# Sawing Telephone Poles



## ibpdew (Nov 18, 2012)

Anybody have any experience good or bad? A friend of mine wants 4x8 timbers for his new house. I have access to some 12" poles but need to be sure they are WRC as there are several different spieces of trees made into poles. Can anyone tell me what/how to look and tell? What kinda typical blade life will I get using a Woodmizer saw mill? Any and all comments/tricks to accomplish will be appreciated. Thx Don


----------



## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

As far as I know ALL telephone/power/cable, etc poles are treated. There is also a very good potential for buried metal in them.

I would not cut them nor have any use for them.

George


----------



## Fastback (Sep 2, 2012)

+ 1 with GeorgeC, I don't think that telephone poles would be on my list of things to cut regardless what they would be used for. Too may chances for metal. 

Paul


----------



## georger (Dec 3, 2014)

I've considered it, for dimensional lumber in areas that require treated boards like sill plates, fascias, I guess the deciding factor would be what I can get them for, delivered, and what wouldthe lumber cost me otherwise.

some things to consider besides sawing, pressure treatment is not even all the way through so the lumber in the center may not be treated much, the other is that used poles the older stuff treated with creosote, while the best treatment ever, it is very nasty stuff, your nuts may dry up and fall off if you inhale some of that saw dust, 
The application should also be considered, they were treated for below grade application, a sill plate for example that is on a concrete wall 3 ft above grade does not really need that degree of poison, no sense in risking some of the off gassing leaking into your basement, but that is debatable they were treated 50 years ago.

they have friendlier products these days, there are several types of treated lumber to different degrees, they are all poison, but depending on the application you may not need it as strong.

than there's the issue of metal on a used pole that has been cut above grade chances are the first foot is compromised any way, the next three will be full of nails and staples especially if it was a corner post, all them garage sales flyers over the years, some more at the top where the crossover used to be but anywhere in between should be ok I think.

if you add all that up and if your application only requires a mild treatment this is one area I would not overdo and get the least noctious lumber I can get my hands on that will outstand the enviroment it is subjected to


----------



## mmwood_1 (Oct 24, 2007)

I disagree. This is some of the hidden treasure taken out of some old BPA power poles. WRC. If they are large enough diameter, you can cut away the treated outer portions. These poles were about 18" diameter at the base and tapered on upwards. The treated section was the bottom 8'. The poles were about 40' long total.


----------



## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

Nice gates, MMWood.

Around here, wooden utility poles are SYP and treated with creosote. I know people who have sawed them and the dust will blister the skin. If yours are creosoted, ensure the wind is blowing the dust away from you, wear a long-sleeved shirt, dust mask, gloves and anything else you can tolerate to cover exposed skin.


----------



## Tom the Sawyer (Sep 4, 2012)

The only power poles I have milled were Western Red Cedar, reclaimed from a cross-country power line replacement project and the in-ground portions were removed. The remainder was untreated.

It is my understanding that creosote is a carcinogen and I will not mill any treated poles. I know that I could wear my respirator, and goggles, and gloves, and get rid of the clothes I wore, and power clean my equipment, and bury the sawdust, etc., etc. But there is still another consideration. 

The lumber you produce from those poles may have human contact for years and years. When manufacturing a product, for example milling treated poles into lumber, I doubt that your involvement ends when you cash the check. If it will be used for some protected application, like a sill plate, your liability may be limited but if it is used to build a porch, deck, outdoor furniture (why else would you want the resistance?) it may be in contact with bare skin, foodstuffs, etc. and its chemical properties will persist. 

Is it worth it?


----------



## georger (Dec 3, 2014)

Tom the Sawyer said:


> The only power poles I have milled were Western Red Cedar, reclaimed from a cross-country power line replacement project and the in-ground portions were removed. The remainder was untreated.
> 
> It is my understanding that creosote is a carcinogen and I will not mill any treated poles. I know that I could wear my respirator, and goggles, and gloves, and get rid of the clothes I wore, and power clean my equipment, and bury the sawdust, etc., etc. But there is still another consideration.
> 
> ...



I had the same concerns, gates look awesome and there is no reason poles would not yield good looking lumber, but the question remains what were they treated with, were they treated top to bottom or just partial, how deep did it penetrate, because all the preservatives are poison, no mater who says otherwise, ad depending on the application you may end up with too much or not enough, there have been reports of foot cancer from walking barefoot on a treated deck ( myth or not ) or the other extreme you saw it for a sill plate but it ends up not being treated enough and it rots, for an outdoor gate may be just right, bit of treatment limited human contact, just good enough not to rot due to weather, other such outdoor applications may work too, structural, decks seem to be too much to go wrong, might be cheaper to buy proper lumber for the application.


----------



## ibpdew (Nov 18, 2012)

Thanks for feedback. I looked at the poles today and even visited a site where a guy is sawing them into lumber. After looking at some of the sawed lumber I am now convinced this shouldn't go in a home. Some of the board ends were stained a very dark color, creosote or something else. Yes I suppose it could be cut off but where does it really end? It was beautiful looking lumber:thumbsup:. I also agree that it could be used for some outdoor projects.


----------

