Closing the Gate

"Still round the corner
there may wait, 
a new road or secret gate."
J.R.R. Tolkien

I haven't worked on the back gate since July, 2011, but have finally decided to enclose the gate with a set of doors. 

The doors I created for the entryway between the house and garage have held up pretty well, so I decided to use the same basic design and techniques for the much larger back gate doors.

I was able to cut and assemble the basic frame in one day. I've added an additional horizontal support board, but otherwise used the same one inch cedar boards I used last year. Doing so reduces the overall weight and may help prevent sagging. 

I still have to add five 1 x 6 boards to the front of each door, but I need to stain the frames before I do so. The 1 x 6 boards will be stained cedar color while the frame is stained green, just like the doors from last year. 

The only difference in design will be that I chose not to leave the top section of the doors open. Instead, the 1 x 6 boards will cover the length of the doors. It will seem more secure, but I am a bit worried about the weight. Nevertheless, I want these doors to be distinctive from the main entry gate doors.