Wood fence posts

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Toepopper
Patriot ⭐ Construction, Shelter
Patriot ⭐ Construction, Shelter
Posts: 1229
Joined: 16 Aug 2007 12:03
Location: Southwest Oregon

Wood fence posts

Post by Toepopper »

All things made from metal have gone up in price in the last couple of years, metalic "T" fence posts have tripled in price. The lifespan of a metal T post is 20 to 25 years before the bottom end rusts off and your fence starts dancing in the wind. Ever wonder why you see big ranches fenced off with wooden fence posts" The old timers used wood to save money on the initial cost of installing the fence and some species of wood posts will outlast the metalic T posts by a considerable margin. Doug fir is a waste of time, fence posts made from fir will rot out in only a couple of years, same for tan oak, eucalyptus, spruce, and most pines. The best wood to use is "live oak" and there are many 100 year old fences still standing tall with no evidence of rot or termite damage. Live oak can be identified by its leaves that look like holly, they never drop in the fall like other oak trees so the tree stays green year round. This wood is dense and hard to cut and will wear down both your saw chain and your back but split 6' fence posts will give you a solid long lasting fence structure.
The next best wood to use is pepperwood or as they call it here locally, Myrtle wood. This is a close cousin of the eastern bay laurel tree and its wood is both rot and insect resistant.
I have used larch, residual redwood, new redwood, red cedar, ash and maple and all have performed poorly, causing me to rebuild fence prematurely.
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