Thread: Creosote treated King Billy Pine

I think that the creosote may have penetrated quite a way into the timber, so you would have a lot of waste.

What size are the staves?

Staves are 130mm x 30mm curved to suit a 4 ft dia pipeline. I was hoping they would be thick enough for a table top but if what say is true they are probably going to end up too thin to be useful.

John

Originally Posted by JTonks

Hello fellow forumites.

Hydro Tasmania is disposing of King Billy woodstaves that were used in a pipeline built in the 1930s. The timber has been treated with creosote and is being allocated to applicants for $1 per linear metre.

Reading a bit about creosote, it looks like pretty nasty stuff. Does anyone here on the forum have any experience working with reclaimed timber treated with creosote.

I was gungho to put in a allocation form until I started reading about the stuff here on the forum.

What do people think, is it worth going for or is it too toxic to be bothered with

Thanks
John in Tassie

Hi John,
Some time ago I milled some wharf pier timbers, about 30 logs, 16 inches diam approx which had been pressure-treated with creosote. They were one of the euc spp, maybe blackbutt? - very hard though. Been in estuarine waters for about 20 years. It was summer, hot, sub-tropical and I had bare arms.[t-shirt on] I was cutting 8 x 2's for a local builder who bought them.
I got red, burnt and peeled in about a day from contact with the sawdust - skin on the face & arms stinging at night after a shower. Got smarter and wore long sleeves, made sure the wind was going away from my mill [which I usually do right from the start of the job] and had a much more comfortable work-scene.
So the problem would be with getting finished sizes and sanding maybe. Wear the best protective gear you have & dont breathe the dust. Thicknessing may not be too much of a problem, bigger shavings.
I cant see that it wouldn't be ok for furniture as long as you were going to treat it after making the piece, say with oil or varnish finish. Nothing would eat it anyway The creosote would cause some discolouring which may not be too unpleasant. I once saw a house built with vertical staves from old wine vats - the red grapes had discoloured timber for most of its length but the effect was beautiful - an uneven line all around the wall at about 2 ft high.
If the timber were pretty enough I'd do it.

fer what it's worth.

Best, richie

Thanks for your comments Richie, they echo what I have read elsewhere about skin reactions to the creosote.
I tend to do most of my finishing with handplanes. Did notice whether the creosote built up on sawblades or decreased edge life?

John

Originally Posted by JTonks

Thanks for your comments Richie, they echo what I have read elsewhere about skin reactions to the creosote.
I tend to do most of my finishing with handplanes. Did notice whether the creosote built up on sawblades or decreased edge life?

John

Haven't planed it mate but I'd think not. And as long as you dont drink it you'll be fine I reckon; we used to coat all our house-posts with it, drill diagonal holes down into the post to fill with creo, put a cork in it and top it up every year.
And no build-up on my bandsaw blades but they are watercooled. Used it lots and dont think I've suffered any ill-effects apart from a stutter and the twitches occasionally...oh, & the rages when I stuff-up a dovetail...you know what I mean...[kidding]

cheers, rich

And it's a liquid so I dont see how it could alter an edge on a plane - the bands didn't suffer at all.

Good Morning John

As a teenager I worked after school on a chicken farm near Hobart and between batches we used to paint the sheds with a 10% creosote/kerosene mixture, high contamination areas with 100% creosote. Bucketed it from 44 gallon drums. Absolutely no protection and we got absolutely drenched in the smelly stuff; took very long showers to minimise the smell!

None of us had any immediate reaction to creosote unless it got into a cut or our eyes. Forty years later I have not developed cancer, touch wood, and I think creosote was banned because it is carcinogenic.

I love king billy - so light, so much character, so impact resistant - but wouldn't it be a little soft for a table?

Cheers

Graeme

PS: That price works out at about 60 cents per super foot which is incredibly cheap for a super-premium species. I have seen select dry KBP at $30 per sf at retail!