Cemetery_Gates

In addition to my front cemetery gates, I retrofitted my side gate with an 8ft. by 8ft. fully functional gothic gate.

	The Cemetery gates as seen in the day. They are primarily constructed of 1/2" pvc pipe and 3/8" pressure treated lattice.
	At the lower right of this pic you can see one of the "Tap lights" that I modified to run off a plug-in transformer instead of batteries. They were used to give a subtle illumination of the columns at night.

	These are the lengths of the pvc bars that I used for each section. All measurements are in inches; the 2 x 2 pressure treated bar at the beginning of each section is a full 8ft. long. The end member is 6ft. long and is made from 1 x 2 pressure treated wood.
	Each bar is spaced approx. 5" apart. There are 3 horizontal members, each are approx. 4ft long and are made from 3/8" x 1-1/2" pressure treated lattice. Each member is secured in a groove chiseled into the end members. For extra support I added a diagonal member on the back side of the bars.

I made two molds of curtain rod Finials and then cast 14 papier-mâché copies to adorn the top of the gate. I glued 3" lengths of dowels to each finial and inserted them to the top of each bar.

A mini skull from BoneyardBargins.Com is screwed to the top to each 8ft. 2x2.

The curved bar is made from a strip of plastic 1" wide by 1/4" thick and is spaced approx. 2" from the top of each bar. The front of the strip fits into a notch in the 2x2 and is nailed flush with the top vertical member. I used a dremel to create a notch to fit each bar, then I pre-drilled a hole in the edge of the strip to nail the plastic to the bars.

Before it's nailed in place I primed it and then applied a coat of flat black spray paint. I then used a black latex/silicone mix caulk to fill in any voids around each bar and the finials.

The handles are made from plastic bath towel holders I got from a Dollar store. I cut some 1" foam scraps to fit in between the bars in a semi-circle then cut that in two to fit around the center cross member. On top of the foam is a matching piece of 1/4" plywood.

I devised a method to secure the columns/gate to the existing steel poles from the original gate by using two 1-1/4" chain link pole straps and an L-shaped bar I made from 1" wide 1/8" thick aluminum. To these bars I attached a 6ft. long 2x3.

The columns are fitted over the 2x3 and then a 2x4 is attached using 3" drywall screws from the outside making a sandwich. The gate is then attached to the 2x4.