Does Maple make good posts?

[oosik]

No idea about maple. Any maple trees around here will be ornamental yard trees. Homesteaders liked cedar or black locust. I have two remaining cedar fence posts in my fence line. Put in by the original homesteader in 1893. Otherwise, it's big 'ol gooey railroad ties at the gate and T-133 for the remaining 80 acres. The two railroad ties, at the gate, have been in for thirty eight years. On a hot summer day you can still smell them as you drive thru the gate.

 

[Looking4new]

I've had some rail road ties (oak) in the ground for 30 years now - still solid. The frost moves them around, even though they are dug in 4' here in central Maine. The ground is standing water a foot below the surface every spring. The rail road ties were bought used - from rail road beds they are taking out. - Just make sure the rail road tie is a solid one- before you stick it into the ground!

I never liked pouring cement around a wood post. In time the post rots out leaving behind a cement doughnut.

- Telephone poles would also be useful for gate posts.

Do you think the telephone company might get a little upset if you use their poles?
Sorry guy, I just had to. I will shut up now and sit in the corner.

 

[D2Cat]

Only telephone pole I would consider using is a new one. You get one that's been removed, it's lost a good part of it's life. I have a property that has power poles used at corners and gates and had the tops cut at about 45 deg. to drain water. They all are at the end of their useful life and need to be replaced. I'm not sure how long they been in the ground or when they were installed. Replacing post in an existing fence is more work than building new fence!

 

[Diggin It]

When utilities remove/replace poles, they usually leave them for the property owner to use if they want them. I see lots of them used as corner and gate posts.

 

[oosik]

I would not reuse the utility poles around here for in-the-ground burial. Only the bottom eight feet or so are treated. This is the part they cut off when the pole is "pulled". It must be some EPA requirement to have the treated portion removed and properly disposed of.

 

[dnw64]

I used Maple for a garden fence about 30 years ago.

2nd year they just started falling over.

Granted, they were only 4-6" diameter, but like an earlier poster said, use Maple if you want something to keep you busy every few years.

White cedar is great. They used to make water pipe out of it by drilling a hole through the center of a post. They are well known to last for 100 or more years buried underground.

 

[MH8675309]

Tcreeley has a good point. I have used utility poles and railroad ties for corner posts for years now with good results. You cant buy a treated post today that will last as well - no doubt the ones that lasted better were bad for the environment or something. That's not to say i don't use modern posts as i have set probably at least 100 new ones in the last few years for anything from a round pen to board fence or barb wire. There are some good posts available. I get mine form an Amish man that lives up state from us. The posts are 8'1" long and average 6 " in diameter with some larger yet. Included is a photo of last falls project down at the new place

 

[mcfarmall]

Do you think the telephone company might get a little upset if you use their poles?
Sorry guy, I just had to. I will shut up now and sit in the corner.

Contact your local AT&T yard. They replace posts that get damaged or are too short, whatever and the old ones end up in a dumpster back at the yard.

A buddy of mine works there and I got some 8'-9' bottom sections of the real creosote treated posts and some green treated ones too.

So here's a question. Can consumers buy good old creosote treated timbers anymore or is all that stuff reserved for government projects like creek trestles and the like?

 

[LouNY]

This may upset a few folks but;
If you or someone you know burns pine and gets a creosote buildup in their stove pipes or even better inside the outdoor boilers.
Scrape it out or off and save it, liquidfy it with some diesel and you have some good working old fashioned wood preservative.

 

[Doofy]

No idea about maple. Any maple trees around here will be ornamental yard trees. Homesteaders liked cedar or black locust. I have two remaining cedar fence posts in my fence line. Put in by the original homesteader in 1893. Otherwise, it's big 'ol gooey railroad ties at the gate and T-133 for the remaining 80 acres. The two railroad ties, at the gate, have been in for thirty eight years. On a hot summer day you can still smell them as you drive thru the gate.

Aaaa, I love the smell of creosote in the morning!