Telegraph poles

[Rentachimp]

I sawed a couple of these up the other day.

 

Oh my GOD!

 

How rank is the preservative on those things? I had to wash my clothes twice and my hands about a doze.

 

Is it creosote? are they safe to burn?

[Amelanchier]

I had to rig 12 of those little beauties down once. down a narrow alley with a new surface.

 

The sawdust doesn't half burn the back of your throat...

 

cough cough

[Mr Ed]

Burn nicely though!

[Amelanchier]

Aye. Top Kindling

[treejumper]

Wear a cheap throw-away £4.00 face mask when doing poles - better than coughing it up later!

[Log-ologist]

I found they bu66er the chain up.

[treejumper]

I found they bu66er the chain up.

 

They will - try using the Stihl RD chains - these stay sharp for a long time but you cannot re-sharpen by hand - dealer job I'm afraid.

These chains are tungten carbide tipped and therefore are more resilient in tough conditions.

 

Or you could try using Oregon Multi-cut chain (which can be hand sharpened.)

[Log-ologist]

I just don't cut them up with my saws. ( rail sleepers are the same)

[Al Smith]

I have not one clue what is used in the UK for utility poles nor what is used as a preservative but they don't make great firewood.

 

On this side of the pond they are either southern yellow pine or western red ceder.Usually the pine is either penta-treated or creosoted,both nasty.Most of the time the ceder is not treated as it has a built in rot prevention by it's nature of being ceder.

 

Railroad cross ties,sleepers,aren't a geat choice to burn in a woodstove either.

[kevwrenn]

most are treated with creosote in the uk, but an increasing number now are using cca treatment (copper, chrome, arsenic) the same as fencing materials. When at college we had a trip round a plant at boston where they are produced, ford countys pulling massive trailers of poles around the site... very impressive