Hiler’s ‘heavy metal’ a tall order
Custom gate could be largest ever built in Oregon
From our weekly issue dated July 23, 2008
Glenn Seybold, Bob Hiler and Gil Doersch with the immense gate and pillars. Some decorative pieces between the pillars were not yet installed (Photo by Illinois Valley News)
Talk about heavy metal.
It is the biggest thing in town, a monumental work of massive proportions at Hiler’s Iron Works on the south side of Cave Junction that is attracting a lot of attention.
“It” -- a gate ordered for a gated community development in Eugene -- stands 24 feet high at its crown and measures 42 feet from one side to the other, including the gate, which has a 24-foot-wide opening.
When totally completed, the gigantic work, all handcrafted, notes iron works owner Bob Hiler, it will contain 20,000 pounds of steel. The towering work is so colossal that when people first see it, they laugh.
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“It’s kind of odd,” said Hiler, “but that’s the typical reaction.” Some, including co-workers Glenn Seybold and Gil Doersch, believe that the reaction, which includes a feeling of near-total disbelief at the sheer size, is based on the enormity of the gates and pillars that remind one of the entrance to a giant’s fairy tale castle.
“I can’t believe it” is a somewhat typical comment. So is, “Wow!”
Hiler noted that the custom creation could be the largest gate ever built in Oregon. “I don’t have proof of that,” he said, “but from what I know and talking to others in the business, it appears likely that it’s true.”
Hiler said that he’s been working with steel since he was a boy, and has more than 30 years experience doing the work seriously. With 25 years in Southwestern Oregon, he’s been in business for 10 years in Illinois Valley, the past five at his location on Burch Drive. Some of his products can be seen from Hwy. 199 between Burch and Ken Rose Lane.
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Hiler explained that he had to have a special crane come from Medford to raise the gate structure, as there’s nothing closer that could handle it. The mammoth pillars, for example, stand 20 feet tall and weigh 3,000 pounds each.
The crane also will be at Hiler’s late this week to take the gates to Creative Powder Works in White City. They will undergo a process resulting in what Hiler describes as “a slick, glossy finish.”
In order for the gates to fit in the 20-by-9-foot ovens at Creative Powder Works, Hiler had to build them in four 9-by-12-foot sections. That way, the gates can be taken apart for baking at 425 degrees for the finish.
Another unique feature of the immense gates-and-pillars structure consists of four metal decorative balls, two with 30-inch diameters; two with 24-inch diameters. Hiler had them made in Indianapolis, and they came in halves, so they had to be welded together.
Hiler notes that the pillars have involved 600 feet of weld bead and caps. He and his crew have put in a bit under four months of work on the project, and when it’s finally installed, it will represent a six-month project.
Besides making the huge work, he and Dave Waslin, of Waslin Construction, also will install the electronic opening and closing devices for the monster gates.
Is the gargantuan piece his largest work?
“Yes,” he said with a smile, as Seybold and Doersch chuckled, “but I’ve got some plans in mind.”
