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Blade Life when Sawing Old Utility Poles
Question
Forum Responses
From contributor W: There is a wood preservative treatment process that the company I work for has discontinued because of serious safety concerns. It may be common practice for other utilities to employ the use of this product. I found no discussion of it on this forum and with some people sawing old poles, I thought it might be of interest. Methyl Isothiocyanate (MITC) or MITC-Fume is applied in a closed delivery system where a hole is drilled into an existing pole and a porous aluminum tube (approximately ½” X 6 ½”) is inserted into the hole about ground level, then sealed with a dowel. The poles are tagged with a rounded corner triangle emblem with “MITC-FUME” stamped on it. This substance is toxic and a severe irritant. It is also highly toxic to fish.
From Professor Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor: If the poles are treated with creosote, it will move in the pole. So, when you have the log sitting on the ground and do not rotate it once a month, the creosote will accumulate on the bottom section. When you try to saw it, this heavy accumulation will make it almost impossible to saw. (It is not easy to see this concentration, but it does happen.) Incidentally, any creosote sawdust on the ground will create a toxic waste site that will require expensive cleanup now or later. The creosote will also leach into the ground water. From contributor B: You know, that could be it. The poles we sawed last year were no problem... These are killing the blades. Thanks. From contributor J: I am set up in a construction debris landfill that accepts creosote treated pilings. I have been sawing them for 10 years now, only in the winter. All of our sawdust ends up over liner, along with dunnage. We cut off the end that the blade hits first - keeps from driving sand, mud, etc. throughout the log. We sharpen our blades once, use them, send them to factory for set and sharpen. Plenty of blade lubrication, metal detectors, visual inspection - still f.o.d. is largest expense. Nasty business, but farmers love the fencing! Would you like to add information to this article? Interested in writing or submitting an article? Have a question about this article? Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below? 
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