This overhead view shows the piece in the down position.

Photo 22.

Here's a view of the"drop gate & floor" in the down position. Also notice that the numbers that were visible in the "Z" brackets have been filled, sanded and roughened up to remove them.

Photo 23.

I placed a cowboy and a long horn steer on the chute assembly just to see how things looked at this point in the building process.

Photo 24.

This view of the extension gates shows the tiny hook and eye details I used to make the hinges. Some of the eyes are HO scale from Detail Associates, but when I ran out of them, I bent my own from small wire.

Photo 25.

The eyes of the gates are simply set in place on the "L" shaped hook. Both the hook and eye pieces were attached with Dr. Mikes "Lightning Bond" AC adhesive.

Photo 26.

This view shows the expansion gates in the position they would be in when loading stock.

Photo 27.

When they are not in use, they can be swung back away from the tracks to await the next shipment of livestock.

Photo 28.

The large gates were constructed next. Once I decided which side of the gate would have the posts and laser cut pieces, I attached a piece of the 6" x 6" fencing post material to one end of the fencing piece. The vertical piece of the laser cut diagonal component was centered directly over the uncut frets on the fencing and butted up against the short end post.

Photo 29.

I positioned the 8" x 8" post in position and marked where the diagonal brace would be fastened. A small dado was cut with the X-acto knife.

Photo 30.

The fresh cut wood was stained with the show dye & alcohol solution. When it dried, it was glued to the post.

Photo 32.

The fencing was glued to the 8" x 8" post at the same time. When the bonds were dry, the excess was nipped off and sanded smooth.

Photo 33.

This view shows the finished gate with the eye bolts inserted and glued in place. I had to remove some of the edges of the 8" x 8" post to allow it to swing open wider.

Photo 34.

I treated the movement of stock through the pens as one would when working themselves through a maze puzzle. Because of my final "traffic pattern" I didn't use the small gates that I built up earlier. Instead, I extended the chute fencing from the lower gate and created an "angled entrance" to it.

Photo 35.

This view shows the movable gates in their opened position. The chute assembly was attached to the plywood support board with dots "5-Minute epoxy". The glue joints for the large swinging gate posts were strengthen with metal pins and as well as the epoxy.

Photo 36.

This view shows the partially opened gate leading to the upper chute.