Sean,
When I said I was going to cut fence posts from my timber I got nothing but guff.
I'd LOVE to hear about how you did this, and how the posts performed.
Thanks in advance.
David
I'll try not to hi-jack the thread, but here goes...
It's not particularly cost effective, but I enjoy doing woods work. We cut our posts between 8 and 9 feet long, and I like to get three posts per tree. If the smallest diameter is 3-4 inches, on a 24-27 foot stick the bottom end is pretty solid.
We use an auger to put them in, so as long as it'll fit down the hole, size isn't a problem. Probably the last time you'll see that in print..:laughing:
We use pretty much exclusively black spruce, which grows straight, tall and thin, or juniper, which is highly rot-resistant and hard as nails once it dries.
We get 10-15 years or more out of the juniper posts, and a few less from the black spruce. We have them peeled (by machine) for $1 a post locally, that probably doubles the life span.
Fir and pine are pretty much useless for posts, at least the balsam fir and white and red pine we have here. 5 years would be about the life span of those.
The ATV with the log arch will easily haul about 8-10 posts at a time, or 3-4 full length sticks. In the past I've hauled them with that out to where I can get at them with the tractor.
We can buy them locally for less than it costs me to cut them, so as long as that supply holds up we probably won't be cutting many more. We recently fenced our new property, at a guess I'd say we used just under 200 posts, 90% of which I cut myself.
As I said, it's hard work and not particularly cost effective, but it IS an option. It's not the most accepted type of forest management practice either, as you're cutting essentially young trees that would be marketable timber in another 20-30 years, I guess that depends on your philosophy for land use.
Sean