Electric poles - anybody saw any??

[fischerfarm1]

Just wondering if anyone has cut electric poles on there sawmill? I have a customer who wants me to do some and says they have 1/2" of creosote on the outside, thinkin they might be nasty cutting??

[Sawmill Man]

Your thinking is right, stay away from them if possible.               
                                                                                     David

[sawguy21]

Creosote is nasty stuff to handle and cut, best to walk from that one.

[SawyerBrown]

Hey, Greg, (ahem, I mean "fischerfarm1"), nice to see you on here, my man!  Welcome to the Forestry Forum!  You might want to introduce yourself to the rest of the folks here on the Forum, and maybe post a couple of pictures of that new LT35HD and some of your support equipment! 

As far as electric poles, agree with the others if they're heavily creosoted.  I did some big cedar poles up your way last summer, they were OK, but we didn't saw the bottom 6' or so.

[Banjo picker]

Welcome to the forum.  Most have done it at least once.  Once is enough for most.  It was for me.  Banjo

[Peter Drouin]

Once is all you want. :D :D :D

[samandothers]

I would not saw creosote, penta nor CCA (green).  The creosote is some caustic stuff.  It will burn the skin and I would think not good on the lungs.  May be pretty tough on blades too.

There have been other posts on this topic.

[Josh3760]

Welcome to the forum.  Most have done it at least once.  Once is enough for most.  It was for me.  Banjo


X2

[Sixacresand]

I would not saw creosote, penta nor CCA (green).  The creosote is some caustic stuff.  It will burn the skin and I would think not good on the lungs.  May be pretty tough on blades too.

There have been other posts on this topic.

I get the light headed after breathing fumes from creosote lumber. Somebody will probably start sniffing used crossties.  :D

[Nomad]

     Welcome Fischerfarm1. 

     Think about it.  Creosote will cause nasty chemical burns on your skin, made worse by sweat.  Not to mention what it could do to your lungs, if you breathe any dust.
     In some circles it's considered a carcinogen.  (I have no idea if that's accurate or not.)
You'll need to throw away any clothes you wore cutting those poles 'cuz you'll never get the smell out of em.
     It's also highly flammable.  And don't forget that the sawdust with it is considered HazMat and should be treated as such.
     Do you really want/need to take on that headache?

[5quarter]

Hi and welcome. I say take all the necessary precautions and saw'em up. then you can say you beenthere and done that.  ;)

[Chuck White]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, fischerfarm1.

[woodmills1]

I sawed poles once..................... :P

[kelLOGg]

I sawed a flat on opposite sides on one once for myself. I needed a "foundation" for a lumber rack under my barn shed. I had one pole left and that's how I used it.
Bob

[fishfighter]

I asked this same question a few months ago. Was told to walk away. ;D I did. :D I used to do power line work and many days I got skin burns just handling it. >:(

[caveman]

 

  

  

  Jmoore and I sawed a bunch of transmission pole tops (we cut off the creosoted bottoms).  We sawed steady for a day and a half and ended up with a couple of good piles of nice wood.  The poles were supposed to be cleaned of all metal.  We ruined nine blades due to metal strikes.  We have declined to saw poles ever since.  Other than frequently changing damaged blades, their roundness and uniformity improved production efficiency over logs.

The creosote can inflict some nasty burns to the skin.  We have used a lot of creosote poles as corner posts.   Years ago, during the heat of August, I was cutting off the tops of corner posts to make them a uniform height using a chainsaw-since it was August I was not wearing a shirt and the saw chips hitting my chest created a lasting, warm sensation.

[Solomon]

As long as you stay up wind of the dust and dont mind the tedious clean up, and the customer is willing to pay an extra charge for the  "Hazmat",  I will saw creosote poles into 8x8's, 6x6's or what ever I can get from the pole.
In other words 4 cuts to square them up for posts or chaulking dunnage, but I will not mill a bunch of boards or fence pickets.  That is just to much exposure.
So the moral of my story is  "everything to moderation".  Just use your head and good judgment in everything you do. :P :new_year:

[LittleJohn]

...by us in the GREAT WHITE NORTH, they only put Creosote where the pole is in contact with dirt (with maybe a foot or two above ground exposed).  The rest of the pole looks like its been green treated - just be careful of the sawdust I think it might make you awfully itchy.

BTW the METAL power poles are very hard to cut :D