Gated arbor

Building the arbor

Put in the gated arbor posts

Dig the holes for the arbor posts. For reasonably firm ground make the holes 350mm (14″) square by 600mm (24″) deep.

Refer to the arbor plan for dimensions.

Concrete the two 100mm x 100mm (4″x 4″) posts in place.
At this stage the posts are longer that the required length.
Wait until the next day for the concrete to harden a bit before cutting the tops of the posts to the required height.

The roof pieces

Cut two beams 300mm (12″) long out of 100mm x 100mm (4″x4″) stock.

Cut one horizontal roof member 1000mm (44″) long out of 100mm x 100mm (4″x4″) stock.
Angle each end as shown in the drawing above.

Cut two rafters 850mm (34″) long out of 100mm x 100mm (4″x4″) stock.
Angle the cuts at one end of each rafter 18.4° off square. See drawing above. Also refer the plan if necessary for further angle clarification.

Mark the curves on the beams and the rafters

Mark a 100mm (4″) radius arch at both ends of both beams and one end of each rafter.

This can be done by making a rotatable arm out of a strip of 120mm (5″) long wood.
Hammer a small nail into the arm 100mm (4″) up from the end until it protrudes out the other side.
Tap the protruding part of the nail into the beam 100mm (4″) up from the end and slightly in from the edge. (See the picture.)
cut and curve on the arbor beam The arm should be able to rotate using the nail as the axis.
Hold a pencil at the end of the rotatable arm to mark the curve.
Do this to both ends of both beams and one end of each rafter.

Cut the curves

If you do not have a band saw, then you can use a miter saw to cut the curve by making a number of straight cuts at different angles around the curved line (see fig.1). The rounding off process is then completed with sandpaper and a sanding block.