need advice on cutting phone poles

[willie]

I have access to a dozen large power poles that were changed out by the local utility. I would like to cut them to 15' lengths and cut in half lengthwise. Some are big enough to cut into quarters. I have a Husky Rancher55 w/20" bar. What is the best way to go about cutting these poles straight. Is there a particular type chain to use for cutting with the grain? If so who carries them? Thanks Willie

 

[NWCS]

your best bet for ripping them down the middle is an alaskan mill, but i highly suggest a much larger saw if you want to do that! i have milled with my husky 181 and a brand new 046 magnum, milling a 18" wide board 25ft long got both of those suckers HOT and stressed beyond any bucking ever would.
you will need a ripping chain of some sort. baileys has alaskan mills and ripping chain. chain is in the saw chain cat and the alaskan mill is in the portable sawmills cat. i am a dedicated fan of baileys (Grande Dog should give me store credit for this extreme butt kissin! another source for the alaskan mill would be ebay. i got one in the past from a neighbor for $35.. im still kicking myself for selling it! just keep in mind.. milling wood like you plan takes a LOT of power and puts extreme stress on the saw.. even an 088 would be stressed. if you take time something around the size of a husky 372 or stihl 044 would work and not blow up when used with good gas and mix.

 

[Lawn Masters]

Just remember, when milling, high revs mean squat, torque is EVERYTHING. an ms660, 088, or husky 395,/3120 would be ideal for milling, an 046/385 would be sufficient, but not perfect for it. Just remember, do a muffler mod, and set the saw so the carb is slightly rich on the high speed setting. this way it wont be too lean when under load.

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

Advice? Yeah, watch out for nails and other junk in those things. Are they clean or are they coated and treated? The 55R is a decent saw, but not suitable for milling. What they said above is true. You need torque, and not super high speed. Older saws come into their own in this right. Old 056 Supers, 076, and so on. Modern 660 Mags and 880s will certainly work very well, but there's still a market for the old guys simply for milling. They're all metal and heavy, but when milling, you aren't lugging them around all day, and weight is as much of a concern. Check ebay.

Jeff

 

[BostonBull]

I was a lineman for 6 years. I havent met a saw yet that would keep up with us on pole removals. We would have to buck down 6 foot sections of them to load into the truck. One chain is good for 4-5 40 foot poles. if they are old and loaded with creosote then even worse!! I have thrown many a 026,036,372,359 to the ground seized and smoking!! Take your time and pay attention to your saws heat!

 

[Molecule]

Creosote !!! If you think bar oil has "tack" in it, wait till you try to pull your bar out of a cut in creosote soaked wood. The chain rivits, the bar groove, the clutch, everything seem like it's dripping in this awful black gummy mess. Underneath the dried out "skin," the bottom 1/3 of an old pole will be doubly saturated, as over time the creosote will have drifted down by gravity from the top of the pole, drying out the top of the pole and super-saturating in the lower 1/3 or so. You might just try a small rip in the lower third, and then ask yourself .. is this piece of wood really worth the price of a new saw. Good for noting but fence corners, or private power lines, but unbeatable for that ... test for hardward strength ... IMHO, old creosote soaked grains can't hold any torque on nails or screws less than 1/2", so hardware costs may go up.

 

[Al Smith]

He never said anything about creosote,did he?Case in point,the guy that did my milling,bought a little Woodmizer LT 15 ,to cut poles.Sound silly? The rest of the story.These were old 90 ft,untreated western red cedar,hundreds of them.He and his brothers,all IBEW lineman,got them ,free,and hauled them,cut down in 20 ft lengths,to Ohio.from Detroit.They cut some fine cedar lumber,and sold thousands of board ft.of the stuff.It more than paid for the mill.As far as cutting straight,they make a little attachment that you mount the saw on,that uses a 2 by 4 for a guide.It's relatively cheap,but I can't remember the name of it.

 

[John Ellison]

I think what Al mentioned is the Haddon lumbermaker. Depending on what you are using them for you could also use a chalkline and cut them freehand. It works OK for crude building projects. Kind of a hand hewn look.

John

 

[willie]

Thanks for all of the advice. I wanted to cut these poles into halves or quarters to use as posts for some out buildings on the farm. Yes, they are creosote which I have a healthy respect for, from past experience. What about cutting 2" deep on each side and driving wedges? I spent $10K on fencing last year, figured making my own 15' posts would be cheaper than a divorce! Thanks again.

 

[turnkey4099]

Thanks for all of the advice. I wanted to cut these poles into halves or quarters to use as posts for some out buildings on the farm. Yes, they are creosote which I have a healthy respect for, from past experience. What about cutting 2" deep on each side and driving wedges? I spent $10K on fencing last year, figured making my own 15' posts would be cheaper than a divorce! Thanks again.

If all you are looking for is posts, just buck to length and then split them using wedges. They (or most of them) will split fairly straight. No need to cut a grove first.

Harry K

 

[Proj Eng]

If slicing for a wedge job, wouldn't a skill saw be a better choice? (thin cuts, think many thin cuts...) Then you can actually measure your cut depth decently. Or one of those concrete saws with a wood blade? Might be a disaster waiting to happen though.

 

[tony marks]

if we talkin creosote an nails etc. i dont want any wood bad enuff to do that to my saws.i know . its just a tool for work.guess i justbaby my saws too much. didnt use to before coming to this site.
but if u needum ,i guess u got the advice u needed. goodluck.

 

[spacemule]

Guys, I cut more than a dozen power poles ranging in diameter form 18" to 26". I used a 394 and a 272, and had no problems. The largest diameter ones were quartered. The trick, like stated, is to cut a groove 3 to 6 inches deep, then the thing will split open easily with a standard 6 lb. splitting wedge. Also, if you have an old 2x4, you can tack nail it on the top as a straight edge. Works like a charm.

 

[056kid]

The man dosent want advice on saws, he wants to know how to do it with what he's got! I would cut to length and split them with wedges.

 

[BostonBull]

He never said anything about creosote,did he?.

NOPE he didnt BUT he didnt say they were Cedar OR Pressure Treated green poles either which leaves only one category..pine, chestnut, and fir.....which ALL are creosoted!

 

[Al Smith]

You forgot steel and concrete.

 

[Lawn Masters]

Those are two things NOBODY wants to hit with a sawchain. I'd rather hit a chunk of copper wire than steel or concrete in a piece of wood.

 

[turnkey4099]

NOPE he didnt BUT he didnt say they were Cedar OR Pressure Treated green poles either which leaves only one category..pine, chestnut, and fir.....which ALL are creosoted!

And so are cedar on the bottoms at least. I haven't seen an untreated pole in ages.

Harry K

 

[Al Smith]

Actually,in my lineman days,I never set a pole that wasn't treated,in some way,or another.I have,however,pulled more than a few old cedar,untreated poles .I saw those,that I made mention of.They were untreated .They were part of a cross country,"A frame" 69 thousand volt transmission line,that was upgraded to 138 thousand volts,and replaced with steel towers.