Thanks Matt.  I read your other posts.  I know how you feel!  We have done a number of pretty pedestrian railing jobs and had many other designs out there or seemingly serious conversations with clients that didn't follow through. I didn't have any big expectations for this one but I wasn't given any design brief except they wanted it strong looking.  So, before really working up a resolved design I said we can either approach this gate as some kind of grid that we apply decorative elements to or we can explore all sorts of joining methods and let that be the visual interest.  I did some simple sketches of different ways you could intersect bars and they went for it.  We put about 400hrs into this, about double what I thought it would take so it wasn't a money maker but I don't care.  You don't get to make this kind of stuff very often.

Best of luck with your stuff,

Lynda

Hey Brad, Thanks, I posted the finished gates here:

http://www.artmetal.com/images/design_gallery/lynda_metcalfe/2008/04/gates

Yes I did wrap those elements.  One of the 'fun' parts of working through the design was what the heck to make first and which parts had any impact on other parts and that was one of them as the top of the bar threads through the top horizontal.

The latch/lock mechanism is wired into the house's security system so I was sent the lock by the tech guys.  Had to work with 1/8in clearance and maybe a 1/32in tolerance either way between the gate leaves.  I was really relieved when it went in ok.  The handles are static.  The hinges are journal on the top and post on the bottom with a stainless bearing, the 2in square bar gate posts were a bugger to work with!

Lynda