Cutting large electrical poles

PrettyPaisley · #1 07/29/13, 11:33 PM

There are a handful of the huge round telephone poles that have been cut off from having our barn built. I don't really want to just toss them away and have found the neatest idea to use them as a pathway. I'd love to have them sliced thin so I can arrange them as a place to walk from the house to the barn (if there are enough). Thing is, I have no idea what is needed to get them cut. I assume some sort of a saw that can measure but these things aren't small. Where should I turn to have them cut thin?

myheaven · #2 07/29/13, 11:39 PM

Someone in your area with a portable sawmill might do it . How long are the left-over pieces ?

PrettyPaisley · #3 07/29/13, 11:40 PM

Some are upwards of 3.5-4ft!

dragonjaze · #4 07/30/13, 01:28 AM

By "sliced thin" do you mean as round slices, or as long planks?

Round slices should be easy to do with a chainsaw. Long planks will take a portable sawmill. Or a handsaw, massive biceps and lots of patience

Conhntr · #5 07/30/13, 05:05 AM

She means like pizza shaped stepping stones. Yes a chainsaw would make short work out of that, BUT even well treated wood like a t-pole with that much surface area tonthe ground/air will rot away pretty fast

Barefoothaven · #6 07/30/13, 05:14 AM

We did this with some posts on our property.... It's been just over a year and they have split and started rotting from moisture soak up.

Fire-Man · #7 07/30/13, 05:19 AM

Telephone poles are treated as a whole, once they are cut, sliced etc---the inner part is no where near treated like the outer part and will rot alot faster. If you slice them thin---besides rotting sooner, the will also warp, bow, cup, crack, etc.

wannabechef · #8 07/30/13, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrettyPaisley

There are a handful of the huge round telephone poles that have been cut off from having our barn built. I don't really want to just toss them away and have found the neatest idea to use them as a pathway. I'd love to have them sliced thin so I can arrange them as a place to walk from the house to the barn (if there are enough). Thing is, I have no idea what is needed to get them cut. I assume some sort of a saw that can measure but these things aren't small. Where should I turn to have them cut thin?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fire-Man

Telephone poles are treated as a whole, once they are cut, sliced etc---the inner part is no where near treated like the outer part and will rot alot faster. If you slice them thin---besides rotting sooner, the will also warp, bow, cup, crack, etc.

Not to mention the are treated with creosote and for someone so conscious about health and environmental risks it would be taboo to use them.

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PrettyPaisley · #9 07/30/13, 07:31 AM

Can't they be sealed somehow ? Like you seal a wooden deck? If not ... Good to know they didn't last a year. Too much work for so little return !

fordy · #10 07/30/13, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrettyPaisley

There are a handful of the huge round telephone poles that have been cut off from having our barn built. I don't really want to just toss them away and have found the neatest idea to use them as a pathway. I'd love to have them sliced thin so I can arrange them as a place to walk from the house to the barn (if there are enough). Thing is, I have no idea what is needed to get them cut. I assume some sort of a saw that can measure but these things aren't small. Where should I turn to have them cut thin?

.................You could have them cut in half , and spliced together with flat steel plates to support a semi covered walk way and use regular stones for the steps ! , fordy

o&itw · #11 07/30/13, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrettyPaisley

Some are upwards of 3.5-4ft!

Most saw mills are not set up to run anything shorter that 6-7 feet.
While few poles are creosoted any more, they are either penta-treated or, if they look green, some kind of copper/arsenic treated.
As was stated above, you cold expect boards out of them to warp and cup substantially.

rambler · #12 07/30/13, 09:31 AM

Was going to mention the treatment on them, don't see how that is acceptable for an ultra-low tolerance to chemicals.

You would want a giant chop saw. A sawmill typically slices off boards, would not easily be able to slice off perpendicular on their rig.

A band saw would work well, if it is designed to clamp on to work from the end.

A buzz saw, old fashioned firewood cutter mounted on a tractor would do it easily, tho see below for dangers...

A handy person with a chainsaw could probably do fine. Doesn't have to be perfect, just 90%. Anyone used to cutting wood this would be the cheapest easiest thing to work out.

The outer ring is treated for rot, the center of the pole would not be. You would have to soak the discs in used motor oil or a better grade of soil contact treatment to get any life out of them.

Most saw mills or professional people will run away from power poles. They tend to have a lot of nails and hardware in them, and can be dangerous to work with, one hidden broke off nail and you mess up your saw blade, band saw, or chain. Would cost more to fix that what you can charge, so gonna be hard to find someone to work on these. I would not be interested, cheapest to expose to the metal is a chainsaw, but there is the possibility of throwing metal bits and being dangerous....

Too bad they are so shorth, 7 or 8 feet and they make very sturdy fence posts. Little more work to dig a hole big enough, but good posts.

Paul

PrettyPaisley · #13 07/30/13, 12:19 PM

So sealing the front porch to keep the wood from rotting isn't a good idea? Same with these poles?

I may just try it myself. I have a little electrical chain saw with a safety built in so I can give it a whirl. I'm not certain these have creosote on them; surely they are treated but these are new poles; no nails or anything else. I've hung yard sale signs so I've seen the nails ... these have none. Just long, thick posts that I'd hate to burn if I can do something with them. I've smelled creosote before when I was around railroad ties. These poles have no obvious scent.

fordy · #14 07/30/13, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrettyPaisley

So sealing the front porch to keep the wood from rotting isn't a good idea? Same with these poles?

I may just try it myself. I have a little electrical chain saw with a safety built in so I can give it a whirl. I'm not certain these have creosote on them; surely they are treated but these are new poles; no nails or anything else. I've hung yard sale signs so I've seen the nails ... these have none. Just long, thick posts that I'd hate to burn if I can do something with them. I've smelled creosote before when I was around railroad ties. These poles have no obvious scent.

..................just a thought.......layout the pathway for the walk , dig out the topsoil about 4 to 6 inches deep , install those flexable metal 'sides to keep out the grass , laydown a layer of that ground mat that allows the rain to soak through and prevent the weeds from coming back UP , spread a layer of small gravel that will support the wood steps and keep the bottom from making contact with the soil !
...................Once you have your steps in a firm , fixed position , add more gravel so the level is just shy of the top edge of the steps which will help hold them in place . You could also use sand to 'bed in' the wooden steps but it will tend to retain more water than the gravel . , fordy

o&itw · #15 07/30/13, 01:08 PM

I thought you were speaking of sawing them legnthways. Yep, sawing them into about 4 or 5 inch cylinders with a chainsaw and placing them on the end like cirular paving stones should work fine. I wouldn't get them much thiner than 4 inches or they will snap into if they get a concentrated weight on them. Wood doesn't have much traverse strength when cut like this.

If you change your mind, I would really council you against burning them. They will put off an acrid smell and toxic chemicals. Use them for ditch fills, posts for a feeder or something.

I have seen some nice walkways made from these (concrete lab samples) stood on end. they wouldn't need to be that long.

Cutting large electrical poles - Homesteading Questions

TrainChaser · #16 07/30/13, 01:18 PM

Call the place they came from and ask if they're treated. Creosote isn't much used anymore.

A wooden path sitting directly on the ground isn't going to last long enough to waste the time and effort. I would suggest you find another use for them.

o&itw · #17 07/30/13, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrainChaser

Call the place they came from and ask if they're treated. Creosote isn't much used anymore.

A wooden path sitting directly on the ground isn't going to last long enough to waste the time and effort. I would suggest you find another use for them.

If they are utility poles I can pretty much assure you they are treated with something. Except for western cedar, which were treated only at the bottom where they went into the ground most other softwood poles would rot off at the base in two or three years. Thuja plicata poles got too expensive to use, so that leaves them out when speaking of "fairly new poles"

PrettyPaisley · #18 07/30/13, 02:03 PM

Well when I say new I mean they weren't taken down from the side of the road and used. New as in straight from the store and not second hand.

I'm certain they were treated as well.

So ill skip burning them then ....

Maura · #19 07/30/13, 03:04 PM

You have to think in terms of a walkway, not just wood tossed out. You need sand or similar substrate so they don't sit in water.

fordy · #20 07/30/13, 03:48 PM

................One more suggestion.......You could make one of those "Travel Totems"........drill a hole down the center of each short piece , maybe 1.5 inches in diameter , then stack them vertically on a piece of iron pipe and make directional arrows for each individual piece that say.......Las Vegas......1475 miles , Baghdad.....9,846 miles , Paris.....5,332 miles ! You might want to make the pieces about one foot long , paint them all different colors , and , by leaving them loose , you can spin them around and make the arrows point in different directions when you get tired of them being in one position for a long time . Kinda like rearranging the furniture in the living room. , lol , fordy