How to Build a Garden Gate

Center the tallest pale on the frame, with the bevel at the bottom mirroring that of the apron cap but not quite touching it. Leaving a tiny gap is critical to staving off end-grain rot; a paint stick makes a perfect spacer. Using a drill/driver and 1 5/8-inch stainless-steel trim-head screws, attach the center pale to the top and bottom rails. Then take two of the shortest pales and attach them flush at either end of the frame. Evenly space the remaining pales in descending order between the center pale and the ends. Cut a block equal to the width between pales and use it as a spacer. Attach the pales. Finally, screw a filler block between the first two pales for the latch.