Plastic fence post maker...

[dixiedrifter]

Ok I been thinking, 5 inch posts at my TSC are like $10+.

So what if you could make your own posts out of plastic bottles, jugs, or even better the sheeting used to wrap silage and other bales of hay?

Basically the idea woudl be similar to a log splitter, cept with a pipe on the I-beam for compression. See attachement. No flaming please, it was done in "paint".

The top image is the "mini-log" maker. This takes plastic (preferably ground) and compresses it into short small logs. On the end is a thick bar stop that can be removed at the end of the compression cycle to allow removal of the "mini-logs".

The second image is the extruder. The "mini logs" are forced via hydraulic ram into a slightly smaller diameter pipe. On the outside of the pipe is an oil bath heated to 350-400 degrees fareheight.

The combination of pressure from the reduction of the "mini-logs" + the hot oil bath might be just enough to fuse the plastic making a fence post.

Course to keep it all straight, immediately after the heated extrusion "nozzle", a water bath could be rigged up to cool the newly formed post and keep it straight and true.

Comments on my madness?

http://personalpages.tds.net/~jareds/postmaker.bmp

 

[RonR]

Hi Dixie,

I have a friend who started a biz doing what you are thinking. His website was: http://www.newwood.com/html/catalog.html There are some pics of the stuff he did. I don't think his biz survived. Not exactly sure why. He had TONS of plastic he could use, so supply wasn't a problem. He had real machines (read expensive) that turned the stuff in to dimensional "lumber".

I had a couple of his 4x4 posts and man was it DENSE!

I'm not sure why they couldn't make a go of it. Don't know if the machines to make it cost too much or the energy needed was to much or what. I know it took a lot of heat, pressure, and time to make each piece of product.

They had a grant to make some stuff for the state, and I think when that ran out, they sold out to someone else. So I don't know if it's viable or not.

I don't know your background, but my guess there are critical events in the process required to get something that is sturdy. Miss just one key requirement and your post would be a pile of garbage (pun, sorry).

Best wishes,
Ron

 

[Ole_Hickory]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> I'm not sure why they couldn't make a go of it </font> )</font>

Those posts are very expensive,I would go broke buying those and fencing my place.

Diameter Length Cost
3” 8 ft. $18.
3” 10 ft. $22.5
5” 8 ft. $36.
8” 10 ft. $40.

 

[RonR]

I never priced the stuff (posts were "try them out" deals".

I'm not sure how the price compares with wood--I'm sure it is more expensive, but if you are building a forever fence, I'm not sure it would be more expensive to pay double the price and have stuff that lasted forever.

Our Cedar and CCA posts are needing replacement after 20 years. I hate to redo it! Plus this stuff is not supposed to shrink, crack, or be eaten by bugs.

My two cents.

We're getting ready to complete a 16x20ft deck and we're using composite. Yep, it costs a BUNCH more, but it will last forever.

Ron

 

[KiotiJohn]

I have a feeling that "forever" may not be exactly the case. I've seen some plastic posts that were broken down by the UV rays and they didn't last forever. At those prices, I'd rather use the new treated wood.
It's an interesting thought, and if the UV ray problem is taken care of, it may be worth paying some more for. However, one wouldn't know until it's too late if they would last. John

 

[MicroPilot]

I've replaced a couple of decks made from plastic boards because the owners didn't like the way the boards were "peeeling". Kinda like they were growing hair. Not sure this would apply to fence posts as this "hair" was in the high traffic areas on the deck.

 

[kensfarm]

Wow.. that is pricey.. I've been getting used #2 railroad ties.. 6x8 8.5ft.. by the truckload.. for $4.65 a piece.. once in the ground.. they don't move much.

 

[SPIKER]

there are several plastic post makers out there, using recycled stuff, and Virgine stuff, DON'T but the recycled stuff, as it does not hold up and is made form lots of diffeerent parts. my brother in law runs plants like this as GM
he ran one in oragon for 1 year under contract and one in batton rughs la. for 2 years. both of which were loss operations untill he was hired then made profitable by his management and the plant was quickly SOLD each time. he also managed several plastic plants in Akron oh where he lives with my sister now. he is back in school finishing masters deg. anyhow like others said some of it is better but I just don'ty like the looks, they are also making solid plastic park benches pick nick tables ect. stuff is like 500 lbs will last forever sporta self healing and made like how you described. looks bad as it trurns out a brownish color with grains of different color. but no one will steal it! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Mark M

 

[Ole_Hickory]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> Our Cedar and CCA posts are needing replacement after 20 years. I hate to redo it! Plus this stuff is not supposed to shrink, crack, or be eaten by bugs. </font> )</font>

20 years is not very long. Where I live in the past a lot of locust posts were used,some of them are 40 and 50 years old.
I personally have had good luck with the metal T-posts,some of them are 20 years old and still standing,some have broken off.

 

[Ole_Hickory]

I wonder if that is a recycled plastic they are using to make them?If so they should not be that expensive for the feedstock,but the equipment/molds etc would be very expensive.

 

[beenthere]

To reconstitute anything to compete with natural wood from trees is difficult, and more expensive, at best. The tree grows itself into a tough material and, at little mfg. cost to shape it to the dimension wanted, doesn't take extra electricity, oil, or gas to make a product. Wood fibers grow much stronger than anything that is melted or pressed together. Plastic deck boards need more joists to support the same load and reduce the elasticity (bouncy feeling) when walking on it. Pressed (extruded) plastic fence posts would likely bend (but maybe not break) when under load or over a period of time.
I have wood posts still up in a fence line that were put in in 1965. They were sawn on four sides, which took a minimum of energy to produce. They are near the end of their life span and will need replacing soon.

 

[mrcaptainbob]

You have a good thought there, Dixie. I think you should try it. Do just a small bit of reading up on some of the different types of plastic, though. There are some plastics that won't mix with others, and there's also some plastics that break down at their particular temps and won't 'come-back-together'. Some Will get brittle if overheated. Don't let any of this scare you off from experimenting, though! It's just helpful info!! You're right about the heat issue, but you're going to need a LOT of pressure. Would be neat to push that soft stuff into a mold and cool it down. Have a number of the molds ready to go and cycle them....Be wary of what pressure you exert on the mold so as to not burst it. Molten plastic under high psi is just as dangerous as steam or hydraulics....

 

[rambler]

These folks have been in business for several years, have heard pretty good things about their product. _Not_ for corner posts, as they mention. As you can staple an electric wire directly to it, saves the cost of an insulator if you are doing several runs of hot wires - can help save some money that way. Their price is not out of line compared to wood posts. I assume they get paid to take the particular plastic they are using, which helps defray the post cost.


http://www.foreverpost.com

--->Paul

 

[fenneran]

A good friend of mine has the patent on the process and machine that he invented to turn platic (mostly grocery bags and the like) into fence posts. He had a great business going, but then lost out to a major firm who cornered the market on the raw material. it used to be they would pay him to take it, then it was free, then he had to pay. Finally, it was too expensive to get and he had to shut down the operation and sell the equipment.

For those interested, Here is a link to his patent.

-Frank

 

[1bush2hog]

Locust posts are appx. $3-$5 for 5ft. and are said to last 50-100years. Wonder which would be easier to install?