Redwood Fence posts

[BeatCJ]

I am wondering if it's a crazy idea. I had a 50 year old tree taken out at one of my buildings about 4 years ago, it had a lot of limbs that were growing straight up. A few came off, one lodged in the roof, so it came down. The solid trunk didn't get cleaned up, so it's just sitting there, probably 30 feet long, about 4 feet at the butt. I was considering trying to split posts, but there are a lot of knots.

I am somewhat interested in getting an Alaskan mill and the appropriate sized bar for my 066 and slabbing it off in 6"-8" slabs for fence posts. Is this a reasonable project for someone that hasn't used a chainsaw mill? I have quite a bit of field fence I need to build, and the treated posts I installed just a few years (5-10) are starting to rot and break off at ground level. In our February storm, I had several break off when a tree came down across my fence. Even a big mill and bar is less than I need to spend on wood corner posts...

 

[Coralillo Lo Pro]

Not that crazy but a lot of work. Shame to let that redwood go to waste however. The slabbing would be reasonable enough with an 066 given how soft redwood is. Where it would get tiresome is making dozens of posts from the wide slabs, assuming you're trying to make 6x6's or 8x8's. I've always thought of using my 16" Makita beam saw to rip posts/beams like that, cause it cuts 6 3/16" deep. Slow going but probably manageable to do full depth cuts in redwood and not as tiring nor as much waste as doing vertical cuts with a chainsaw and lumbermaker attachment. Can pick up those saws for $300 or less second hand sometimes. Good to have for quick crosscut trimming to certain lengths if you work with posts or beams much.

 

[BeatCJ]

When you mention Beam Saw, I started looking. All I find locally is a bar and chain attachment to a worm drive saw. I thought I saw on another thread you have a giant circular saw? Where do you find those?

 

[Coralillo Lo Pro]

Makita model is 5402na, Skil Sawsquatch is the 16 5/16 model. Too pricy new at $700-800, but occasionally you find the older Makitas cheap. The Sawsquatch not so much because it only came out five years ago or so where the Makitas have been around decades.

 

[J D]

If your treated posts are rotting in the ground I wouldn't imagine the redwood will last any better. I'd also say the original posts probably weren't treated to the degree they should've been.
Milling the redwood may still be a good way to offset the cost of your fencing, either by selling the wood or making fence rails.
If you do end up making posts be sure to remove all the sap wood as that most definitely won't last

 

[Breckinridge Elkins]

I have hundreds of hours on those Makita beam saws. Great tools. But they do bind up and kick worse than your 7 1/4" worm drive. Low RPM and a flexible blade. You just have to be patient.
If you can get big slabs of heartwood out of that log it would seem a shame to waste it on posts. I would make a bar top and a few benches.

If your treated posts are rotting in the ground I wouldn't imagine the redwood will last any better

Left alone, that log will still be good 100 years from now.

 

[BeatCJ]

I have cedar posts that are more than 50 years old that are still standing. That's what led me to think the redwood would work better. My thought was to saw them then treat the part that will be in ground contact. The treated "posts" it can buy are garbage, green salt treatment with poor to minimal penetration.

 

[Coralillo Lo Pro]

Probably get $5000 worth of decking out of that log. But if it’s posts you need, it’s posts you need. The beam saws do kick on startup - no wonder spinning a 16” blade - and they do bind easily but they’re great tools. Helps to tap wedges in behind the cut as you go.

 

[BeatCJ]

Probably get $5000 worth of decking out of that log. But if it’s posts you need, it’s posts you need. The beam saws do kick on startup - no wonder spinning a 16” blade - and they do bind easily but they’re great tools. Helps to tap wedges in behind the cut as you go.

Good Point, I am working on a deck expansion, too. The deck on our house is only 8' wide. Put a table and chairs on it and it get's pretty narrow to walk by. I would still have the issue of turning slabs into boards. It seems like the edging mill is pretty affordable, and the 044 and a short bar would work well.

 

[Coralillo Lo Pro]

Good Point, I am working on a deck expansion, too. The deck on our house is only 8' wide. Put a table and chairs on it and it get's pretty narrow to walk by. I would still have the issue of turning slabs into boards. It seems like the edging mill is pretty affordable, and the 044 and a short bar would work well.

Decking really easy. Can use a 7 1/4 circular saw to rip all your decking out of 5/4-7/4 slabs. You can actually do the ripping on the flat log top in 6" wide increments (after making the first cut to level the top) just a bit deeper than you're going to mill the next slab, mill the slab and it will all end up as a bunch of 6" wide decking pieces. You'll also have cut marks on top of the next slab to use as guides to make your next set of rip cuts, slab the whole thing off and a whole 'nother group of 6" wide boards are the result. Rinse and repeat for the whole log.

 

[J D]

Left alone, that log will still be good 100 years from now.

Agreed, cutting it up & burrying it might be a different story though... especially if treated posts aren't lasting in the ground there.

I have cedar posts that are more than 50 years old that are still standing. That's what led me to think the redwood would work better. My thought was to saw them then treat the part that will be in ground contact. The treated "posts" it can buy are garbage, green salt treatment with poor to minimal penetration.

Both Cedar & Redwood get their colouring from Tannins (which is what makes them bug & rot resistant)... so if your Cedar posts have lasted well then it's likely the redwood will too. The sap wood will not last the same way so best to remove it.

 

[Bubster]

There was an old silo made from Redwood when we bought our farm. I am assuming the lumber or maybe logs were shipped here by rail from the PNW. Was told it was built in 1921, it fell on its own in 2010. As for fence post, it is a well known fact that a split post will outlast a round or sawn by about 3 to 1. You would be amazed how many post you can split with a few good wedges and mauls.