Build a gate the Right Way #shorts

How to prevent any gate from sagging over time.
Putting a diagonal brace in the correct orientation provides structural strength to prevent gate sag.
Remember to put the brace in under compression instead of tension and you won't have a saggy gate.

[cg]

I hope I have to build a gate one day just so I can remember this short.

[kyrebanorg]

This is probably the most practical and useful short I have ever seen.

[aniquinstark]

Today I learned why my gate has been sagging for the last 15 years

[Lugh]

I wish more instructional videos were this clear and quick. Good bit of advise, with no faffing about. Excellent!

[CorvoFG]

I’m still astonished that on very rare occasions, I actually learn something useful from YouTube shorts.

[mitchellsheridan]

Literally one of the best shorts I’ve seen. Informative, relative, and concise. Bravo, my man!

[sammitra]

Good god, I'm a dentist and this just solved a lot of questions regarding the jaw joints for me! Excellent video

[tristantaylor]

This might be one of my favorite shorts ever. Clear, concise explanation with a very nice demonstration.

[Kcburnit]

The diagonal brace orientation depends on the material of the brace and or the material of the gate itself. For instance if you were to make this same gate out of steel and weld it together it would actually be stronger in the other direction as steel is stronger under tension than it is under compression. If you were building a wooden gate that had joints that did not use fasteners such as you might find in traditional Japanese building techniques. The brace may be more ideal in the opposite direction. Typically wood is stronger under compression than it is under tension but there are mounting techniques to increase woods strength under tension. Also if you were to run this same wooden gate we see in the video but use a steel cable and come along mechanism you would want the orientation opposite the direction he suggested. In short the direction of your brace should reflect whether or not the gate was built under tension or compression.

[ricochet]

This guys just explained tension and compression forces acting within a structure, better than any engineering mechanics course I have taken. I wish professors just use demos like this, which show the forces in a practical application, instead of resorting to a diagram and saying, yeah this is under compression/ tension.

Good job mate.

[alanphillips]

That's right ..just another quick tip, the bottom hinge should be located at the end of the diagonal brace to prevent the weight from warping the end upright and pinching together... top also could spread. Hinge location is important.

[thekingoftheworld]

I will now spend my entire life looking at gates to see if they've been made right. Great.

[JCPhlux]

It is amazing that once someone points out a simple fact that your brain chose to ignore it becomes obvious. THANK!!

[shannonmorgan]

Yo someday, I’m gonna pull this out of my back pocket and look like a badass

[jzsuperstar]

Thank you! I am getting ready to build my gate for my back yard. I wasn't even looking but stumbled on your short.

[panpani]

Me, a student living in a dorm in the middle of a city: hmmm, yes, that is the information worth remembering

[gentlegiant]

The same concept applies when "heel and toeing" Packers around the glass in a side opening door or window. You are looking to give the same diagonal bracing effect in order to hold the frame square.

[meerkat]

It’s also important to note that with wooden gates that are going to be considerably heavy they will still sag a little with time, weather and water and will cause the wood to expand and contract loosening up some of your fasteners which may cause the gate to sag a little more. So you don’t want to build the gate to be flush up to the fence when building it, I normally leave a 3/4 inch gap just so that the gate latch can reach but still has enough room for the gate to not rub up against the post

[janejones]

Excellent!!! So THIS is why my catio door hangs wrong. Thanks!!

[jggivey]

FYI, if the "brace" is a tension cord it goes the other way. Instead of the top of the gate sitting on the block style "brace, " the bottom of the gate is held up by the tension cord style of "brace".