GATES TERMS

In Alphabetical Order | About Doors and Gates
Ba | Br | Fr | He | Jo | Pi | Ra | St

Brace
A member built into most gates, usually running from corner to corner to triangulate the frame. Unlike ledged and braced wrought iron doors, which always have the bottom of the brace springing up from the hinge side, with gates (especially wide field gates), the brace springs up from the toe of the gate, with the top end being halved into the top end of the hinge stile. On this traditional English five-bar held gate, the braces are used to triangulate the gate and give it strength. The weight of the gate-that is, the weight of the top beam-is passed down through the main brace and on to the foot of the stile.

Bead
A small half-round molding used to decorate an edge, as on a gate faced with beaded tongue-and-groove boards. In this instance, the bead is used to decorate and disguise the tongue-and-groove joint. The bead draws your attention, so that you see the decoration rather than the joint.

Ball finial
A ball capping used to decorate the top of the gatepost. Three classic examples of a ball finial are shown.

Butt
In the context of field and farm wrought iron gates, the part of the gatepost that is belowground. With traditional farm gates, the butt is left in its natural, unsawed, straight-from-the-tree state. The design of the butt-its size and weight-is such that the post is going to stay put. It was reckoned that a well-planted oak post with a good butt could be left alone for the better part of a lifetime. A saying went, "Plant a gatepost with your grandfather, and mend it with your grandson