for expansion.

Then sit the ledges in place on top of the boards.Ledges would be a minimum of ex100 x 25 . There is a right and wrong way to fix the ledges to the boards.You don't need thick ledges , they just add weight, you need wide ledges for support.

We take note of which side of the gate the hinges will be fitted on and each ledge will be fixed to each board with 3 screws, top,middle and bottom of each board.

The idea is the screw pattern ,(don't put screws in a line (top,middle,bottom of each board) , put them diagonally the same way the brace will be fitted) actually helps support the gate and along with a diagonal brace.

By the way the brace doesn't necessarily have to go from one corner of the gate to the other. If a diagonal brace is at an angle of more than 45 degrees on the back of a gate the less support it gives. We often keep a brace 1 or 2 boards in from the side of the gate because the shallower the angle the more support it gives.

No need for any glue at all unless you want to hide the fixing screws. Drill a 1/2" hole down to a depth of 8mm or so then drill a pilot hole through the ledges, then fix with screws and then plug the 1/2" hole with a wooden pellet/plug,sand down flush with the face of the ledges.

Obviously they need to be fixed but i would've thought even if they were screwed & not glued on, the T&G panels would not be able to move naturally then through the seasons?

Timber is a natural materials and will continue to move . Think of when its in a tree and the tree sucks up water from the root system . Those cells are open and remain open even when they are made into doors and windows. Many paint finishes are now microporus which allow the timber to breath ,take on moisture and loose moisture. I've seen front doors with boards where they have expanded so much they have pushed off the door stiles (long upright timbers each side of doors).