Post #782797 by Prikli Pear on Sun, Dec 31, 2017 6:18 PM

One project forced upon me recently was building a new gate for our dog kennel. The original fencing and gate were put up hastily 3 years ago and never meant to be permanent. Recently, one of our beagles has become a Houdini (Houndini?) of sorts and escapes over the gate. So I built a 5' bamboo gate to confound his efforts and blend with out future plans for the area on the other side of the pool. I harvested, cut and torched all the bamboo by hand, because rolls of 6' bamboo fencing runs $90 and it's not like I'm made of money. The frame was built using a hinge/frame kit from Lowes and scrap 2x4s I had in the garage, coated with weather sealant.

Because of the urgency of the build, the bamboo didn't dry as long as it normally should have, so I expect shrinkage and cracking. To aid its longevity, I filled the cavities along the top and bottom with "Good Stuff" foam. Once it finished expanding (it expands a LOT) and cured, I trimmed it back and capped the ends with outdoor wood putty. Once that cured, and I sanded it down, I finished sealing the ends with a coat of spar urethane. At least now the bamboo won't pool water and rot from the inside out.

And this is the gate in place. Post holes, steel posts and concrete not photographed, but I assure you it was a pain, as was ripping out the decorative rusting steel garden arbor the previous owners had placed there. Yuck. The gate's currently secured with a simple chain and hook, but that'll be upgraded as I install the permanent bamboo fencing at some point--hopefully this spring?

Alas, my efforts haven't been completely successful. Houndini has escaped twice, but those have been traced back to my failing to secure the fence to gate posts properly, rather than any fault with the gate itself. Time will tell.