A customer has a joiner made wooden gate , problem is it keeps warping when it gets wet and overlapping by 6mm on the closing post , also binding on the hinge side post .
customer has asked for the overlap smoothing off but i have explained when the wood dries out it will shrink leaving a gap .
currently she cannot close the gate and her security is a priority .
researching i have found a quick fix i.e turnbuckle kits designed for gate sag which pull the gate back allowing the gate to close without the need to remove wood from the gate but they seem to be more widely used in the U.S .
Has anyone on here used a turnbuckle kit ? Do they work ?
A long shot i know
but any other suggestions very welcome
Thanks
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can you adjust the hinges or pull the posts back slightley maby the gates want some waterproofing putting on them
you can buy turbuckles and wire rope you can get krimping kits for the rope or use u clamps but it might work out exspencive for a one off
a photo might be usefull it might lead to other suggestions
Its a well constructed gate and coated with some sort of of weather proof paint .
Three big T hinges and the posts are reinforced so bit of a mystery why its warping
Screwfix used to stock the turnbuckle kits but ithey are discontinued ( may not be any good )
they sell the turnbuckles which always come in handy for wiring in climbers so i might experiment .
I am hoping the gate will dry out on its own and fit again .
Haven't used a turnbuckle. A solution might be a long throw gate lock. They have a long bolt which means there's space for any shrinkage without security being affected. So you could plane a good bit off. Depends on the gate and post layout whether it would work for your situation. They are easy to fit and work very well.
Thanks Yes i have used those long bolts before and excellent , perhaps a couple of swan necks with padlocks one on both sides of the gate as its an entrance and exit , definitely a good idea ifi have to take some wood out .
My wrought iron gates have a Pin and Eye type hinge. The post-side Pin (on mine) protrudes on a screw thread, so can be adjusted - either to move the gate in/out relative to the post (adjust both top and bottom screws) or for sag (adjust one to lift/drop the latch side of the gate)
Doing a Google now I see that there are both adjustable Pins and also adjustable Eyes (presumably where the Pin is fixed)
Dunno if that would suit your customer's gate though, sounds like it might have such much nicer looking hinges on it
Googling for images I found this type too
Thanks for this Kris . These hinges could be the solution i am looking for .
Just working out the price , Its last chance saloon for the gate apparently its being nothing but a problem .. If my attempts fail customer is prepared to buy a new gate .
The joiner was sent the wrong wood but still made the gate and ialthough it is a nice gate it keeps swelling up and i think it was made as a favour , the joiner is no longer with us sadly .
That's why my gates are wrought iron ... no problem with wet weather :)
I have quite a few around the garden, bought whenever eBay finds something relatively close to me and going for £20. Mind you, by the time I have had them sandblasted and powder coated it might be cheaper to buy new ones!
I'm pretty sure a "turnbucke" will not be able to stop a gate expanding................ understood they could just be used to stop a gate "sagging" where little force is needed to do the trick...... even that seems a bodge to deal with a poor gate. I'd just take 8mm off the gate............ presumably the gate closes against a wooden "stop" (if not, you could put something in) so the gap will not be that obvious and no-one willbe able to peer through the gap.
Thanks Graham I was a bit dubious about the turnbuckle kits on account of the wood swelling but the 6 mm overlap is on the top right hand corner and a short section of around 4 inches in length . I thought it might just haul the gate back into line without the need to start removing wood but the hinge side is of the gate is binding badly on the post .
I feel the hinges Kris mentioned are worth trying first as i can fit them with the existing hinges in situ before removing them and then adjusting the new ones slightly slightly , I have explained to the customer what i am doing is purely exploration and no guarantee and she is happy with this approach .
Last resort is having to load up the van with a couple of saw horses , remove the gate which is a heavy beggar and cut a long thin strip off the back of the gate with a handsaw , buy some wood primer to seal the exposed cut and re hang the gate only to find it leaves a gap too wide and have to start correcting this , possibly easier to just smooth the overlapping corner off with a rasp or spokeshave with the gate in situ but its a kind of rough edge to start with and can see it snagging the blade .
My main job here is re building part of the rockery so not intended to charge for the gate other than for any hardware i have to purchase , it just came up in conversation , its kind of outdoor related .