A gate is part of a fence whose purpose is to prevent strangers from entering your site. Therefore it should close. The lock should be such that not only does it not open itself, but also ensures reliability and aesthetics. There are many types and methods of constipation. Let's look at some of them and tell you how to do it yourself.
Types of gate locks
Requirements for locking devices
The latch must be reliable and convenient
When choosing the design of the gate closing mechanism, a number of general requirements are taken into account, as well as the type and material from which the door is made.
The device must provide:
- protection against opening by unauthorized persons during the absence of owners and at night;
- reliable fixation of the door leaf in any wind;
- uninterrupted operation in all weather conditions;
- rust resistance;
- ease of manufacture;
- ease of use (ergonomics) and safety;
- compatibility of appearance with the overall design of the fence and gate;
- manufacturability in manufacturing, installation and operation.
When determining the required type of locking device, the operating features must be taken into account. For example, for a gate from a patio to a garden (vegetable garden), there is no need for a tricky opening secret. The door to the street should open on both sides, and the lock should include a secret mechanism against intruders and random visitors.
Types of constipation and classification
The classification of locking devices and the requirements for them are determined by GOST 5089-2011 “Locks, latches, cylinder mechanisms. Technical conditions".
The document identifies three types of devices:
- Locks are products designed to lock protective structures and have security properties.
- Latches for fixing the door leaf in the closed position.
- Latches with a locking mechanism: products used to fix the door in the closed position, equipped with a locking mechanism.
Latches, in turn, are classified according to the following criteria:
- installation method: mortise or overhead;
- right, left, universal;
- single- and double-sided depending on the possibility of opening;
- principles of operation - mechanical, electromechanical, electronic, magnetic;
- deadbolt design - rectangular, with several bars of rectangular or round cross-section and with a beveled end (latch bolt).
Factory products are subject to certification tests, but homemade devices may not be inferior in quality.
What types of gate locks are there?
There are a huge number of types of locks, which, in turn, are divided into subtypes.
For example, the latch can be mechanical (with a key) or manual. Additional manual installation is useful if the keys are lost.
According to the location of the direction, mounts are divided into horizontal and vertical.
Depending on how the mechanism itself works, they can be screw, sliding overhead, rotary with grooves, spring-mounted, crossbar, electric mechanisms (operating in automatic mode).
Main structural elements
In general, gate locks consist of several functional elements:
- housings;
- drive element (handles, keys) that unlocks/locks the door;
- an actuator that transmits movement from the key (handle) to the bolt or bolt;
- locking (reciprocal) plate - parts with a hole for the bolt to enter;
- a bolt that serves as a door lock when closed;
- leash, a part used to move the bolt.
With different versions, the composition of parts may vary.
When making a gate lock with your own hands, you must comply with all the requirements for locking devices.
Based on the design features and principle of operation, the following types of door locks are distinguished in everyday life:
- Latches are mechanical or semi-automatic devices. The working body is a metal plate with a lever-handle. When closing under the influence of a spring or gravity, the valve falls into the groove of the strike plate. To open, you must apply force to the lever and lift the locking plate or use the handle to remove the bolt from the groove. The latches can be self-latching or manually operated.
- Gate valves consist of a bolt with an attached handle. To close, you must slide a metal pin or plate into a groove, hence the name.
- Espagnolette, one of the types of lock with a round bolt rod that slides inside the body.
- A bolt is usually called a large-sized bolt designed for securing massive gates, gates, and garages. They are often equipped with return springs and grooves for fixing the working element in the closed position.
At home, latches, latches and spring bolts are made to lock gates. Each of these devices is most suitable for solving specific problems and has a number of advantages and disadvantages.
Make it yourself or buy a valve
Gate valves are often purchased, but for gates they prefer to make them themselves. And there is an explanation for this.
- The gate is used much more often, therefore, the mechanism must be durable, work flawlessly and look aesthetically pleasing.
- The design and dimensions of gates are more standard, and choosing a locking mechanism is much easier.
- Gates have more individuality: design, materials, sizes. In this case, the lock for swing gates is usually of a hidden type. As a result, beauty is in the background, safety and reliability come to the fore.
It is for all these reasons that the manufacture of gate locking devices is more demanding and is made independently, as they say, to be sure. But what type of constipation to choose is up to you to decide.
Making a homemade latch
There are several types of latches for home use, from simple rotary to automatic.
Rotary latch
It is convenient to lock from the inside using a simple device - a rotating hook or latch.
To make the device you will need a steel strip, self-tapping screws, bolts and nuts. From the tools prepare:
- grinder or hacksaw;
- drill with drills;
- hammer, pliers, vice;
- ruler, tap or pencil;
- welding machine.
For finishing, purchase a primer and paint for exterior use.
The simplest product consists of a deadbolt, a counter locking plate, an opening handle, and a limiter.
All parts are treated with anti-corrosion primer and painted before installation on the door.
Manufacturing algorithm:
- A bolt 15–20 cm long is cut from the steel strip.
- A hole is drilled in one side of the valve for the mounting bolt.
- The handle is welded or bolted for easy opening.
- Having drilled through the door leaf, the bolt is secured with a bolt and nut to the door leaf.
- A washer 2–3 mm thick is installed between the door and the hook so that the bolt does not rub against the door when moving.
- A counter plate is made from a steel strip by bending the part in a vice and drilling holes for fastening.
- Prepare the travel stop and attach it to the door leaf.
- Lubricate moving parts.
The simplest one-sided latch is ready for use.
In order for the device to be used, a hole is drilled in the door leaf on both sides and a handle is installed on the front side of the door. The handle can be removable. In this way, a secret lock is obtained, which only the owners or people privy to the secret can open.
Latch with padlock
By slightly complicating the design, you can get a reliable lock, but to open the gate you will have to open the lock.
To make a latch on a gate with a padlock, eyes are attached to the moving and fixed parts by welding.
Options and drawings are easy to find on the Internet.
Such a device can be used for a garden gate. Here the castle protects against random intruders or hooligans, and it does not protect against professional thieves.
Self-latching latch
You can make a latch for the gate that works automatically with your own hands. The operating algorithm of such devices is based on the spontaneous rotation of the bolt under the influence of gravity or a spring.
The simplest option consists of a bolt rotating in a vertical plane and a strike plate, the front part of which is cut at an angle.
When closing the door, the bolt slides along an inclined plane and at the end of the movement, under its own weight, lowers into the slot.
To open the gate, the bar is raised using a rotating handle made in the form of a ring or any other shape.
It is necessary to make self-latching bolts on the gate exclusively double-sided. Otherwise, if all residents leave the site, it will be impossible to open the door; you will have to climb over the fence.
How to make a gate latch with your own hands
Making a gate latch with your own hands is quite simple if you have basic welding skills and the right tools. Since individual types of designs are manufactured differently, as an example we will focus on a simple version of the locking system - a latch with a spring.
Required material
To work you will need:
Necessary tool
Prepare the tools you will need to make the latch:
Stages of work
Image No. 5: DIY latch diagram
Making a latch
Espagnols serve as additional protection of the site from the penetration of strangers at night or when all the owners are at home.
Espagnols close the gate on one side.
The simplest device consists of several parts:
- guide housing;
- bolt;
- strike plate;
- handles for manipulation;
- travel limiter.
The latch is made from available materials: a metal plate, a suitable piece of smooth reinforcement. For fastening you will need self-tapping screws, screws or bolts with nuts.
Work algorithm:
- Measure the distance between the gate leaf and the opposite post in order to cut the working element of the required length. The dimensions are chosen so that the bolt has sufficient travel reserve and overlaps the strike plate by at least 2 cm when closed.
- The parts of the latch are connected by welding.
- Weld the travel stop so that the valve parts do not fall out of the body.
- Paint the details.
- Mount the latch on the door.
The device is ready for use.
Double-sided latch
If the gate is made of a metal profile, the bolt can be hidden inside the crossbar. To do this, cut out the necessary holes in the pipe for the handle to move. The same slot is made in the corrugated sheet.
Finish the work by welding the handles inside and outside the gate.
The disadvantage is that the door will not be locked, thus the path to the site will be free for any person. At the same time, such locks reliably secure the gate from the influence of animals and wind.
The espagnolette can be locked with a padlock, for which eyes are welded onto it.
Latch-trap
This device has a rather complex design, since the fixation occurs automatically. All you need to do is bring the canvas to the fixer, and he, in turn, will do the job.
For manufacturing you will need a 50/30 mm profile pipe, a metal plate about 30 cm long and 5 cm wide.
1. To begin with, the profile pipe is buried in the ground. To make the structure more reliable, it is better to concrete it to a depth of about 40 cm. A hole is first made in the pipe for a metal plate, which will later act as a retainer.
2. Next, one edge of the plate is made into a cone, a small plate is welded to it, which protrudes 20 mm beyond its edge and makes the element look like a hook. Then holes are drilled on the other side and in the middle, one of them will serve for its fastening, and the other for the spring.
3. When the profile pipe is completely installed, the prepared clamp is screwed to it using a bolt. Then a ring is welded to the pipe at the bottom, onto which the second end of the spring clings, which, in turn, returns the latch to its original position.
4. To keep it in a horizontal position, a stopper is welded to the pipe on the spring side, which can be made from scraps of metal. To fix the garage door, it is enough to press it to the manufactured structure.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=oVd1Fmw-GSA
Spring deadbolt
The spring is needed to securely fix the valve in the closed position. If a massive gate or gate is exposed to strong winds, vibrations can gradually move the bolt to the open position.
It is not difficult to make a device yourself, using the factory design as a basis.
For work you will need a grinder, welding and a drill.
A spring holds the valve in the closed position. If it is necessary to open the door, pull the handle and overcome the resistance of the spring to move the bolt. To secure it in the open position, there are two petals at the end opposite the strike plate, through which the handle is pulled.
Options for locking, when springs act on a ball or cylinder for gates, are of little use - due to wind loads, the canvas will constantly move. Ball valves are used exclusively for interior doors.
Gate shutter made of corrugated sheets
It should be remembered that all mechanical deadbolts, unlike manual closing devices, require the presence of keys. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about losing them, since you can always lock the gate or gate using a manual mechanism.
In stock
There are several main types of such closing devices on sale:
- Vertical valves.
- Horizontal overhead valves.
- Screw valves.
- Overhead sliding locks.
- Rotary groove structures.
- Rack and pinion bolt mechanism.
- Mortise design.
- Latches with spring fastening.
- Code lock.
- Electromagnetic lock.
- Electromechanical lock.
On the counter
The latch for a gate made of corrugated sheets may differ in the direction of locking and the principle of operation of the mechanism.
Electromagnetic locks
If it is possible to supply a constant voltage of 12 volts to the gate, you can make an electromagnetic lock with your own hands. For this purpose, car door activators are used. It is important to clarify whether, when voltage is applied or removed, the activator moves the lock rod.
The device must be installed secretly under the wicket skin or in any housing to protect it from precipitation and icing.
Using unnecessary or the cheapest car alarms, they make locks with remote opening.
The electric magnet of the lock is activated when voltage is supplied from the control unit or operates from a hidden button.
The disadvantage of the design is the impossibility of latching - each time it is closed, it is necessary to activate the movement of the activator rod.
Advantages
Some consider locks to be an outdated way of locking swing gates, gates, and doors.
Currently, stores have a large number of new locks, electric keys, CCTV and remote control systems. However, deadbolts have a number of advantages that determine their popularity today:
- reliability;
- ease of use;
- high quality material;
- low price;
- clear mechanism;
- opportunity to do it yourself.
Homemade option
