SELF-CLOSING GATES.
gate catchFig. 195.—Hinge And Slide For Gate.
Fig. 195.—Hinge And Slide For Gate.
Fig. 195.—Hinge And Slide For Gate.
close-up of the catchFig. 196.
Fig. 196.
Fig. 196.
Every self-closing gate should be provided with a drop or spring catch, a suitable bevel for it to strike against and notch to hold it. Gates opening into the garden or out upon the street, should be so hung that they will swing either way.Figure 195shows a hinge and slide for such a gate. In opening the gate from either side, the arm of the upper hinge slides upon the iron bar, raising the gate a little as it swings around. When loosed, it slides down without help, and closes by its own weight.Figure 196shows another form of the iron slide, suitable for a wide gate post, and more ornamental than the plain slide infigure 195.
gate with hook and eyeFig. 197.
Fig. 197.
Fig. 197.
Figure 197shows a very good and common hanging. The upper hinge consists of a hook in the post and a corresponding eye in the hinge-stile of the gate. The lower hinge is made of two semi-circular pieces of iron, each with a shank, one of which is shown above the gatein the engraving. They are made to play one into the other. This style of hanging may be used on any ordinary kind of gate, but is specially useful for a small street gate opening into a door-yard.
farm gateFig. 198.—Self-closing Farm Gate.
Fig. 198.—Self-closing Farm Gate.
Fig. 198.—Self-closing Farm Gate.
lower hingeFig. 199.—Lower Hinge Of Gate.
Fig. 199.—Lower Hinge Of Gate.
Fig. 199.—Lower Hinge Of Gate.
There is a style of gate for foot-paths, which is not uncommon, that keeps itself always closed and latched, by means of a single upper and double lower hinge, which are to be obtained at most hardware stores. The lower hinge has two “thumbs,” which are embraced by two open sockets. When the gate is opened, it swings upon one socket and its thumb, and being thrown off the center,the weight of the gate draws it back, and swinging too, it latches. A farm gate, entirely home-made, may be constructed, of whichfigures 198and199show the gate and the hinge. The gate is braced and supported by a stay-strip, extending to the top of the upright, which forms the upper hinge,fbeing attached to the top of the gate-post, by an oak board with a smooth hole in it. The lower hinge is separately shown atfigure 199. It consists of an oak board,c, an inch and a half thick, into which the upright,e, is mortised. In this, two sockets are cut, a foot from center to center. The sockets in this case are three inches in diameter, and when the gate is in place and shut, they fit against two stakes of hard wood (locust), two and a half inches in diameter,d, which being curved, are nailed to the gate-post,a. A smooth stone, laid across in front of these stakes, takes the weight of the gate, and relieves in a measure the pressure on the top of the post. The hinges must be kept well greased, and it is well to black-lead them also, to prevent creaking.