Drying time for WRC

[WV_hillbilly]

 I have access to some very large (90') powerpoles that are WRC.  My question is how long would it have to dry after sawing  , or could it be used almost immediately to make rustic bird feeders. I was curious about if this wood is dry enough right off the mill  ?  These are at least 20 year old poles .

[Riles]

I'm guessing 20 years of air drying is about enough ....   ;D

[WV_hillbilly]

 That's what I was thinkin, but thought I would ask the pros .

I got a TT load of them rounded up at a job I'm running .  All I have to do is get our tractor trailer  to deliver them to my house . If I don't get them in 2 weeks I have get my guys to cut them up and throw them in a garbage dumpster .

[Larry]

I sawed maybe 100 mbf or more of wrc power poles one year.  They were all off high lines and 1 to 3 oughts at 90' to 110'.  The moisture content was never a problem...ran around 12%.  Saw 3 or 4 inches off the butt to get rid of the heavy creosote, date nail, and ground wire nail.  The below ground portion will saw different than the above ground portion.  Buck a foot or two below the ground line and again a foot or two above the ground line.  This is where the rot occurs and you will also find the Osmose cylinders in that region.




Now I dunno...the creosote will bleed out of the boards for a while.  Might not be the best wood for birds, but again I dunno.  I sold or used most of the boards for decks...ran one side only through a Crescent planer to get em smooth and a consistent thickness.

The guy that was bringing em to me was a foreman for XXX high line company.  It was quite lucrative for awhile.

[WV_hillbilly]

 I figured with the pole being upright for a long time most of the cresote would migrate to the lower part of the pole . For right now I was thinking  about cuttin off about 6' of the top of one  to use for the birdfeeder project . .   

[Larry]

You might be right.  The guy that was bringing me the poles would buck off the top ten foot or so because of all the attachment and woodpecker holes.  Those went to the ditch.  So I never got to see any of the pole tops.