Here’s a simple one-evening project that will make a wonderful gift. It’s sure to appeal to anyone with an interest in horses, ranches or rural living.
Tools: Table saw, drill, hammer, square
Time: A few hours
Materials: Hardwood scraps, 3/8" plugs, 1¼" x #6 screws, small brass hinges, brads, 4" small brass chain
This miniature version of a rodeo bucking chute was built with walnut scraps, but any hardwood will do. So pull on your cowboy boots, cinch up your saddle and slip on your spurs. We’re going to build a cowboy corral.
Begin with the corner posts, which are simply square stock cut to length (see cut list for dimensions). Rip all four posts from the edge of a wider board and then crosscut them to length (Fig. 1). There are three short posts and one long one.
The base is next. After cutting it to size, you’ll need to notch each corner to accommodate a post. The easiest way to do this is to raise the table saw blade to ¾" and nibble away the waste (Fig. 2). Test your setup on scrap before notching the corners of the actual workpiece.
Napkin holders get a lot of use, so I decided to attach the posts to the base securely with glue and screws — a single 1¼" x #6 screw in each post. To hide the heads, I covered them with plugs. I began by drilling a 3/8" diameter by ¼"-deep hole in each post (Fig. 3). Then I temporarily clamped each post in position and used a 3/32" drill bit to bore a pilot hole for each screw (Fig. 4). This stops the wood from splitting when the screw is driven home.
Apply glue to both sides of each notch, position the posts and install them with the screws. Make sure the long post is at the front left corner of the base. Use a square to make sure all four posts are vertical before the glue begins to set (Fig. 5). Cover each screw head with a 3/8" plug. You can make these with a plug-cutting bit, or buy them at most hardware and home stores. Some you sand flush; the ones I used are domed and stand proud. Glue the plugs in place.
Cut the rails for the back and the ends to size next. Again, these are just ripped from the edge of a wider board. I ripped them a little thicker than ¼" and ran them through the planer, to cut down on sanding. Crosscut them to length and install them with glue and ¾" brads, to replicate the nail heads in a full-size fence. I used a piece of ¾" x ¾" MDF scrap to space the rails, and a wider scrap between the posts, so that I had something solid there when I started hitting nails with a hammer (Fig. 6).
With the rails in place, all that’s left to build is the gate. Rip and crosscut the two gateposts to size, and then make up the three rails. Make an extra 12" or so of rail stock; you’ll use it in a minute. Use glue and brads to attach the rails to the posts, checking for square as you go.
Glue and clamp a short piece of leftover rail to the front of the long gatepost, between the top rail and the top of the post. When the glue is dry, sand the edges and remove the clamps.
You can now use the gate as a template to mark the ends of the diagonal brace, which is cut from the extra rail stock you made earlier. Trim the ends of the brace at the appropriate angles. I used a small belt sander, but a bandsaw works, too. Then glue and brad the brace in place.
Hang the gate with a pair of small brass butt hinges. The bottom hinge is in line with the bottom rail on the gate, 1½" up from the bottom of the base. The top hinge is 1½" down from the top of the gate post. Simply screw the hinges in place (Fig. 7), pre-drilling to avoid splitting the posts. You’ll probably need a #1 Phillips bit for the brass screws.
7. Finish up and maintain your look of quality with small brass butt hinges.
The gate lock is based on just about every real one in the wilds of Wyoming. It’s a short piece of chain (I found it at a hobby retailer for about a dollar). It would probably be more authentic if I had used old baling twine, but I couldn’t find any small enough.
If you want to be able to open and close the gate, fasten one end of the chain to the post with a brad, then add a small hook or peg over which you can loop the chain’s other end.
Protect your corral from harsh western winters with several coats of clear finish, sanding between each with 400-grit paper. When the finish is dry, set the project on the tailgate of the chuck wagon, fill it with napkins and know that it’s safe now to give your cowhands all the ranch dressing they desire.
Hey, there’s more than one way to clean up Dodge!
John English has written or co-authored four woodworking and how-to books, and publishes Woodezine, an online woodworking magazine. His son Tyler is ranked #1 in Wyoming for high school rodeo bareback riding.
