In alt.home.repair, on Tue, 29 Sep 2015 20:11:24 -0700, "Bob F"
wrote:

micky wrote:
OT I probably can't do that

Today I bought some 4" 10-foot treated posts, and then took them to a
sawmill to be split down the middle.

The owner took one look at them and said, I'm not sure they're big
enough to be held [in the machine].

This despite the fact that on the phone he'd told me twice that he
could do it. The first time 8 or 10 weeks ago when I gave him all
the details and the second time yesterday, when he didn't ask so I
figured he remembered me or it didn't matter what I had, that he
could still do it.

He did ask me yesterday if it was new or old wood, that is, if it might
have nails, etc.

And the words brought back vague memories that iirc, people say this a
lot. It's often the opening words from someone I want to hire to do
something, and maybe from friends too. Memories are still too vague
to give examples.

Has anyone noticed this? Do you have any ideas why people would
start off this way. I'm still trying to remember if I do this.

I don't have any idea exactly what "this way" or what "people say this a lot"
really means in this case, but do wonder about why you are splitting treated
posts. Once split, the treatment is rendered relatively useless, since the
center of the post contains relatively little of the treatment from what I've
seen.

I only got treated posts because that's what they sell. (Mostly they're
used for posts! By farmers. A big flat-bed trailer truck arrived when I
was leaving with about 10 bundles of posts, 30 posts to a bundle. The
guy helping me said the store sells that much in about a month.)

The goal was to get half-round rails, to replace those in my fence which
have worn out. Mostly the ones that don't get much sunlight. I don't
think the original rails were treated and they all lasted at least 20
years, many of them 35 years and counting.

They used to sell rails like this at Lowes, but styles have changed.
(If I'd known they were going to stop, I would have stocked up.)


BTW, he didn't give any words of reluctance after that. He measured
both ends and adjusted his mill, which used a circular blade about 4
feet in diameter. The whole thing was impressive. A bar came down to
hold the wood in place. The bed moved according to buttons he pushed.
Somehow his employee came over from another building and he took the
split parts and piled them near my car. Charged $30 to do 7 poles,
the most I could fit in my car.

It looked pretty funny my Solara convertible with 10 foot poles sticking
up and back from the back seat.

7 poles make 14 rails. All together, I use about 56 rails. I've
replaced about 14 already, and about 14 get loads of sun, so maybe I
will need 14 more a few years from now.

I found 5 or 10 portable lumber mills around here, that owners would
trail to wherever a big tree had been cut down, but I lost the list over
the winter and couldn't make the list again. The one guy I did find
again never callled me back. FWIW, they use a big bandsaw. Today was
more like the sawmill with the Olive Oyl tied to the log and Popeye has
to save her.