This is the biggest project I have done so far and it took me three months from beginning to end. There are 2.5 tons of steel on each gate due to the fact that the design is duplicated on the front and the back. I made the pieces of 1/4 inch and 5/16 inch thick steel to give the horses the strength to be basically free standing. It was also a concern that the pieces could not be easily bent. It took 22,000 inches of plasma cutting to make all of the pieces.
The difficulty in a project like this is in the basic design. Other than the consideration of the weight to install each gate, it’s like a large jigsaw puzzle that requires a very careful plan to make it work.
The Saskatoon Farm is located 7 kilometers south of the Okotoks overpass and 3 kilometers east of Highway No. 2, south of Calgary Alberta Canada. Their business is based around a tree nursery and Green houses including a large gift shop and restaurant. In season
(the end of July) you can pick your own Saskatoon Berries. This is a family run business and a very interesting place to visit.
Saskatoon Farm Gate
The Gate
Gift Shop and Restaurant
Working on the design
Completed drawings and plan
Loading steel on my cutter
Plasma cutting the legs
My helper
Some of the foliage and rocks & my other helper
Welding spacers on the back of pieces
Laying out a rider
The basic Gate structure
by Doug Lewis
Hinge detail designed
by Doug
Pieces ready for assembly
Doug welding
Paul Hamer, owner, and myself
Placing a piece
Doug welding
Doug welding
First impression
Welding to the frame
Welding to the frame
Some idea of the compexity
Finished detail of the north gate
South gate
Moving the south rider to the gate frame
Detail of welding the rider to the frame
Finishing the south gate
The final touch
Looking north
Two satisfied workers
