Help selecting wood for fence and gate

[Jesse Ruiz]

My fence is slowly rotting away and I have no gate, so I want to take this opportunity to build my fence. My father in law is a welder so he’s going to make the posts for me. I want to start it soon since the weather here in LA is not too hot (yet). I want to follow the same setup for the front gate, but I don’t know what type of wood I should use. I’ve been watching YouTube videos on staining techniques, but I wanted to ask you guys/gals here before spending any money. Here are the samples that I’ve pulled from my Google searches:

I want to follow the similar style above for the gate. I love the stain color too.

For the gate I was thinking of doing something like this:

In the same color as the fence though. The two guys that I’ve spoke to told me that I’d need to buy the materials, but I don’t know where to start. The last carpenter I spoke to said that I would need to tell him what wood I wanted and then he would stain and install it for me. Since I have to do all the digging around for colors and wood, I figured that i should just do it myself. From as a woodworker from a 1-10, I say I’m a 5.
My father in law said he’d help me do the fence. I don’t even want to attempt to do the gate since it looks pretty complicated and a lot of framework would need to be done.

I’m also thinking of building my kids some bed frames.

Hopefully you guys can help me out with the pictures that I’ve provided.

 

[Ryan Mooney]

Cedar works well for the panels, I made a gate not to unlike the smaller one (minus the fancy iron work) out of hardware store Western red cedar about 11 years ago that still looks good (enough anyway ).

I'm not sure about the larger piece that has a lot of run so I'd be tempted to use white oak at least for the structural bits and maybe infill the panels with cedar to reduce the weight.

 

[Ted Calver]

Kinda depends on what's available in your area and how deep your pockets are. Both gates would look awesome in natural redwood, but if you are going to stain it then cedar would be a good choice. Cypress would work also, if you can find it.

 

[Vaughn McMillan]

For buying the materials, I'd suggest Bonhoff Lumber in Vernon. (411 E 26th St, Vernon, CA 90058) They have the best selection and prices I found when I was living in LA. They cater to the trades, but they tolerate weekend woodworkers pretty well. I was only able to shop there once before I moved to NM, because it was tricky for me to get there during their business hours. (7:30 - 4:00 weekdays only...closed on weekends.) Another place I've seen recommended but never had a chance to try is Anawalt Lumber (1001 N Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038). I've been told their selection and prices are good, and they are open on weekends. I lived in Tujunga, so it was a chore to drive down there. I ended up buying most of my hardwood from Rockler in Pasadena, but their prices were high and selection was inconsistent.

 

[Jesse Ruiz]

For buying the materials, I'd suggest Bonhoff Lumber in Vernon. (411 E 26th St, Vernon, CA 90058) They have the best selection and prices I found when I was living in LA. They cater to the trades, but they tolerate weekend woodworkers pretty well. I was only able to shop there once before I moved to NM, because it was tricky for me to get there during their business hours. (7:30 - 4:00 weekdays only...closed on weekends.) Another place I've seen recommended but never had a chance to try is Anawalt Lumber (1001 N Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038). I've been told their selection and prices are good, and they are open on weekends. I lived in Tujunga, so it was a chore to drive down there. I ended up buying most of my hardwood from Rockler in Pasadena, but their prices were high and selection was inconsistent.

Kinda depends on what's available in your area and how deep your pockets are. Both gates would look awesome in natural redwood, but if you are going to stain it then cedar would be a good choice. Cypress would work also, if you can find it.

Thanks for the responses gents. Cedar was the one that I was thinking of using. Redwood would also be a good choice, but I don’t believe staining it would yield he results I was going for.

I will try that place in Vernon on Friday and see what would I might go with.


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[Roger Tulk]

We used brown pressure treated wood for our new fence. It looks good, and isn't going to rot away while I'm still alive. We used 6x6 posts. When we built our first fence, we used 4x4s and they rotted so badly that a whole side of the fence blew down in a windstorm. When you build a gate, remember than the longer the gate, the harder it is to brace so it won't eventually sag. Good luck and success!