telephone pole question

[firefighter jim]

Doing a little project outside involving a chunk of telephone pole. After cutting pole, do I need to dress the cut ends with anything? ie. paint, tar, etc. I know they are creosoted on the outside. Thanks in advance, Jim

 

[Treemonkey1000]

If you are going to stuff it back into the ground that get's wet then I would. Unless you are filling the bottom of the hole with cement. Even a good thick coat of paint on the butt end helps.

 

[kennyd]

Having worked for a large telephone company for just shy of 22 years now, I can assure you they don't do anything other then cut them on an angle or to a slight inverted V like ^ so water and snow won't stand on the tops.

 

[two_bit_score]

Doing a little project outside involving a chunk of telephone pole. After cutting pole, do I need to dress the cut ends with anything? ie. paint, tar, etc. I know they are creosoted on the outside. Thanks in advance, Jim

Probably nothing really needed but a little anchor seal couldn't hiurt.

 

[wv cabin]

I have worked as a lineman for our local power company for 20 years and I agree with kennyd, just taper the top of the pole so that water wont lay on it and you will be fine. the pole treatment is not just on the outside it is soaked through the whole pole.

 

[kebo]

We usually find an old coffee can or metal bucket that fits over the top of the pole. Slide it down onto the top of the pole, and secure in place with a couple of screws on the side (down near the bottom of the can). If you want to, you can paint the can/bucket black or brown to sort of match the pole.

 

[studor]

I have some old chunks of telephone pole as anchor points for a dock -- they have been there a long time and I am sure that the poles they came from were used for a long time before they were cut up for the dock posts. Probably considered toxic waste these days I would just stick them in the ground

 

[kennyd]

I have some old chunks of telephone pole as anchor points for a dock -- they have been there a long time and I am sure that the poles they came from were used for a long time before they were cut up for the dock posts. Probably considered toxic waste these days I would just stick them in the ground

We used to donate broken poles to communities to build playgrounds with...now they are considered hazardous materials and we have to pay good $$$ to get rid of them.

 

[kennyd]

We usually find an old coffee can or metal bucket that fits over the top of the pole. Slide it down onto the top of the pole, and secure in place with a couple of screws on the side (down near the bottom of the can). If you want to, you can paint the can/bucket black or brown to sort of match the pole.

That's funny, I have NEVER seen a telephone or power pole with a coffee can screwed to the top of it

 

[Bird]

We used to donate broken poles to communities to build playgrounds with...now they are considered hazardous materials and we have to pay good $$$ to get rid of them.

I'd never thought about a utility company paying to get rid of used poles. A few years ago, my brother bought a couple from our electric co-op and I went and loaded them on a trailer for him with my Kubota and I think he paid a dollar a foot for a couple of 30' poles.