Chesnut Fencing stakes

[openspaceman]

they wasnt just dipped they where hot dipped which drawed the tar up the pole then allowed to cool down there use to be a tar tank in one of the woods i use to work in and got talking to a old guy walking his dog who use to use it he said he has seen the tar draw all the way up through the post allso said about sevaral tar tanks burning down when they got it wrong

 

It was the heating up that drove sap and gas out of the wood vessels and the cooling down in the creosote that sucked it into the grain.

 

Many estates had these hot and cold dipping tanks prior to pressure treatment and the lot regularly caught fire when the water from the wood boiled like putting potato chips into hot fat, bubbling creosote into the fire below.

 

A scots firm sold a safer version called the "stobster"

[digga]

hi catweazel yer that makes sense the old guy was getting on a bit and not to clear about some thing but still a wealth of knowledge there and good to talk to someone who worked the same wood years before

[Rhob the Log]

It can be sawn, and will last as long as an oak sawn post no bother due to the tannins. Clefting is quicker, lasts even longer and gives the traditional rustic split finish for post and rails.

 

From my limited experience of milling chestnut, it moves and warps like you wouldn't believe. The local mill doesn't bother with it, says it's too much hassle.

 

Started milling a few today. We made 15 x 4" thick posts with 2 waney-edges on the Lumbermate - great tool! The fencer's going to mortis them and run Oak(?) rails through, should look very pretty. Still got loads we could do this way. Later, I cleaved the offcuts into 1 square edge post to exclude the deer around the chestnut re-growth. That's a fine job, but knottier pieces I'm told I need a chainsaw to keep the split straight.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Sweet Chestnut will only grow well on an acid soil. I planted a few 15 years ago and I am still taller than they are; they make nice shrubs though. So I have to stick to growing Hazel for stakes and binders.

 

Apparently Robinia Pseudo-acacia is as durable as Sweet Chestnut and grows well on all soils, but mine have such wicked thorns that I can't bring myself to go near them.

 

 

 

There is a Sweet Chestnet supplier in Herefordshire if it is of any help:

 

Say It With Wood: Herefordshire Chestnut Fencing

 

 

robinia is a wood that surprised me, the romanians planted it and used it for schnapps barrel making and said it was finer than oak for barrels:thumbup1:

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Found this paper on chesnut coppice areas in UK

 

 

 

http://www.issw.ch/dienstleistungen/publikationen/pdf/4886.pdf

 

Seems to only to be up as far as north as Shropshire?

 

thanks for that, bit of bedtime reading, Bs 3998 is getting boring!

[Rhob the Log]

Right, got a few tons to saw through. Going to make 40 chestnut sleepers and 28+ 3x3"s. Will let you know how they go as they age - movement etc as we're putting up a fence round the chestnut re-growth. Also got some 20"+ butts that are a few years seasoned. Difficult to mill but I'll run the alaskan through one to see what can be made of it. Hopefully it'll be the best, most long-lasting sturdy timber out there! Also got a few, young Robinia scattered about...

[doobin]

Chestnut sleepers sound good, but given that you can buy oak sleepers brand new for £20 is it worth your time?

[Rhob the Log]

I'm cheap labour, mate It's for us that work in these woods and you can't put a price on local.

[doobin]

Go for it! Look forward to seeing the finished results!

 

I did once mill some 3x3s from chestnut. However, trying to get people to pay more than the £6 they're used to was a non starter.

 

Finally used them on a job where the client wanted the fence to last- and it will! Concrete spurs, chestnut 3x3s and panel clips for ease of replacement:thumbup:

[Rhob the Log]

Go for it! Look forward to seeing the finished results!

 

I did once mill some 3x3s from chestnut. However, trying to get people to pay more than the £6 they're used to was a non starter.

 

Finally used them on a job where the client wanted the fence to last- and it will! Concrete spurs, chestnut 3x3s and panel clips for ease of replacement:thumbup:

 

Made up the posts today and man does that wood move! There was so much compression in the timber, the outside couldn't wait to get off! Used smaller diameters ~ 10" and made them down into 6 x 6" cants. Dimensioned from there. Because of the compression, there's a fair amount of bend in some of the lengths but what can you do? This also caused some to change thickness. Not sure why...

 

Anyway, small amount of sticking and will end-seal tomorrow. Some pics! Will let you see it up when we've pointed etc.