Step 8: Cut and Install the Trim

hands marking wood to cut and install the trim for building a dog gate
Photo: Laura Moss
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Miter the ends of the first piece of trim at a 45-degree angle so that the longer back edge is equal to the length of a rail. Miter one end of the second piece, which will lie against the inside edge of a stile. Holding the mitered corners together, mark the cut on the opposite end of the second piece of trim to fit.

Continue cutting the trim to size, working your way around the frame, until all the mitered pieces fit inside the rails and stiles. Install the trim using 1-inch pin nails by nailing through the trim and into the rails and stiles.

TIP: To conceal the nail heads, place the nailer's tip in the deepest spot in the trim's profile.
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    Tools List

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    • miter saw
      Miter saw
    • circular saw
      Circular saw
      to cut the plywood panel
    • combination square
      Combination square
    • bar clamp
      24- to 36-inch bar clamp
    • pneumatic finish nailer
      Pneumatic pin nailer
    • drill
      Drill/driver
      fitted with an 11/32-inch drill bit, a 3/32-inch drill bit, and a 1-inch paddle bit for installing the gate's feet
    • paintbrush
      1-inch paintbrush to apply glue
    • allen wrench set
      Allen key or wrench
      sized to the insert nut and hex-head bolt for attaching the feet

    Shopping List

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    1. Oak 1x2 Get at least eight 6-footers—enough to make legs, crosspieces, spindles, stiles, rails, and feet for the two-section gate shown

    2. ½-inch oak veneer plywood Get enough to make two 12-by-22½-inch panels

    3. Oak panel molding Get at least two 6-foot pieces to trim the panels

    4. 1½-inch finish screws to assemble the legs, crosspieces, and spindles

    5. 1½-inch pin nails to attach the panel, rails, and stiles to the crosspieces and legs

    6. 1-inch pin nails to attach the trim to the panels7. ¼-20 40 mm threaded insert nuts Get four, or enough to insert one into the bottom of each leg

    8. ¼-20 40 mm hex-head joint connector bolt Get four, or enough to attach one foot to each leg

    9. 1½-by-¾-inch butt hinges Get three per pair of gates

    10. Medium-grit and fine-grit sandpaper

    11. Stainable wood glue

    12. Stainable wood filler

    13. Finish of your choice (could be tung oil; sanding sealer with stain and shellac and acrylic clear-coat; or primer and paint)