Sawmilling power poles. Things to know and lookout for.

Describing some of the things to watch out for when picking out power poles. Where you can get them, and what species they are.

[@migueljose2944]

thank you. very informative. I milled a few power poles for a suspension bridge I built. I'm in central Illinois too. good job

[@fricknjeep]

hi there been sawing them here in Carroll county Maryland for close to 30 years . they make the most beautiful siding on barns . here i use a old Frick mill and never had any problem . john

[@hayden9102]

I’m over in Caroline county Maryland, you should help me get ahold of lots of them

[@fricknjeep]

@@hayden9102 there free at pepco john

[@capt.morgan8975]

Dats soo crazy! I work for a utility company, never crossed my mind using old utility poles..we sell em too..great idea!!

[@randybutler4772]

Thank you for sharing.

[@richardyescas8197]

Penta, creosote and arsenic are used on all utility poles.

[@The_Brew_Dog]

Seems like the type of sawdust you wouldn’t want to breath.

[@robertsmith3518]

That's only the beginning of what's used to treat wood to withstand inground use for 30 plus years .If you choose to use these to build ,you will experience "the ringing of the bell" ,if your lucky

[@andrewboerder]

I use em for posts for fences and open air sheds But I wouldn’t saw them up like this. I’d get too nervous about heavy chemical exposure. A chainsaw cut or two no problem but long long cuts exposing you to endless dust from these nasty things, no thanks. Wash your hands well and shower afterwards. Don’t breathe it.

[@rongray4118]

Great video! Thank you! My wife and I are preparing to build an off grid home in Northern Nevada. Would love to know where to pick up used poles for our roof system.

[@IndependenceIron]

Best bet would be to find out the location of a local crews show up(where they meet and park their personal cars) and stop by some time and talk to them. Try and make a friend. Often times they will have poles piled up at the show ups. Make a friend or barter/buy some of their time to get them to load you out.

[@fatmanfromtheholler7467]

thank you for the video, i been thihnking about buying a wood mill to do power poles. efficient cheaper way than lowes or other home stores

[@tinsoffish1810]

Since the bottoms are allready treated,i would think they would make good railroad ties🤔

[@ARYANSES]

can we use it for raised bed gardens ?

[@melebmotors]

i used a metal detector to find all the goodies. i prefer not to have them on my mill, the dust is toxic not to mention blade loss.im in mb. canada poles look the same here , not many cedar anymore

[@TheYeti308]

That was my thoughts , Why . !

[@aaronmilhoan6137]

I am in Central Illinois as well and was wondering where you got your poles from, and where abouts your located. I am in Bond county just about 25 minutes from St. Louis. good video, I am considering a sawmill and of course a shed.

[@IndependenceIron]

You can get them from local power crews usually. My neighbor has done this by simply introducing himself to a crew working nearby and asking them if they will give them to them. They are an expense for the power company as they usually have them ground up, and a hassle for the crews as they have to cut them up into short lengths, so they will typically give them away. Its best if you can pull up when there taking down poles as they will load them directly onto your trailer. Atleast thats how my neighbor does it. My father was a lineman for years and bought the mill, so we always had a good selection of poles and could get them anytime we wanted. Its also easier if you have equipment to load them yourself or a winch for your trailer.

[@mrphiscal]

H2-85. H2 class it was a a 85 footer

[@my2cents945]

on the east coast most poles are southern yellow pine. power companies won't give the creosote or arsenic treated poles away anymore, claiming some liability BS. new poles are some kind of pressure treatment no more creosote or arsenic treated..

[@garylarson6386]

most states consider telephone poles and railroad ties toxic waste, you should not use for in living quarters, heating the space increases the toxic fumes

[@marvinjackson2641]

western red cedar is all natural

[@CurtisPittman48]

Any idea why my blade dives the first 18 inches or so then levels out. Some are heavy creosote soaked

[@IndependenceIron]

I don't saw alot of heavy creosote logs but when i do we usually don't have to many issues. That said in sticky woods i will sometimes run some PinSol/Dawn dish soap in my water or even both to help keep the blade from getting gummed up. Another thing is i try to enter the log slow for the first few inches then ramp speed up. I have experienced the dive issues you mention but for me it tends to be on longer logs where there isn't much support on the far ends away from the clamp in the middle of the deck. Also the more dull the blade gets it tends to get worse.

[@CurtisPittman48]

I think it was apparently a combination of dull blade and the butt end of the pole being so creosote saturated. Even with light pressure entering the cut, the first few inches smokes as the creosote gets hot. I’m sure it’s probably humming the blade and contributing to the short dive. I will try pine soil on the next one

[@IndependenceIron]

@@CurtisPittman48 We usually cut the very end of the butt off to expose fresh wood, as the ends tend to collect dirt/rocks and can dull the blades faster. Usually lop off the last 4-5 inches. We usually save the butts for posts etc that we plan to bury in the ground, and sawing 4x4 or 6x6 limits the number of cuts in the creosote loaded portions.

[@clintbrown6673]

How many poles do you have to cut to pay for decent saw

[@IndependenceIron]

It really depends on your intentions. If you have a big project and plan to saw all your own lumber you probably justify a purchase of a small mill just in lumber costs alone. Again power poles are really only good for barns/decks/and other structures without living quarters. When i added on to my house we built a 400sq ft deck which quoted out at $5500 in materials. I am sure it would quote out much higher with current lumber prices being near double. I decked it with western red cedar and it is beautiful and would have cost even more. Took us 1 day of sawing and i believe 8 poles. 4 cedars and 4 pine for structural. If your plan is to saw for others it gets more complicated cause you have to get an understanding of the going rates in your area and what you can charge, and then subtract your expenses. I charged $80/hr, but in this high priced times i could probably up that and still save my customers lots of money. Structural lumber used to be hard to compete with the lumber yards but now its easier. Big wide hardwood furniture grade wood is different and can command good prices if you have demand in your area.

[@melissatuason2395]

What type or brand of blade did you use ?

[@IndependenceIron]

We have always used Woodmizer blades. At first(20 years ago) we used the Doublehard 0.045x 1.25, 9 degree blades for softer woods, and the 4 degree blades for hardwoods. Those were the recommendations back then. Over the years more options have come out. These days we have a pretty good mix of 4 and 9 degree blades still that we just send back thru their Resharp program which last cost us $8/blade but when you add in shipping etc it gets up to about $11.80/blade on our last order which i think had atleast 1 rejected blade so that cost us the price of a new blade($20 priced as if you buy a full 15 blade box) Western Cedar has been problem as it is soft but very abrasive and heats the blades up, and the 4 degree blades had worked decent but on big cuts the would overheat and dull. We talked with Woodmizer about this at the time and they recommended trying the Turbo 7 blades which at the time were only available in the bigger 0.055 X 1 1/2 blade. Those worked real well for Western Cedar power poles and i wish i had a few more of them. They are now available in the smaller blade sizes and even have a few more variations out there. If you purchase thru Woodmizer they are can be very helpful and have lots of expertise. We haven't bought a Mill from them in 20 years but their customer service is still very good and friendly.

[@melissatuason2395]

@@IndependenceIron Thank you so much, my husband just purchased a mill but not a WM. Its a TK and he says as long as it does the job. He is a finish carpenter guy, he plans to build his workshop kiln etc. He receives power poles for free so he intends to use them for lumber framing. That is why we are inquiring as there isn't much explanation out there about cutting PWR Poles. Great videos BTW. Greatly appreciate it.

[@IndependenceIron]

@@melissatuason2395 Hope the information helps. I knew some local guys that partnered and bought a TK mill to mill power poles. They were having issues especially with western cedar and i went over to help them. The TK is a good mill similar to the WM but the one thing with theirs that caused issues was the blade tension gage. WM has a tension gage that is easily seen while milling. The TK was more difficult to see while operating. They were cutting very large diameter western cedar such ad 24" diameter and up and 14 to 16 foot long timbers. These wide long cuts heat the blade and as the blade heats up it expands and the tension drops. As the tension drops the cut gets wavy, and can cause the blade to dive and jam up. On our WM if the tension drops 30-40% below the recommended set point the blade will usually take a dive. When milling large diameter(16" or up) and longer cuts over 10 to 12 foot long Western Cedar its usually a 2 person job. One operates and one walks along and adds tension to the blade as needed. All other woods or poles we have cut are a piece of cake compared to western cedar and the tension is not a critical thing to watch every cut. Best of luck with your new mill.

[@melissatuason2395]

@@IndependenceIron Thank you, we have a long road to learning about all these different safeguards & heads up. Not sure but I think TK faced the gauge towards the operator on the new ones. He will have to get back to you on that one, if not he will turn it around.

[@jerrylittle8922]

Souther Yellow Pine

[@texasflashcoveinstaller4317]

@:39 walnut

[@Wrenchen-with-Darren]

All talk

[@robertd6925]

Those things are soaked in poison. They're the last thing you should for lumber.

[@melissatuason2395]

Is pressure treated lumber soaked in poison also ?