The boards used in making gates (5)
I believe the answer is:
stage
'the boards' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'making gates' is the wordplay.
'making' indicates anagramming the letters.
'gates' anagrammed gives 'STAGE'.
'used in' is the link.
(Other definitions for stage that I've seen before include "Phase; mount" , "Rostrum" , "Elevated platform" , "Produce" , "Form of transport" .)