Sawing ESB Poles

I would leave them whole for fence post. The cresote is in the outside. If you say into 3x3 you will expose untreated timber. That might not be a issue in a roof where the timber is covered but for stakes it will. No amount of burnt oil or cresote painted or or soaked in will change that.

A long long time, I doubt u will ever have to change them . They really make mighty posts

There are ones here for about 60 years at this stage...still rock solid.

They look like the really shite tanilised posts they are so faded and have moss lichen growing on outside...but they are top class when it comes to how long they last......the tanilised ones aren't worth putting down as they absorb water and snap at the base what feels like a couple of hours after you put them down (exaggerating ....about 5 years for most, even shorter for some)

I'm curious about not sawing them as I'd normally cut them into sections and put a point on them for driving so you'd have to cut them for fence posts...did the poster mean he was thinking of halving them lengthways? In that case I'd say bad idea....and unless he has a sawmill nearby to do it he will be a frustrated man.

You can tell they are quality by how hard they are to cut with a chainsaw too....properly dried dense treated wood, not long taking the sharpness out of a chain.

Poles are checked against a strict rotational timetable, and thousands are changed every year.

Always find then grand.Much easier than ESB poles to use as normally 24ft or so and fairly uniform in diameter which makes them handy to handle.

Used a few 40ft ESB poles a couple of years ago that a farmer had and would get maybe 2 strainers from the narrow end.The diameter started to get too big and unable to fit under the driver postcap.Also the weight was an issue.Probably ok if putting in with a track machine but you would have to make a custom gatehanger to work with something that thick if using to hang gates.

Last telecom ones I bought cost me 25 euro per pole for decent s/h ones.Bit time consuming removing all the ornaments and have to be careful cutting as often a hidden nail/bolt etc.Hard enough on the chain edge I find.

I've cut them here in the past. I always felt it was the tar like nature of the quality creosote that took the edge off chainsaws.

Leave them entire. You could soak the lower feet feet in burned oil. Pricey now to get. Donedeal prices seem made.

You'll see them on Donedeal.

All the poles in Ireland are treated with creosote thats Eircom ESB NIE and BT. There is an imported pole from Poland its a much lighter shade of brown avoid these they are rubbish. Anything treated by PDM in Ireland or imported from the nordic countries is proper creosote.

Absolutely not the case. Poles are replaced long before any serious rot. Pole replacement is a proactive operation, not a reactive one.

I was referring to ESB poles and they are not in any way seriously rotten when replaced.

Article goes on to say only allowed use is for railway sleepers, and utility poles.

Well I put some down as strainers about 1986, and they're still good.

Bit of rot on the top, where the creosote hadn't penetrated ( small rush plant growing in it now)

Do you have a link for that? Nothing I can find online and the ESB networks guys I know were up until recently definitely happy enough to drop them off if its near to where they take old ones down and no one else wants them.

Had an esb pole fall in a field on a Sunday. They were out within an hour of reporting it to change it. Must have been big money for them to change it on a Sunday!

The pole itself was taken at 10 the next morning. I had big plans for that pole!