Old Fencing Posts?

[wands]

Just wondering whether I'd be able to redress old fence posts (red hard wood, not sure if it would be redgum or iron bark or what.), to use for furniture?
Would it be too dry? Too brittle?
Any comments, suggestions etc will be most appreciated.
Cheers, Steve

[dan_tom]

Hi Steve

I have used them before, they came up great - soaked up the oil though, being a bit dry and all. Once waxed, they looked great - very rustic. Just be careful of nails when sanding/planing, some are hidden...

The posts we used were 4x4s.

Cheers
Dan

[Cliff Rogers]

Suck it & see, make up something small & see how it turns out... a paperweight or a doorstop or a bootjack etc.

[wands]

Cheers guys,

I'll give it a whirl and let you know how it goes. Don't want to spend hours preping and making to find out that a few out there has done the same and failed. Time is too precious to waste these days...If only time wasn't so expensive?

Thanks, Steve

[Dion N]

I picked up a couple of old fenceposts a while ago that were at least 40 years old. Totally grey on the outside but made of a deep red hardwood. Came up beautifully when sanded. Word of warning though - old fence posts are well seasoned which means that it will be HARD :D Good quality sharp cutting tools are a must. It took me ages to cut out a recess for a clock body with a set of chisels!

[Ashore]

Some of the wood used in the old posts you would kill for now ,
Definately worth the time to clean up.

same as above watch nails spikes etc rusted off under the surface usually very hard so a simple but great use I found was cutting boards . and got a great mallet head out of one bit.



The trouble with life is there's no background music.

[knucklehead]

This was made (not by me) from an old fence post. I believe it is iron bark. The colour of the photo is a bit misleading, it is actualy more of a deep red colour.

[dai sensei]

I scored a few old posts from down south. They were part of an old post and rail church fence being removed for a highway construction job. Red gum and over 100 years old I was told. Like Dan says, soaks up a lot of oil and beware of nails etc.

I turned this trinket box up just to see what the colour & grain was like and wasn't dissappointed. It had a lot of fine crazed cracks in it but IMHO added to the look. Yet to decide on what to do with the remainder, I've seen some really good lamp bases and old clocks turned out of posts.

[Wood Borer]

Wands,

Great source of wonderful timber at the very best price.

You may need to dry it out even though it might have spent the last 100 years or more as a post. Despite what non woodworkers might tell you, the moisture content can still be high in timber this old. If you are cutting it on a bandsaw, you will see the moisture in the timber whilst cutting.

Redgum is always a wonderful timber but it has the habit of moving with changes in humidity more than most other timbers. This is not a problem if you allow for the movement in your design such as using sliding dovetails etc.

I have been told if you dry redgum out well below average humidity and then let the humidity rise to room humidity, it is far more stable than if you just take it down to room humidity. A mate does this and he claims excellent results.

I once made a box from post redgum and the lid twists out of shape and then returns to shape according to the weather. Boxes I have made since then have sliding dovetails to resist the movement and they retain their shape far better.

The grain hidden in some of these posts is fantastic. It is worth pursuing these posts but be careful in case they have been “treated” with some nasties such as creosote etc. In other words , it may not be good to use the timber for pieces used in conjunction with food or pieces used for toys that are likely to be put into a child’s mouth.

[rsser]

Yeah, like old house stumps, they can still be damp where they were in the ground and take a while to fully dry.

I've found quite a variation in redgum density (if that's what it is) so like the man said, suck it and see.

[ozwinner]

I once made a box from post redgum and the lid twists out of shape and then returns to shape according to the weather. .
So heres a new job for you, weather forecaster.

"Well, acording to Robs box, todays weather will be....................."
I can just see you on TV spilling the beans on your boxes thoughts......:rolleyes:

Al :D

[Wood Borer]

So heres a new job for you, weather forecaster.

"Well, acording to Robs box, todays weather will be....................."
I can just see you on TV spilling the beans on your boxes thoughts......:rolleyes:

Al :D

Al,

I have a more accurate way of forecasting the weather but the details are probably not suitable for this BB and a photo .... :eek:

[barryr]

usually with the comment "well , I've been swimming , haven't I ?" , added on !