Working with cleft oak is one of our specialities here at The Coppice Co-op. Oak is such a wonderful material to work with, rich in colour and grain variation as well as being naturally durable outdoors due its high tannin content which makes it ideal for garden structures, fencing and gates. We were recently commissioned to make a gate for a lovely limestone cottage not too far from our yard and documented the process from log to finished gate which we’re happy to share here, complete with video.
As with most things we make, it all begins with a tree. Our yard is well stocked with oak lined up for projects like this, our latest batch coming from a small woodland in Elterwater which we harvested in autumn last year. The first step is to select a straight, knot free section of oak which is cut to approximately the right length, leaving a bit extra to allow for cracks, checks and errors.
Using wedges and a maul the oak is spilt or riven along the grain, first in half, then into quarters or maybe eights depending on the size of the piece of wood. The most recent layers of growth in the tree are also removed by cleaving with wedges; this is the sapwood which is soft, lacking in tannins and rots away quickly when left outside. We should be left with nice straight chunks of heartwood oak, ready for the next stages.
From here, the lengths of oak are hewn to shape with an axe - we work with the natural form of the oak as much as possible to create a strong finished product which retains the original character and charm of the tree. We need two vertical posts, two horizontal rails, one diagonal brace and as many palings as needed. Palings are usually split down using a froe and cleaving brake.
Each component is shaved smooth with a drawknife before we mark and measure up for cutting mortices and tenons. The mortices are cut by hand using an auger followed by chisels and the tenons are cut to fit snugly with an axe and drawknife.
Finally all the components are fitted together, posts and rails pegged using oak dowels and palings fitted using copper nails. Then it’s off to install the gate in its new home.
Our gates can be made to any size and specification - please give us a shout if you would like a bespoke gate for your home or garden.
And here’s a video of the whole process!