How To Remove Creosote From Telephone Pole

Sawing utility poles

Is it prophylactic and practical? Advice from those who've done it. August 25, 2003

Question
Does anyone accept experience resawing used phone poles on their bandmill? I would like to make a pole barn, and the local utility company sells onetime poles for .forty cents a ln. ft., which makes some big poles for $eight. I was going to put the creosoted ends back in the basis for my main posts after cutting them in half, and sawing some collar ties out of some of the others. I imagine they are cedar of some type. Any reason not to do this? Where else can y'all go rot resistant logs twenty' + for $8-$10?

Forum Responses
(Sawing and Drying Forum)
Lots of people volition warn you lot nearly the dust and scrap� blah, blah, blah. I take sawn many poles, and always wearable a mask and gloves. Some saw out very well, while others don't - no existent rhyme or reason why. I usually drip vegetable oil on the blade while sawing, which keeps the buildup down. Await the poles over very well, and notwithstanding programme on striking staples, nails and tacks. Brand certain you saw from top to bottom on the pole.

(Disclaimer) Never saw used poles, as you will get cancer and die; for that affair, don't apply treated lumber, use a fireplace, fill your gas tank or eat fish you defenseless yourself.

The "birthmark" on the pole ordinarily located 10 to 15 feet higher up the barrel will tell the species of the pole along with a whole lot of other information.

Some common timber species codes.
WC = western red cedar
WP = ponderosa pine
JP = jack pino
LP = lodgepole pine

NP = red pine
DF = douglas fir
SP = southern pine
WL = western larch

After the species code there volition be some other alphabetic character or two but that is just to designate the type of preservative treatment.

From my list you tin can come across that not all poles are equal every bit far as strength. If sawing for a barn I like WC for the posts, although sometimes you become a pole that has dry out rot inside. I like SP (I think most of this is SYP) for the rafters, beams, and anything else, plus it saws easy. Never had a DF simply some of the others are only suitable for lightweight structure like garden sheds or lightweight trailer decking.

Every bit far equally sawing, pick a cool solar day so y'all can wear a long sleeve shirt with the wind at your back and a grit mask. I had a existent close association with poles for most 10 years climbing them, drilling them, pulling splinters out, and sawing off the tops nigh xxx' to a higher place the ground. Never even idea about sunset masks, simply the sawdust certain don't gustatory modality skilful in your lunch!

Certainly, sawing the poles has a chance of exposing yourself to chemicals - the green poles would be of bully concern. Both a concern nearly cancer-causing chemicals (often 1 to 10 years delay) as well every bit allergic reactions. A previous posting has the same argument that is used to justify smoking cigarettes - "I did it for forty years and it hasn't hurt me." Indeed, some people are unaffected, simply many others are.

A 2nd risk is the disposal of treated sawdust. Environmentally, this is much more serious than disposal of a pole, due to particle size. Potentially, the area where yous saw the poles could be a toxic waste site, depending on the preservative.

Why is the utility getting rid of the poles? It is very expensive to replace a pole, so they obviously would be replacing poles that they experience will neglect soon. I wonder if such poles would be good for apply in a structure. As we accept stated many times earlier, check with local building inspectors for communication on whether they will corroborate.

Finally, preservative chemicals used for poles are non approved for utilise inside a structure because the vapors, or other releases, would non be healthy. As I empathize information technology, treated wood used inside a befouled which resulted in contaminated milk is the primary reason why Chlorinated phenols (penta chloro-phenol) are no longer used equally a preservative.

Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor

The problem with contaminated milk was found to be penta getting mistakenly ground into the feed mix that was fed to the cows. Unfortunately, this was discovered after the media blitz that somehow the cows had eaten the penta treated poles in the barn. Estimates were that the concentrations in the milk would have meant several pole barns would have had to have been eaten. But alas, using penta in a edifice was "forbotten" after that error, and taken off the marketplace. A footling hype goes a long mode.

I second what was said about waiting for a absurd twenty-four hour period to wear a long sleeve shirt. I recently cut some creosote bridge timbers that were soaked pretty skilful. I wore a mask and a short sleeve shirt. It burnt my artillery (like a bad sun burn), merely I got me some nice poles for my new saw shed and I would do information technology again if I had the gamble.

Blades and lots of blades and you lot will exist fine. I have found that 0.055 hold upwards better to the nails. Likewise, if you hit a nail and can clean the metal out of the teeth with a chainsaw file, you tin often saw more than with the same blade with possibly a small skip in the cut.

I wear a cheap pair of coveralls gloves and a good mask. I save the sawdust and put it in the bottom of postholes and footings. It ofttimes will burn right up if y'all drop a friction match in it.

Now if this stuff in the poles are so bad, how come they stick them in every creek/river crossing for bridges? I have seen the little oil slicks on warm summer days. I take seen more people become sick when I was sawing walnut.

I've sawn my fair share of these utility poles and the work and expense doesn't justify the end product. Chemicals of any type are a danger with excessive exposure. I had several conversations with the Dallas Texas EPA function most HAZ/MAT concerns, etc. and according to the EPA, there are none. They don't even require you lot to dispose of the sawdust.

Take lots of blades and I mean lots of blades. It is not uncommon to make one cut and change the blade. I used Wood-Mizer Double Hard seven degree hook blades and I was all the same getting 1 pole per blade. There is also some argument near what to utilise to lube the bract. Some swear past diesel fuel/barchain oil; others swear by lather or cooking oil. I've used them all, with no observable difference in saw rates. If anything, the diesel fuel mixture made the whole experience that much worse. What I did observe that worked okay (i.e. kept the blade from melting on a cut) was plainly old absurd h2o in massive quantities.

Lastly, unless the pole is jet black on the outside and difficult every bit a rock (translates to almost impossible to cut), then in one case you open that pole upward, most of the fourth dimension the chemical will only have penetrated a few inches into the woods, so you cease up with a pole that is no more than durable or rot-resistant than whatever other timber. Just for info, I milled over 2000 poles concluding year in a contract job and I will never exercise it once again. My employees even so joke about if we are gonna get mill some poles today.

I would be more concerned about the CCA or penta poles than creosote.

Gene Wengert, forum technical counselor

I got most the same response from the EPA hither. Kansas City Ability and Light Company was running a WM and sawed every pole they could go. They sold retail and also donated a lot of lumber to the city and park department. Got all kinds of impressive good press for keeping poles out of the landfill.

Y'all're wrong on how far the preservative penetrates the pole. I always thought the same as you lot - that it only goes in a couple of inches. Sawed some SYP poles and the forest was bright and looked liked a freshly sawn SYP log. Used the lumber to frame upwardly supports for pegboard in the motorcar shed and every identify I put a boom I had bleedout of the treatment chemical. As well congenital a couple of workbenches from it and painted with latex. The handling chemic bled through the pigment also. Heard the same thing from a couple of other people I know that saw poles.

My give-and-take of caution is to never use the lumber in a building that is lived in.

To saw poles, you demand to cutting 4" off the butt to become rid of the heavy treatment plus the staples and engagement stamp nails. Look the pole over closely to find nails. Get big poles off a high line in the country. Accept heavy slab cuts and the band volition run iii to 400 BF.

Some people like the chocolate color of the treated woods and are disappointed when yous open up it upward and it looks like a freshly sawn pole. However, the smell remains, every bit does the leeching. Sorry to hear about the workbench.

Guess I've been lucky so far. All the poles I've sawn have cut like butter. Really practiced price, too. Have all yous want and they load 'em upwardly too. Most of them expect like brand new poles. Very few nails so far.

My experience on treated poles, rr ties, and rr bridge timbers: I check every piece for metal with my metallic detectors. Haven't hit metal in whatever of this resawing for 4-5 years (usually saw about 12-40 hours of this stuff a year). I have very little trouble with blades unless the timber or rr tie is white oak. My last job was near l bridge timbers and I recollect I just used four blades. I only use water to clean the bract and I do use a lot of it.

I ever article of clothing a mask and long sleeve shirt. I have been burnt up twice and no longer resaw creosote in the hot conditions. The dust will collect on my moisture t-shirt, the sweat dissolves it, and transfers it to your skin. Large problem. CCA and creosote will penetrate all the style to the heart in pine and stop. The penta is a very serious chemical. I was told by Wood-Mizer several years ago to wear a full respirator and as shut to disposable clothing as possible.

I likewise found that the part of the penta pole in the ground to be the hardest thing I accept ever tried to cut, contradicting what I said earlier. I recollect using 21 blades in less than 6 hours. Some blades wouldn't cut longer than 10 feet. I have not ever run into penta poles again just if I did, you can bet there would be a hefty blade charge.

A final comment - just because that creosote film on the water doesn't kill you when you or your kids go swimming, information technology certainly doesn't mean information technology is harmless. We take to believe some of the things the regime tries to tell united states and I, for one, believe this stuff is non good for me and exercise everything I tin can to limit exposure. After all, there are plenty of other things we get exposed to that nosotros can't control.

The comments below were added afterward this Forum discussion was archived as a Noesis Base article (add your comment).

Comment from contributor A:
Old Western reddish cedar poles are nigh ever creosote treated at the butt only, the residual is handling gratis. Pine, either southern yellow, lodgepole, or cerise is usually treated total length with either CCA Peg or Creosote. The creosote pine poles are known in the utility trades every bit "blackjacks" due to their advent when new and leaching gobs of goo. In my experience, total length creosote treated poles are proficient as poles simply and are best not sawn, every bit they are messy and make short work of a sharp blade for some reason. Poles harvested from urban areas are virtually always peppered with pocket-size staples and nails at reachable height; the upper portion is normally easily cleaned up every bit the hardware was fastened with 5/8" bolts. If yous notice a fencing staple, check upwardly in a straight line for others as the staples held a basis wire in place for much of the poles length.

Comment from contributor B:
I accept worked in the pole business for 28 years, the last four concentrating on disposal of out of service poles. Every one of the messages contained in this thread has right information besides as incorrect data. Poles older than 30 to 40 years tend to be creosote treated. "Newer" erstwhile poles contain a larger percent of penta treated poles. CCA poles (green ones) are a more recent addition to the manufacture. Cedar and fir can be used to remanufacture something much easier than southern pino as SP tends to rot more than the western species over time. Sawing is non a problem if you take the wellness precautions (clothing, masks, etc) and watch for metal on or in the poles. Sawing treated woods volition utilize up your blades speedily. Lesser line: do not apply resawn treated wood of any kind for interior applications. Utilities are showtime to understand that true disposal of their erstwhile poles will soon be the but way they can go - the process of selling or giving the old poles away will somewhen be curtailed due to potential liability.

Annotate from contributor C:
Use a chainsaw and clothing a mask, preferably a respirator. Y'all should get many cuts out of a chainsaw blade, provided you practise not hit metal. Sentinel out well-nigh where the ground line was for a pesticide treatment that may have been put into the pole later information technology was installed. This is called MITC-Fume. There may be a tag on the pole indicating that. You lot will encounter where a hole - .75" diameter bored and plugged near the footing line. MITC-Fume volition make you very sick quickly, and a mask will probably not help. Equally for why the utility retired the pole, sometimes the poles demand to be upsized to accommodate more than plant/additional utilities. Sometimes these poles are merely fine every bit well-nigh utility companies practice not reuse poles.

Comment from contributor D:
As a lineman for the power company for twenty five years, and a sawmill possessor for five, the creosote poles are by far my favorite to climb as well equally saw. They are easier to climb and this makes this line of work safer. The creosote is much easier to saw than penta or cca, not to mention the wood looks better. I've have sawed all the lumber for my house, and have sided information technology with creosote lath and batten. I even used creosote inside for my doors and step treads, mitt-rails and 3X3 spindles going upwards my stairs.

After you plane and poly the wood it shines and sills the smell. Article of clothing glasses and gloves and don't saw when the winds is not at your dorsum, as y'all must breathe occasionally. I have sawed all summertime and every summertime at times with no shirt as I tan hands and the croesote doesn�t carp me unless while sweating I rub the sweat away, which rubs it into my skin and that burns a little. Creosote has been and will e'er be the best treatment for wood.

In that location are power poles in the Atlanta area that were set in the 1920's according to their birth mark, that are yet standing carrying power lines that I would rather climb than a brand new dark-green pole. Think they are softer and safer, and terminal longer than the hard green (cca) that are saturated with cyanide and arsenate.

Source: https://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Sawing_utility_poles.html