Im on acreage that needs to be perimetered off. My tract has enough young pines that are the right diameter that I could use these as posts for barbed wire. Is this a good idea?
It's an excellant idea, if you get them treated.
you can cut them to length and stack them untill the bark begins to slip, then take the bark off and take them to a treatment plant.
I dont know what they will charge you to treat them. I might be easier to just buy some. If they wasnt treated they wouldnt last no time at all.
Around here, it costs around a buck to a buck and a half to have them treated, depending on the size. That's a pretty good savings from buying posts at a farm supply place or box store.
This document lists the natural durability of wood from around the world. Pine is rated at a 4, which is the least durable (as in resistant to decay).
http://msucares.com/forestproducts/topics/documents/natural_durability.pdf
I am putting in a post peeler. For a 3 1/2 X 7 i am only going to get 1.60 a piece. price goes up for bigger ones but not much.
the kind of pine that grows around here would have bugs feasting on them as soon as you put them in the ground. you would have to replace them at least once a year.
I saw a post about the plastic socks that slip over the buried ends of a post but can't remember the product name.
here it is
http://www.plasti-sleeve.com/plastisleeve.html