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Best blade to use On power poles?

Started by wle, September 15, 2014, 06:45:49 PM

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wle

Sawing poles trying to find out what works an doesnt Work. I have a Woodmiser

creekrunner

I find the 10 degree , general purpose works fine,  have cut green and creosote with both and do fine.

my 2 cents
Retired U.S. Navy,
2014 LT35HDG25

clww

From what I have read on here, the best blade (and sawmill) is somebody else's.
Many Stihl Saws-16"-60"
"Go Ask The Other Master Chief"
18-Wheeler Driver

jcbrotz

Not one that I own, a one of your or somebody else's very used ones, and or any that are not new. That would be my three choices.
2004 woodmizer lt40hd 33hp kubota, Cat 262B skidsteer and way to many tractors to list. www.Brotzmanswoodworks.com and www.Brotzmanscenturyfarm.com

NMFP


POSTON WIDEHEAD

Quote from: clww on September 15, 2014, 07:06:41 PM
From what I have read on here, the best blade (and sawmill) is somebody else's.

Okrafarmers Mill.  ;D
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

Banjo picker

I would think it is self evident that most on here don't relish the idea of cutting power poles.  I have cut them before for myself, but I won't do it again.  So I too would get someone else's blade on their mill.   ;D  Banjo
Never explain, your friends don't need it, and your enemies won't believe you any way.

Dave Shepard

If they were untreated cedar or something maybe, treated, no way. I passed up an opportunity to saw an 85' pole last year that was over 3' at the butt. We were going to saw an 85' timber, just for fun, until I decided I didn't want my mill eaten by the chemicals, and that I didn't want to be around the dust.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

hunz

I sawed 2 poles about 4 months back, and I will never do it again. I lost 2 blades even after metal detecting them thoroughly. Not to mention the creosote smells awful, and does not cut easily. I had a sharp blade fail to cut in the middle of a creosote end, stopping the mill. There is a reason why many utility companies just give the things away, I don't myself consider them treasure for making lumber.......maybe just another fence post.

If this tells you anything........, after the 2 I sawed for a friend, I proceeded later that week to take a pile of phone lines that had been "given" to me, and ever so gently placed all 12 of them into a roaring brush fire.  ;D
Dream as if you'll saw forever; saw as if you'll die today.



2006 Woodmizer LT40D51RA, Husqvarna 372xp, Takeuchi TL140

hackberry jake

I sawed a used railroad tie once. I am in the "never do it again" category as well
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

fstedy

Been sawing Western Red Cedar poles for 6 years without any problems. Best blade is a 7 degree woodmizer blade. On the cedars the cresote treatment is on the butt end and only penetrates about 2 inches  or less into the wood. Most of the cresotes has leached out anyway. Won't saw the blackjack or green treated poles. Most of the metal is on the surface in the form of lag bolts or down ground staples which are usually visable. Made a lot of money with the cedars. The contractors on the barrier islands love them for pergola beams.
Timberking B-20   Retired and enjoying every minute of it.
Former occupations Electrical Lineman, Airline Pilot, Owner operator of Machine Shop, Slot Machine Technician and Sawmill Operator.
I know its a long story!!!

FarmingSawyer

Read my post on Cobalt blades....60 nails & it was still cutting true until I hit the lag bolt..... They're meant for salvage work and hard woods like power poles. Expensive, but if it matters to have the wood, it'll get the job done.
Thomas 8020, Stihl 039, Stihl 036, Homelite Super EZ, Case 385, Team of Drafts

Peter Drouin

I have cut ATT poles before , no fun and will not do that again. :)
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

petefrom bearswamp

Cut lots of poles several years ago but my supply has dried up.
I will not saw creosote or penta treated poles anymore but would saw cedar if i could get them.
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

Dave Shepard

Quote from: hackberry jake on September 15, 2014, 11:29:49 PM
I sawed a used railroad tie once. I am in the "never do it again" category as well

I think RR ties are an order or two nastier than power poles.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

36 coupe

The poles across the road are full of nails and screws.Good luck.

POSTON WIDEHEAD

Quote from: 36 coupe on September 16, 2014, 08:17:25 PM
The poles across the road are full of nails and screws.Good luck.

Is he sawing the poles across the road too?  :D
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

Nvfd3052

I use the 9 degree blades with no water till after the cut. Them poles are dry so the water swells the wood fibers and heats up the blade. After the cut pour on the water as the blade spools down. Said I would never cut them, now it is my whole buisness... Lol hope this helps
Woodmizer LT35HDD18 diesel
Stihl ms290
Deere 260 skid loader
01 Chevy 2500hd duramax
And a wife that loves me!

FarmingSawyer

I'm hoping I lucked out on a job..... fella here wants me to saw 3000bf of cedar power poles. He's going to clean them, inspect them for metal, scrub them down, catagorize them and buy new blades and haul away nail strike blades to be sharpened...... He showed me some pieces he's had cut before and they were really nice...some strait, even grained 4x6 clear. My only thought is....what happened to the guy who sawed those....where is he and why isn't he doing this job now??

The good news is, the fella understands the process, has a high end market for the wood and wants it done right and will be there to make life easy.....hoping it will go better than I'm reading here....
Thomas 8020, Stihl 039, Stihl 036, Homelite Super EZ, Case 385, Team of Drafts

taw6243

I also saw untreated western red cedar power poles. The poles I get are from the one that are from the high tension high votage power lines in the 85 to 90 foot sizes. I get them as 20' 6" lengths from share cutting the same sizes for my customers, For every one I cut I get one to take home the same length, we are talking 20.5" on the small end. Then I can custom saw and sell cedar for maybe countertops or beams for $2.50 to $3.00/ board foot. There are approximately 558 BF in that one pole using doyle log scale and a 60% overrun above scale $2.50 x 558 = $1395.00 . I can saw 6 or 7 of those poles in one visit to share saw so I get 6 or 7 poles. That can equate to 6 or 7 thousand dollars in the future sales.
I use stellite blades from wood miser to cut them, they are the only blades I've found that I can cut 1 and 1/2 of those size poles per blade before the dry cedar dulls it. Regular double hard blades in this size pole only last maybe 2 cuts. I use water and dawn while sawing to cool the blade. Stellite 7 degree blades from woodmiser are not cheap but well worth having in this application.
I definitely make sure that all the poles are checked with a treasure hunter type metal detector.
Tim
4500 hours on my 2004 LT40HDG28, CBN sharpener and auto setter, 25" woodmaster planer with 9'auto leveling bed and trac vac chip handling system, 1998 L3010 kubota, 2010 L3200 kubota Festool TS75 rail saw with 42", 75" and 106" rails.

StimW

I bought a dozen 6" X 6" up to 18' cut from power poles for my pole barn about 12 years ago from a local guy that was cutting them with a circle saw.
I paid $2. a foot cut to my length.
Have to watch for bullets in them too!!
New HF Band Mill
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justallan1

Sawing power poles pretty much paid for my mill. I'd saw 1xs and 2xs off until I had a nice fence post left and then edge the lumber on the saw also. The ranch I work for bought the posts and the lumber went to the local lumber yard on a percentage. I was using WM 10* blades.
I will add that I had to go through a lot of poles to get very much wood without splits or fire damage, but it basically netted me a mill and made sawing pine VERY enjoyable. ;D
You want to stage your deck so you're not eating sawdust and a facemask is an absolute must.
Basically it comes down to how hungry you are.

Allan

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