AutoGate Systems, Inc. has many ready-to-use wood design options, or can create anything you or your architect can imagine.
Our expert craftsmen handcraft each wood gate and column in our Westhampton Beach shop using ¾” cladding made from only the finest, premium grade, genuine Honduran Mahogany, Teak, Western Red Cedar, White or Red Oak. AutoGate Systems will never use Pine, Poplar, plywood, composite board or AZEK in our gate construction. However, exterior-grade MDO plywood is often used for the base of our wood columns.
The ¾ “ thick wood cladding, set in the custom design, is attached to a steel gate frame using epoxy and urethane glue. The steel gate frame is fabricated from 2” x 2” steel square tubing, which is then epoxy-coated for corrosion protection. This process creates a solid and durable gate leaf panel that is 3 ½” thick at minimum. Should the gate design require larger panels, extra weight or heavy wind load, the steel framework is upsized accordingly and magnetic locks (to assist in holding gates opened or closed) may be recommended. Of course, this is all taken into account during the design phase, long before fabrication is started, so no later modifications will detract from the beauty of the finished product.
20 years of experience has proven the following when crafting wood gates:
- No Pine, Poplar, plywood, composite board or AZEK is ever used in our gate construction. For various reasons we have found that these products produce a less than superior end result and we will not fabricate any gate using them.
- Bolting through solid wood results in bolt holes, which expand and wear over time. This causes enlarging and eventual splitting, and is worsened in certain climates, such as Long Island, where there can be heavy wind load off the water. Therefore, there is no drilling of holes through our gates.
- Laminating smaller, thinner pieces of wood together (rather than using larger single pieces) using an epoxy (we use WEST System), results in a far stronger product with far better resistance to warping and checking.
- Wood-clad, steel-framed gates are easier to repair. Should your gates be damaged by cars, landscaping / delivery trucks, etc., the steel framework usually remains intact, so the gate is simply removed and taken to our shop, where the damaged area is cut away and replaced.
Steel Frames
Steel gate frames are fabricated from 2” x 2” steel square tubing; they are designed to support the entire gate pane. After fabrication, the frames are epoxy-coated for corrosion protection of the steel. Hinges, hinge pintels, positive stops and gate operator brackets are welded to the steel frames prior to cladding. All fasteners are stainless steel or epoxy coated, and are countersunk and wood plugged for corrosion protection.
Autogate Systems has been directly and exclusively focused on automatic entry systems since 1984. That’s over 25 years of experience! We know what it takes to make sure you’re happy with your driveway security gates!
