making a pine tree into a telephone pole...

[gmason]

I was wondering if anyone has taken a pine tree and made a rot resistant telephone pole? I've got access to hundreds of nice size southern yellow pine trees and need 4 poles for my pole barn project.

The poles will be ~5' in the ground so I'd need to give them some rot protection plus some anti termite protection for the above ground part.

I'm still hoping that a few ofthe road widening project around will yeild a few more used tele poles, but if not, then I'd like to make my own, if possible.

thanks
gary

 

[Soundguy]

I've only worked with oak as green wood.. not pine.

When we do land clearing for the roads we build, we save all the big oaks, and have them rough cut on a portable mill and make long deck boards for our transport flatbed trailer. They work nice.
Not sure how pine handles green.

For good flora/fauna protection, you can use copper napthelate soak ( paint - HD / lowes carries it. ) on them. Kills just about everything ( inculding us.. so don't drink it! )

Soundguy

 

[jimgerken]

Pine won't survive very well unprotected. Fir would be better, and White Oak better yet. You could dip them in green treat stuff (Cooperinol), but it wont penetrate very far without pressure. The ones you buy are not treated all that deeply either, for that matter. MAybe all they do is dip them.
A compromise might be to have them sawn into 2x6 or 2x8 and building up poles with the bottom 1/3 as purchased pressure treated planks, joints staggered and connecting to your home-sawn planks well above ground. There was a lot of discussion about these engineered poles on TBN somewhere a couple weeks ago.

 

[em14]

Most of the treated wood that you will find on the market is pressure treated and that penatrates pretty deep if not most of the way to the center ... It's always a good idea (practice ) to treat the open end of the post if you have cut it ... I don't think that I would suject non pressure treated timber to ground contact ... use your timber for purlins, siding rafters etc. and buy the poles .... check with your power company.