# Cemetary Gates - Long-time Lurker, First-time Poster



## sedgewickhotel (Nov 25, 2007)

Hi Everyone...

Been a home haunter since I was a kid but just recently bought my first house, so this is my first year to go "all out". As part of my plans, I have decided to throw a big Halloween party. My main attraction is my front yard cemetery. I began with sketches and have worked my way to have wooden columns which I will partly cover in foam, and then paint.

I have access to a waterjet machine, which is basically a giant piece of equipment that uses a mixture pf high pressure water and sand to cut through virtually anything based o na CAD file. So, I'm drawing all my gates and fencing in CAD and then will have them cut out of 3/4" plywood.

I'm somewhat concerned about the wood bowing after being exposed to the elements. I'm also concerned the gate might snap under its own weight since all the "holes" that will be cut into it might weaken it. I may add a diagonal cross support to each gate to help support it.

I will continue to post pics as I progress. Visit my website to see the concept art. I'm too lazy to repost them here.










Jake
www.WoodwardManor.com


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## sedgewickhotel (Nov 25, 2007)

By the way, the black you see in the pic above is computer drawn... That pic is part true progress, part concept art.


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## Hellvin (Jul 6, 2008)

Great start Wudden. What thickness of plywood are you expecting to use? I would think a 3/4" would be sufficient and you could add a couple more horizontals to keep the long pickets from getting too wobbly. 

If you have no limit about what you can add to the pattern, why not try some scroll-like features too?


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## spideranne (Jul 17, 2006)

Wow, high tech process, looks great though.


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## Lady Nyxie (Aug 30, 2006)

Great design. Keep us posted.


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## Bloodhound (Oct 16, 2007)

A waterjet machine. Lucky dog!! Okay, you might think about adding some more verticals (one above you the lower and one below the upper) and maybe add gussets for strength.


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## cerinad (Jun 23, 2008)

Wow! That's looking good. Gonna be great once finished!


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## sedgewickhotel (Nov 25, 2007)

Since the capabilities are virtually endless, I'm so tempted to find a way to go nuts and create some sort of intense gothic looking gate and fence, like something you'd see out of a crazy horror movie. The problem is that I lack any CAD skills and am having such a hard time just getting a "simple" gate with finials at the appropriate scale, that I'm telling myself I'll keep this year simple and hopefully my access to the waterjet machine will remain, and I can do something reallllly cool next year or in 2010.


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## Lilly (Jun 13, 2006)

that looks nice,
what about adding diagonal strips in the shape of a "W" in the main gates.


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## Ghoul Friday (Oct 6, 2007)

Lilly said:


> that looks nice,
> what about adding diagonal strips in the shape of a "W" in the main gates.


oooo! Great idea Lilly.


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## sedgewickhotel (Nov 25, 2007)

Lilly said:


> that looks nice,
> what about adding diagonal strips in the shape of a "W" in the main gates.


Wow, that is a really good idea. I knew I posted this for a reason! Thanks Lilly.


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## Spookie (Aug 26, 2008)

Looks terrific and haunting! Can't wait to see your yard when it's finished. You are a halloween wife's dream guy!!!

BTW Love your artwork on your site. I'll keep checking back to see more as you progress. As for your concern that the front gate might sag, you could always prop it up with wheels under the two front gate openings. A metal bottom rail would also help if you really need it.


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## sedgewickhotel (Nov 25, 2007)

Well, I tried adding the supports in a "W" shape, and it didn't look right. The only way those diagonal supports look right is in a "V" shape. However, I liked the "W" idea so much, I may add it in, not so much as a support, but decorative to give the gate some character. See below:


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## Bilbo (Dec 13, 2007)

The "W" really adds... great looking set up.

Oh, how I envy you having access to a set up like you do. I would love to be able to play with a CNC or waterjet like that even for just a weekend!


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## sedgewickhotel (Nov 25, 2007)

My internal feedback crew (my family) all teamed against me and claim that although the "W" looks cool, it doesn't look creepy enough. They all agreed (separately, actually) that the "W" looks more fancy like it would be on the gate of a Beverly Hills mansion, and not at a run-down haunted house. Bah!


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## Ghoul Friday (Oct 6, 2007)

wudden said:


> My internal feedback crew (my family) all teamed against me and claim that although the "W" looks cool, it doesn't look creepy enough. They all agreed (separately, actually) that the "W" looks more fancy like it would be on the gate of a Beverly Hills mansion, and not at a run-down haunted house. Bah!


Booooo family.


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

Try a different font or maybe even something like this


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## sedgewickhotel (Nov 25, 2007)

Well, here's what I settled on. I had serious problems getting any curves in CAD. with the exception of the font, this is done in mostly straight lines. This was just dry fit to see how it will all look when together. Obviously it still needs paint, lights, etc, and some final TLC..


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## AzKittie74 (Aug 10, 2007)

looks fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Dark Star (Nov 6, 2007)

That look great! You cut all that fence and gate out of plywood?? Iam impressed.


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## Hellvin (Jul 6, 2008)

Very impressive! Are you taking orders??! :jol:


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## scream1973 (Dec 23, 2007)

Sweet job.. Do you by chance work around i think its called Iron Works off Niagara Street.. thats one place i know that has that equipment in buffalo ( or somebody in that row does)


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## sedgewickhotel (Nov 25, 2007)

I know of Iron Werx, and yeah, I believe they do have a waterjet. I lucked out and kept in contact with my former boss who one day got bored and decided to go buy a waterjet machine. Not cheap, at I think well over $100,000 USD or something like that.

Well, he's only had the machine for a few months so he's still learning how to use it, and gave me a great deal to get these pieces cut. Every job is a learning process for him. I'm hoping he's as nice when I want to have some pieces of standard fencing cut so it all matches.


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## beelce (Jul 21, 2007)

WOW Wudden what a great resource, and your gates are outstanding!! Please keep us updated as you go along.


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## Silent Requiem (Feb 17, 2008)

this. is. so. COOOOOOOOOOOOLLLL!!!!!!!


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## michael myers (Sep 3, 2007)

Awesome!! I wish that I had access to those high priced toys to play with!


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## JacksonManor (Jun 27, 2007)

Great looking gate, How did the edges of the ply turn out?

I am soo excited, At my work we just got a good 75watt laser cutter for almost anything but metal. And in the next few weeks we are installing our brandnew waterjet.

the laser was $36k and the waterjet $170k

we work in the motion picture industry as prop manufactures.

I am already designing for 2009, sadly this year will be minimal.


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## sedgewickhotel (Nov 25, 2007)

JacksonManor said:


> Great looking gate, How did the edges of the ply turn out?(


Well, they WOULD have turned out fantastic if the guy would have let the jet go a little slower. The faster it cuts the paths, the less time the jet has to cut a clean edge. We slowed it down after the first cut, so the back side of the arch (our first cut) is a little rough. The side pieces however, as smooth as butter. I say some cuts were rough, but what I mean by that is that the top half of the cut where the jet first touches the ply is smooth, but as it gets deeper and deeper into the wood, the cut becomes very jagged.


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## sedgewickhotel (Nov 25, 2007)

Here are some more progress pics. I got to the point where I stood in my garage smiling saying to myself over and over, "I built that...", and I gotta tell ya, that's a pretty cool feeling.


















Yes, I'm in my pajamas... lay off.
cemetary gates :: P1010144.flv video by wudden - [email protected]@[email protected]@http://vid132.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid132.photobucket.com/albums/q13/wudden/cemetary%20gates/[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@q13/wudden/cemetary%20gates/P1010144


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## Dr Morbius (Sep 21, 2004)

Nice jammies! LOL! Just kidding, excellent work on the gate. Can't wait to see it all setup in the haunt!


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## Abunai (Oct 28, 2007)

Just, wow.


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## Uruk-Hai (Nov 4, 2006)

Those turned out GREAT! Really nice looking. I never would have thought to make it out of plywood - although there's no way I could see myself trying to cut that out with my scroll saw! I guess having access to the hi-tech cutter is a must.


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## sedgewickhotel (Nov 25, 2007)

I was really worried about going this route and using plywood. I couldn't really find anyone else on the net who has done it this way. Everyone seems to go with the PVC or wood fence, sometimes topped with finials. Some of my concerns:

1. Since a waterjet cuts with uh... water... I was concerned that by soaking the wood, it would bow like a potato chip when dried. I especially didn't know if it would bow more or less with all the "holes" cut out of the wood. Result: I stacked the pieces together and put a cinder block on them. When they dried, they were all perfectly straight. 

2. I was worried that the weight of the gates would be so great that it would snap under its own weight. To help prevent this, I added the diagonal supports. Result: No problem with weight at all. Actually, its AMAZING how light these are. A 4'x8' sheet of 3/4" plywood is fraking HEAVY. But after all the holes are cut out, its surprisingly light.

3. I was realllllly worried about scale. To get the CAD drawings that the waterjet machine needed, I basically set up the columns in my driveway, spaced how I wanted them, and took a picture. I then drew gates on top of the picture. I knew that since my gates were 6' x 18", that the gates would be roughly 7' x 3' but my drawing tool had absolutely no way of me knowing what the dimensions were of my designs. Result: It was a shot in the dark, and I feel like I got pretty lucky.

4. That when painted, the wood wouldn't look enough like iron and would just look like painted wood. Result: Who gives a crap? It's a Halloween prop. It looks pretty good. The only thing that bugs me is that the plywood I got from Home Depot had a lot of knots in it. I should have went to an independent lumber shop and got better quality wood than from Home Depot, but I digress.

5. That my "finials" wouldn't look detailed enough. Result: Well, they look very "cartoony".. but they more I look at them, the more I like them. Again, this is merely a Halloween decoration, so I kind of like how the spikes are somewhat exaggerated.


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## scream1973 (Dec 23, 2007)

I think it looks great and the swing action on the gate is perfect as well. Hopefully it holds up well in the coming years as well.

Having access to the waterjet would definately be a very cool thing. Oh the things you could design and cut..

I'd be brushing up on my cad skills for sure ...


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## sedgewickhotel (Nov 25, 2007)

Finished the hardware of the lights and arch... Ready for a little more mud and then paint this week and then they'll be DONE. Can't wait to move onto something else.


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

WOW! That's outstanding! Great job on the whole project. I've yet to tackle an archway spanning my columns but this is giving me some good pointers. Using wood didn't really occur to me.


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## TNBrad (Sep 10, 2007)

Great work, there these look awsome


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## beelce (Jul 21, 2007)

Very clean


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## sedgewickhotel (Nov 25, 2007)

Party is in 18 days and I'm just now wrapping up the gates.. my FIRST prop for the party... and luckily, the biggest... I hope I have enough time and money to pull this thing off. Time to kick it into high gear...


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Beautifully done! Looks like it belongs in front of a great old run down Victorian mansion.


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## p3ppy (Sep 18, 2008)

That gate and the columns put mine to shame, good F-ing job buddy!!!!


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## sedgewickhotel (Nov 25, 2007)

Now that these are "done", this is off-topic, so I created a new thread in the showroom:

http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?p=252560


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