Ok, I need HELP!!!!!

Need plans? Instructions to turn a 12x12? 16x16? Monster beam (cut out of a tree) into a green Man Iron Gate holding post.

I'm cutting the post out of a tree (about 6-8 ft long) to hold up this monster old iron gate.
I'm gonna try to make the post as large as possible.
Any help would be appreciated!!!!!  Thanks!!!!

NO matter how you do it, I have got to see it. Post some pictures as you go.

Bout 10 years ago I'd say if your gonna do this often, go out and purchase a Conover Lathe, but they stopped making them, the lathe beds were as long as you wanted them to be and they were made just for this occasion! But we are here and now. Hmmmm. Mike, howabout ripping a 45 on all corners with your skill saw or a beam saw so you now have eight sides. Now your beam is shaped enough that you could take a grinder to the edges that remain and hand shape it into a round post.

Before you rip, nail up a straight edge for your saw to ride on. I know you could chalk it and freehand the cut, but you might as well start with a straight reference, because your free hand grinding already, so you might as well start out straight as possible.

With out a big lath, that's the only thing I could come up with.

Or look for a Conover owner in your area!

I've got a router/recreator in Storage to do the face, but that's not what I'm looking for.

I need a plan/instruction on how to go about it.

I've done other stuff like fish and a few faces, little ones and I was wondering if anybody had a heads up and quick way to do it as I've got so little time these days.

I think you have two options.

1. You could by a really BIG lathe.

2. Knock the corners off with a chainsaw and finish it up with draw knives and planes,

With option two you get to say that you really made it with your own two hands.

Rick

I tried to insert the laughing hysterically smiley face after the smart alleck comment but it didn't take.

Oh man, I thought you just wanted to make a beam round! So what is a green man? I'm on chat if you want to see me!

dragon1 said:

I've got a router/recreator in Storage to do the face, but that's not what I'm looking for.

I need a plan/instruction on how to go about it.

I've done other stuff like fish and a few faces, little ones and I was wondering if anybody had a heads up and quick way to do it as I've got so little time these days.

Those are way cool Mike, how about a mallet and a chisel. other then that, I got nothing pard, sorry.

I think you mean a mallet, chisel and a sharpening stone. That looks like it's going to take a while.

Rick

Good Morning Mike,

No need for a green man post when all you have to do is to set another post with a center horizontal 4 x 4 between them making an H and take some number 9 wire and wrap it around the top of the gate post and down to the bottom of the second post and then when tied in a loop around both posts put a stick of an 18" piece of wood in and twist the wire together winding it tight.

The hang the gate and if it sags take a few more twists on the wire. It works every time.

Ralph

Hey Mike,

Oh for goodness sake, I din't read the whole post before I read or clicked on the attachments what you were meaning.

Those are neat however you could print out the face of either one and lay a grid over them and then enlarge to suit or as needed to carve the face in the post. Then after you have the picture on the paper make a pounce by using a tracing wheel to perforate the holes and the sand the back of the pounce paper and put some charcoal powder in a pouch like of an old T shirt and pounce the patteren on the post and have at it. If you pencil in the lines you won't lose the pattern.

I do it a lot if I am going to make a different carving or repetitive of te same picture.

As you will see in the picture I am posting;

This is a picture I took off of a calender my wife had and I chip carved every line and then painted the picture. I used the grid system to transfer the picture to the wood.

Ralph

Ralph Allen Jones said:

Good Morning Mike,
No need for a green man post when all you have to do is to set another post with a center horizontal 4 x 4 between them making an H and take some number 9 wire and wrap it around the top of the gate post and down to the bottom of the second post and then when tied in a loop around both posts put a stick of an 18" piece of wood in and twist the wire together winding it tight.
The hang the gate and if it sags take a few more twists on the wire. It works every time.

Ralph

AAHHHHH! The squeaky wheels are turning!!!!

I've got to have 8 of those wheels that punch holes (from different garage sales for a buck or less, never could resist a bargain!!) and forgot about that technique!!!

I'm not sure how I'm gonna do with just chisels (I've got a set of Marples carving chisels) since I'm used to using a dremel with Typhoon bits or a zip saw and bits and a excalibur on my grinder.

Maybe a better way to go would be to just do the face on one side facing the yard so I don't have to do 3 sides and get the head shape right on 3 planes. I'm fairly confident I can do a face 2 dimensions but it's the third where it starts getting hard!!!!

Oh, did I mention this is a freebee for my pal John?

Why thank you Mike!!! So, when can I expect it in the mail!

"Oh, did I mention this is a freebee for my pal John?"