Traditional Gate Latch

⚒ Workshop Project

Traditional Gate Latch

A simple steel gate latch inspired by one I came across while visiting the Lake District — recreated in the workshop using mild steel, round bar and a little fabrication.

I came across this style of gate latch while in the Lakes and liked how simple and practical the mechanism was. Rather than buying one, I decided to work out the dimensions and make my own.

The design uses a fixed hook, a pivoting latch plate and a long lifting bar which allows the gate to be opened from the opposite side. Below are my drawings and the measurements I used to fabricate it.

Inspiration

Where the idea started

Original traditional gate latch seen in the Lake District

The original

This is the latch that first caught my eye while visiting the Lake District. I liked the simplicity of the mechanism, especially the long lifting bar which allows the latch to be operated from the other side of the gate.

⚒

My finished latch Photo coming soon

My version

Using the original as inspiration, I worked out the dimensions and fabricated my own version from mild steel. I’ll add a photograph of the finished latch here once it is fitted to the gate.

SketchUp drawing showing the dimensions of the homemade gate latch

Main latch and hook assembly with dimensions.

Components

Cut · shape · drill · weld

Dimensions of the gate latch hook assembly

The Hook

The hook is built from three pieces of mild steel, labelled A, B and C.

A: 4mm mild steel plate, 30mm × 100mm.
Drill centred 6mm fixing holes at the top and bottom, approximately 15mm in from the ends as shown.
B: 4mm mild steel strip, 20mm × 200mm.
Heat and fold B back on itself to form a U-shaped hook, leaving approximately a 5mm internal gap.
C: 12mm × 15mm mild steel, approximately 70mm long, tapered back to approximately 55mm to form the latch stop.

Weld B securely to plate A. Add C centrally below it, leaving approximately 22mm between the two for the latch plate to move freely.

The Latch

Cut the latch from 4mm mild steel plate, starting with a piece approximately 70mm × 70mm.

Cut and shape it to the profile shown in the drawing, including the angled lower section.

Material thickness: 4mm
Overall starting size: 70mm × 70mm
Drill two 6mm holes
One pivot hole at the projecting point
One lifting-bar hole towards the upper-left

SketchUp drawing showing dimensions of the gate latch lifting bar

The Lift

The lifting rod allows the latch to be operated from the opposite side of the gate.

12mm round mild steel bar
Approximately 545mm overall length as drawn
6mm hole through the lower end
Weld a steel ring or formed round handle to the top for lifting

The drawing shows the top ring at approximately 44mm outside diameter and 30mm inside diameter.

SketchUp dimensional drawing of the lifting bar guide

Lift-Bar Holder

The holder keeps the long lifting rod close to the gate post while still allowing it to slide freely.

4mm mild steel back plate
Approximately 40mm × 60mm back plate
Two 6mm fixing holes
Form the projecting guide around the lifting bar, leaving enough clearance for free movement

What I Used

4mm mild steel plate
For the mounting plates, latch and formed hook.

12mm round bar
For the long lifting mechanism.

10mm square bar
For forming the hand/lift guide where required.

6mm bolts & lock nuts
Used for the pivot points between the hook, latch and lift.

Final Assembly

How it goes together

Putting it together

Fix the hook assembly firmly to the gate or post using the two mounting holes.

Attach the latch plate to the hook using a 6mm bolt and lock nut. The nut should be secure but not so tight that it prevents the latch from pivoting freely.

The lifting rod is then connected to the latch with another 6mm bolt and lock nut and supported by the guide further up the gate post.

Before final tightening, check that the latch drops naturally into the hook and can be lifted without binding.

Complete gate latch and lifting mechanism mounted on a wooden gate post

The complete latch, lifting bar and guide mounted on the timber.

A note on the dimensions: these are the measurements I used for my own latch and can easily be adjusted to suit the thickness and construction of your own gate. The important part is keeping enough clearance between the hook, latch and lifting mechanism for everything to move freely.

Rosehip Syrup

🌿 Hedgerow Recipe

Rosehip Syrup

A wonderfully simple autumn syrup made from foraged rosehips — naturally rich in vitamin C and perfect for the colder months.

Rosehips are one of the hedgerow’s great autumn gifts. They are naturally rich in vitamin C and make a lovely traditional winter syrup. The finished syrup is fruity and slightly tart, and works beautifully diluted with water, added to warm drinks or drizzled over porridge.

You will need:

Rosehips As many as you want

Water Enough to cover the rosehips by about 1cm

300 g white sugar for every 1 litre of strained liquid

½ lemon per litre of rosehip liquid you started with

A simple rule: once you’ve strained the rosehips, measure the liquid carefully — that measurement tells you how much sugar and lemon to add.

Method

Simple steps · Great results

Pick & prepare

Pick as many ripe rosehips as you want. Remove any stalks, leaves or damaged hips and give the fruit a good rinse.

Cover with water

Put the rosehips into a large pan and add enough water so that it sits roughly 1cm above the fruit.

Simmer

Bring the pan to the boil, then reduce the heat and gently simmer for 30 minutes.

Strain & rest

Allow the mixture to cool to around 30°C, then strain through fine muslin. For a clearer syrup, avoid squeezing the muslin. Refrigerate the strained liquid overnight.

Sweeten & reduce

Measure the rosehip liquid. For every 1 litre, add 300g white sugar. Return to a clean pan, bring to the boil and simmer until the volume has reduced by roughly one third.

Lemon & bottle

Allow the syrup to cool. For every litre of rosehip liquid you originally measured, add the juice of half a lemon. Pour into clean, sterilised bottles and keep refrigerated.

Foragers Gin

🌿 Hedgerow Recipe

Foragers Gin

This is a really easy way to make your own fruit gin using whatever is in season from the hedgerows.

Sloes are the classic choice, but damsons, bullaces, blackberries, blueberries and similar fruits all work well too. Use one fruit on its own, or experiment with a mixture of whatever the hedgerow gives you.

For every 1 litre of gin you will need:

1 kg foraged fruit

500 g white sugar

1 litre gin

Fruit ideas: sloes, damsons, bullaces, blackberries, blueberries, or a mixture of whatever is available.

The gin doesn’t need to be expensive either — Lidl’s own gin is one of the most cost-effective options I’ve found.

Method

Simple steps · Great results

Prepare the fruit

Give your fruit a good check over and remove any leaves, stalks or damaged fruit. Put it into a clean glass container that can be sealed. A demijohn with a bung is ideal, especially for a larger batch.

Add the ingredients

Add everything in this order: fruit → sugar → gin. Seal the container securely when you’re finished.

Seal and shake

Give it a good shake and keep it at room temperature for the first couple of weeks. Shake once each day until all of the sugar has dissolved — normally within about two weeks.

Let it mature

Once the sugar has dissolved, move the container somewhere cooler with a fairly steady ambient temperature and leave the fruit and gin to mature for around 3 months.

Strain and bottle

After three months, strain the gin through a fine sieve or muslin to remove the fruit. Pour into clean bottles and seal.

Enjoy — and be patient!

You can drink it straight away, but it normally becomes smoother and richer if you leave it to mature a little longer. Kept somewhere cool and dark in properly sealed bottles, it will store for years.

Honey Hand Cream

From our smallholding · 100g batch

Homemade honey
hand cream

A rich, properly emulsified hand cream made with fresh honey, beeswax and nourishing oil.

Batch size100g

Honey10%

Heat phases to70–75°C

Preservative0.5%

The recipe

A farm-made cream with measured protection

Honey and water make this a high-risk product for microbial growth, so accurate weighing, careful hygiene and the correct preservative are essential. Use a digital scale reading to at least 0.1g; do not measure these ingredients by spoon or volume.

This recipe is designed specifically for Liquid Germall Plus. Germall Plus powder is a different product and must not be substituted at this quantity.

Formula by phase

Phase A

Water phase

Distilled water56.5g

Phase B

Heated oil phase

Sunflower or sweet-almond oil22g
Emulsifying wax7g
Beeswax3g

Phase C

Cool-down phase

Fresh honey10g
Vitamin E1g
Liquid Germall Plus0.5g

Total finished batch100g / 100%

Step by step

Making the hand cream

Clean and sanitise

Wash your hands and clean the work area. Sanitise the utensils, containers, blender head and final dispenser with 70% isopropyl alcohol, then allow everything to air-dry fully.

Weigh the three phases

Accurately weigh the distilled water into one heatproof container. In a second container, weigh the oil, emulsifying wax and beeswax. Keep the honey, vitamin E and Liquid Germall Plus aside for the cool-down phase.

Heat both main phases

Heat the water phase and oil phase separately to approximately 70–75°C. Hold only long enough for the waxes to melt completely and both phases to reach a similar temperature.

Combine and emulsify

Slowly add the hot water phase to the hot oil phase while mixing continuously. Blend in short bursts, with gentle stirring between bursts, until the mixture becomes smooth, even and creamy.

Cool before adding Phase C

Continue stirring occasionally while the emulsion cools. Once it is below 40–45°C, thoroughly mix in the fresh honey, vitamin E and 0.5g Liquid Germall Plus.

Do not add the preservative while the mixture is hotter than its supplier permits.

Check, fill and label

Check the finished pH with cosmetic pH strips or, preferably, a calibrated meter. Liquid Germall Plus is generally used around pH 3–8; a mildly acidic finished cream is normally desirable. Transfer into a clean pump bottle or airless dispenser and label it with the batch date, batch number and final pH.

Before you begin

Useful kit to have ready

Digital scale accurate to at least 0.1g
Two heatproof containers and a water bath
Thermometer and cosmetic pH strips or meter
Stick blender or mini cosmetic mixer
70% isopropyl alcohol for sanitising
Clean pump bottle or airless dispenser

Personal/home use: Without professional stability and microbiological challenge testing, a reliable shelf life cannot be claimed. Stop using the cream if its smell, colour, texture or appearance changes. Selling cosmetics in the UK requires the appropriate safety assessment, documentation, notification and compliant labelling.

Sheep Hide Tanning

Smallholding skills · Wool-on method

How to tan a
sheepskin at home

A practical, step-by-step guide to preserving the fleece and turning the hide into a soft rug or seat cover.

Salt layer5–10 mm

Pickle targetpH 2–2.5

Typical pickle2–3 days

Before tanningpH 4–5*

Salt it thoroughly

2–4 days

Lay the skin wool-side down and flesh-side up on a slight slope so liquid drains away. Cover every part of the flesh with plain, non-iodised salt, 5–10 mm deep, paying particular attention to the neck, edges and legs.

Leave for 24–48 hours.
Remove all wet salt.
Scrape away remaining meat, fat or membrane.
Apply fresh dry salt for another 24–48 hours.

Worth knowingSeveral kilograms of salt for an adult skin is not excessive. Do not let it sit in the liquid that drains away.

Flesh the hide

Work carefully

Scrape away all fat, meat, connective tissue and thick membrane without cutting into the skin. A fleshing knife is ideal, but a blunt drawknife or rounded scraper can work. A smooth, rounded beam or log makes this much easier.

Pickle the skin

2–3 days

Prepare enough water, salt and tanning-grade acid to submerge the hide. Use reliable pH strips or a calibrated meter and aim for pH 2–2.5. Turn and stir the hide periodically.

SafetyWear gloves and eye protection. Add acid to water—not water to concentrated acid—and follow the product instructions.

Neutralise gradually

After pickling, partially neutralise the hide before tanning. Sodium bicarbonate is commonly introduced gradually into water—never poured directly onto the skin. A typical target is pH 4–5, but your tanning product’s instructions take priority.

Apply the tannage

For a first skin, use a commercial agent labelled for wool-on hides or sheepskins. Follow its quantities, temperatures and timings exactly. The order is: salt → flesh → pickle → neutralise → tan.

Oil, dry and soften

Apply tanning or fatliquoring oil to the flesh side. While the leather is damp rather than wet, repeatedly stretch, pull and flex it, working it over a smooth edge as it dries. Left hanging untouched, it will usually dry stiff.

Finish the fleece

Once completely dry and supple, brush the wool thoroughly. Wash it carefully only if needed, avoiding prolonged soaking and aggressive agitation. Dry naturally with good airflow, away from radiators, fires and strong direct heat.

Before you begin

Useful kit to have ready

Several kilograms of plain non-iodised salt
Blunt fleshing tool and smooth rounded beam
Large non-reactive container
Reliable pH strips or calibrated meter
Wool-on tanning agent and fatliquoring oil
Gloves, eye protection and good ventilation

Important: *The tanning product’s instructions always take priority over general pH guidance. Keep chemicals and acidic solutions away from children, animals, waterways and food-preparation areas.