Synopsis: This article outlines the process of building a garden gate with a pattern of ginkgo leaves in the lower panel and traditional Japenese gridwork at the top. The author includes details about wood choice, building the jigs to create the mortises in the rails and stiles of the frame, milling the tenons, and assembling the panel boards and rails as well as the gridwork. The article includes a detailed drawing of the gate assembly with dimensions for the rails, tenons, panels, stiles, and gridwork strips.

When we moved west and bought a fixer-upper in Portland, Oregon, one of my first to-do items was replacing a broken-down fence with one of my own design. I hired pros to set the posts, but did everything else myself, including building a Japanese-style arch over the gate opening. The plan was to cook up an eye-catching gate in a similar style.

I’ve learned not to rush the design stage, so I visited the excellent Portland Japanese Garden, took pictures of every door and gate I found there, and did some digging online. This gate, with falling ginkgo leaves pierced through the lower panel and traditional Japanese gridwork at the top, is the result.

Water, weather, and weight are tough on gates, and over the years they tend to sag. The usual solution is a diagonal rod, surface-mounted and tightened with a turnbuckle. But in my research, I didn’t see any Japanese carpenters resorting to such contrivances, so I didn’t plan to either. Like them, I relied on the right materials and robust joints to keep the gate square and swinging smoothly. After more than a year, it hasn’t sagged a centimeter in its 4-ft. opening. Better yet, the gate is obviously custom-made, and never fails to grab visitors’ attention.

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