I'm wondering if anyone knows a source of telegraph poles near Glasgow? I can't find any on Ebay or Gumtree. Also wondering if telegraph poles are suitable as post foundations for a hut?
I would guess that telegraph pole are great for hut posts and feet, But better where people or animals will not come into contact with them (um hut feet) as observed above, They used to be treated with creosote which is now banned. The other item that should be excellent for hut feet is railway sleepers. They are hard work to cut etc but again are readily available surplus having been soaked in creosote and have demonstrated their ability to survive the elements and contact with the ground.
Note when cutting sleepers with a chain saw (makes the job a lot more doable as they are hardwood and well seasoned) avoid cutting he the outer ends of the original sleeper, they have S shaped iron plates bashed in to reduce their susceptibility to cracking. Don't ask me how I learned this....
I have used sleepers as is to stand a shipping container on and they are lasting well.
Thanks Andy. I do have 3 railway sleepers from an old garden shed base. They are decades old already but still seem intact.
We decided to go with larch posts on concrete pads for the hut legs. It's all accessible for repair should they eventually rot so we'll see how they last.
Thanks Scott, I'll look into it more closely. Would not want to poison the soil. I think I was getting mixed up with pine tar. Creosote is a by-product of coal, so not a good idea. ( tar probably ain't much better as it's highly concentrated hydrocarbons)
In truth I've no real knowledge on the topic, but I was led to believe that it could enter the soil and be taken-up by roots, causing damage. We couldn't source all of our poles creosote free but we've tried to position them away from trees and vegetation.
We used telegraph poles for our platform (not a hut). We sourced them through the sawmill we bought the wood for our platform from, so might be worth trying sawmills as a source. A drawback to them is some, but not all, are treated with creosote which you may rather avoid burying in the soil.
I would guess that telegraph pole are great for hut posts and feet, But better where people or animals will not come into contact with them (um hut feet) as observed above, They used to be treated with creosote which is now banned. The other item that should be excellent for hut feet is railway sleepers. They are hard work to cut etc but again are readily available surplus having been soaked in creosote and have demonstrated their ability to survive the elements and contact with the ground.
Note when cutting sleepers with a chain saw (makes the job a lot more doable as they are hardwood and well seasoned) avoid cutting he the outer ends of the original sleeper, they have S shaped iron plates bashed in to reduce their susceptibility to cracking. Don't ask me how I learned this....
I have used sleepers as is to stand a shipping container on and they are lasting well.
Thanks Scott, I'll look into it more closely. Would not want to poison the soil. I think I was getting mixed up with pine tar. Creosote is a by-product of coal, so not a good idea. ( tar probably ain't much better as it's highly concentrated hydrocarbons)
In truth I've no real knowledge on the topic, but I was led to believe that it could enter the soil and be taken-up by roots, causing damage. We couldn't source all of our poles creosote free but we've tried to position them away from trees and vegetation.
Thanks Scott. I'll ask around local sawmills. Isn't creosote based on pine root tar anyway? A natural product, albeit strong and smelly.
We used telegraph poles for our platform (not a hut). We sourced them through the sawmill we bought the wood for our platform from, so might be worth trying sawmills as a source. A drawback to them is some, but not all, are treated with creosote which you may rather avoid burying in the soil.