Milling oak for fence posts

[openspaceman]

 

We was recently talking about sawing sweet chestnut and don't know how it would behave?

 

We ran some trials quartering small dimension sc from coppice and it moved less and was more stable than oak. At the same time we were exporting larger stuff to Portugal. They seemed to through saw it and then glue it in random widths for table tops, drawer bottoms etc. At about the same time it was in vogue (expensively end jointed) for a couple of gridshells.

 

I don't know what triggers shake in sc but if the bark is still smooth we didn't get shake.

 

SC is one of the most reliable to re grow from stump at any size/age.

 

I see sc posts and stakes I put in 30 years ago and still good, even cca treated stuff didn't last long because the treatment was seldom correct, only pine absorbed it well. Even then if overdosed it weakened the wood.

 

I worry about the new stuff, organic copper salts, I cannot understand why nitwork rail specify it for bridge crossing timbers when creosote is proven. I here many complaints about this from the now defunct fencing sawmill of a company near here where garden fences haven't lasted 5 years.

[Stereo]

A farmer I know soaks his SW posts in an old bath full of old sump oil mixed with diesel. He swears by it but I'm not so sure it's that great environmentally. I think he leaves them in there a few weeks so it really gets in.

[digga]

in one of the woods i use to coppice in there was an old tar tank complete with brick chimney they use to treat the chestnut hop poles in it and fence posts . got talking to an old guy who use to walk the woods with his dog turns out he use to work the woods and use the tank remember him saying they use to hot treat it then let it cool down the heat use to open the grain up allowing the tar to penetrate and then let to cool down same as most things people have different ways of doing things . but the fence he put up down the side of the wood was over 35 years old and post where still solid

but allot has changed now with regulations on what you can and cant do like the use of 2nd hand sleeper and telegraph poles only ment to be use for certain things

[woodcutter3]

Ive got a lot of rubbish soft wood gate and strainer post that need replacing, some have been put up 4yrs some 7 but all are rotted off at the bottom so ive decided to cut some oak they are a bit rustic as I cut em free hand so I got a turn this

into this

[Peasgood]

I've got oak posts about the place on my land. I've been here 40 years and I didn't put them there, wouldn't be surprised if they were 40 years old when we bought the place.

None of them milled though, they are all split. (there's a word for that but it escapes me at the moment)

I am quite confident they have more life left in them than a brand new softwood stake has, quite possibly more than me too.

[se7enthdevil]

i think the word is cleaved.

 

split wood was often done during the victorian era.

[big chris the log]

Got 30 acres of coppice to cut over the next few years so will have plenty of posts, rails and strainers etc

Hi garth got one chap producing me a lorry and trailer load but will be looking for more where abouts in the country are you maybe you could quote me. Cheers Chris.

[Ian G 2]

Hi don't know if it just in the railway (sleepers) but their now done in a creasote substance thats just as nasty but thinner.

 

I've always preferred larch for fence post a lot of the old boys around hear swear by it and I know of ones I personally put in 20 odd years ago that are still going strong

[Peasgood]

i think the word is cleaved.

That's the one.

[difflock]

I understood it to be "cleft", cleaved-d-d-d, being kinda hard to rattle off the tongue.