# Landscape timbers as fence posts?



## Rockin'B

Home depot has 3X3X8 with rounded edge treated landscape timbers on sale for $1.97 ea. Are there any reasons I can't use them as fence posts? I like the slabbed off sides for putting fence planks on but I wonder if the green treating is sufficient for use when buried.

Anyone have any thoughts on that?


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## DaleK

They'd be ok for a decorative fence. Most of the 3x3s I've seen were grown in plantations, very quickly, with few growth rings and not much strength to them. I've seen them snap in half from dropping them from waist height. I wouldn't trust one to hold any animals.


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## widfam

They are not treated for "in the ground use". I thought of it years ago but contacted "wolmanized" I think and they informed me that they were not treated strongly enough for in ground use.


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## lynpea

widfam said:


> They are not treated for "in the ground use". I thought of it years ago but contacted "wolmanized" I think and they informed me that they were not treated strongly enough for in ground use.


We put some in as fence posts 17 years ago and they are still standing.


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## Rockin'B

The fence I have in mind would go the length of my drive, about 70 yards or so, on both sides. I want to put 1X6X10 planks up in three rows and then two strands of barbed wire on the inside to keep the calves off of it. 

Bad Idea?


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## Ramblin Wreck

I wonder if they would have enough strength to be used as brace posts on corners? That wouldn't be an underground use, but you'd want something with some resilience for such a task.


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## topside1

B, up to this point I have used them as posts to attach cattle panels for my my goat buck large pen. Hope that made reasonable sense. Also have used them as posts to fence off my garden. So far so good...My bit of input


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## emiliozapata

i used em for a 6ft wooden privacy fence and many are going on 10 years , although i have had a few break and when extracting the remains they were pretty rotted right near ground line but lower down still seemed fine, if the fence isnt going to take a big wind load i would use them for sure at that price


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## Shrek

I tried using them to put a 6 ft welded wire fence here when I first moved here. All 300 posts twisted and warped within 30 days , slacking the fence.

Forget the landscappe timber for anything other than decorative sawbuck rail fence.


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## agmantoo

Land scape timbers are the core of trees that were peeled to make plywood. For some reason I do not understand why but I was told that the cores do not readily accept the anti rot treatment uniformly. I have observed some land scape timber that have held up very good as posts and I have witness others that rotted promptly.


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## Boleyz

They might last a long time in the ground, since they ARE treated for insects and you COULD dip em in roofing tar befor ya planted them...

However, these things are NOT dried when you buy them. They are a by-product of plywood factories. Plywood factories take yellow poplar logs and turn them on a giant lathe to remove the veneer they need for their plywood.

They turn the logs until they're only 4" in diameter. Then, they lop off 2 sides and "Viola" a landscape timber.

I built a 24'X36' log cabin with these untreated poplar logs I got directly from a plywood factory. When I drove 6" pole barn nails into them, water was squirting out.

They go (Wet) from the plywood factory to a pressure treatment facility where they are imersed in chemicals and Pressurized to force the chemical into the wood. 

Then, they go to the big box stores and you buy a wet landscape timber.

Drive a nail in one and watch the water squirt out.

Anyway...stand them upright in a hole, in the sun, and as they dry, they will warp into all kinds of interesting shapes. 

Shrek...next time, check with me...


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## Shadow

Due to concerns about polution they have cut the chemicals down to half what they used a couple of years ago. So what worked five or more years ago will probably not work with todays treated wood, even good treated wood. 
Land scape timbers are useless as far as I am concerned.


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## Boleyz

Shadow said:


> Land scape timbers are useless as far as I am concerned.


*TREATED landscape timbers = "Useless"*

Here are some shots of my cabin made from *UNTREATED landscape timbers...*I just spent 5 days there...fishing in the pond...101 bass caught (Small, but tasty!)


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## hunter63

Shadow said:


> Due to concerns about polution they have cut the chemicals down to half what they used a couple of years ago. So what worked five or more years ago will probably not work with todays treated wood, even good treated wood.
> Land scape timbers are useless as far as I am concerned.


I agree, and my experience is that they don't do well buried, made for borders.
Yes they do dry in some interesting shapes!


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## harrisjnet

Rockin'B said:


> The fence I have in mind would go the length of my drive, about 70 yards or so, on both sides. I want to put 1X6X10 planks up in three rows and then two strands of barbed wire on the inside to keep the calves off of it.
> 
> Bad Idea?


 We have a fence that the untreated landscaping timbers were used as fence posts. The fence has been in for over 10 yrs and only one of the posts have had any trouble. Termites got it, not rot. The biggest problem is that over time, some of them will bow.


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## rambler

The ones we get up here would not be worth planting in the ground. Our yellow clay rots them off in a couple years. Those cheapies are not treated to be in ground, and are made of very cheap, spindly wood. It would be a waste of time to use those 'here'.

--->Paul


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## copperkid3

Like anything else.......there are good landscape timbers and some that are not so good. If you are willing (or rather, if the place that you are purchasing them at, is willing to let you sort thru them) then you can find those that are suitable for posts. To insure that they will "last" longer, I've then purchased a product called Cuprinol which is a treatment that can be either spread on with a brush or soaked onto the item which gives longer protection. I've "painted" it about 3 and a half feet ......or just enough to give ground protection and a few more inches above.......works great, but does add to the cost. Of course the land that I've been putting them in is mostly sand and fine glacial gravel which drains quite well and also helps.


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## botebum

I know it's not very earth-friendly so don't start screaming bloody murder at me but what we used to do was soak posts in diesel fuel or used motor oil for a few days before planting the fence. That was 20 or so years ago and I know of several fences still standing.
I do like the Cuprinol approach though.

Doug


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## pancho

I just pulled up some that have been buried for many years. I bought the place about 8 years ago and they were in place for a flower bed before I bought. I pilled them out and all but one was in great shape. Many of them were completely under ground, I couldn't even see them until I began digging.


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## Severian

I have about 200' of 6'high stockade fencing that was put in over 12yrs ago using landscape timbers. Every one is still standing strong, straight & sturdy. I have even built a small pole barn using them for the posts with no problems, & my backyard swamps out everytime it rains. They are all cemented inground. I will be building a chicken coop/storage barn this summer, & plan on using landscape timbers for the posts.


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## PineRidge

I used landscape timbers to fence in my chicken yard with no problems, but chickens aren't going to try and ride down a fence either :shrug:


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## ChickenFryChato

A friend of mine is building a fence as we speak (or as I write) using the landscape timbers as posts. He's fencing about 10 acres worth of pasture with them. He said they were cheaper than t-posts, and are supposed to stand up better. I'm not so sure about his belief, as I've seen a lot more t-posts fences than landscape timber fences. Anywa, I'll keep checking up on his fence and let you know what he thinks about it. I have to fence a small pasture soon, and I'm debating which route to take (timber or t-posts). I'm not so convinced that the timber would last as long, although I do agree it would look better. Of course, I'd rather have a bad looking fence that kept animals in than a pretty fence that allowed them to get out.  

CFC


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## Rockin'B

Most of my property is being fenced with wood followed by 3 T posts and then wood again. I'm hanging field fence with a strand of barbed wire on top. This part of the fence is in the front of the house and parallels the driveway. I'd like a bit better look than T posts for this stretch.
About 6 years ago I used landscape timbers as corners on a fence surrounding my garden. When we moved, they were still plenty strong.
As far as warpage goes, I believe that to be true. I have a pile of them that are over a year old and are well dried. A couple of them have a pretty nice bow in them. The bulk of them do not though so maybe drying while stickered is the trick.
Thanks for your thoughts. Not sure what I'm going to do. Regular treated posts are really expensive here.


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## Shadow

Boleyz said:


> *TREATED landscape timbers = "Useless"*
> 
> Here are some shots of my cabin made from *UNTREATED landscape timbers...*I just spent 5 days there...fishing in the pond...101 bass caught (Small, but tasty!)


Good looking cabin. I have several landscape timbers in the barn used in the dry with a roof over them and no problem. put them out in the weather with out a roof and they are not that good. How about building me a cabin like that?


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## SteveD(TX)

I built a privacy fence using treated landscape timbers for posts in 1982. All the timbers except one were still standing when I sold the house in 1999. I pass by that house quite often, and it appears that the rails and pickets have been replaced, but the original posts are still there. So, 25 years is not too bad, I'd say. I know that the chemicals are not the same today, though. One word of advice - find the driest timbers you can find. Wet ones will warp.


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## StatHaldol

Shrek said:


> I tried using them to put a 6 ft welded wire fence here when I first moved here. All 300 posts twisted and warped within 30 days , slacking the fence.


 I've had the same experience with them here in North Louisiana (heat and humidity)...


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## Jim S.

I use them for cross braces, but not in the ground. They are common as cross braces here, and less than half the price of a farm-store treated 4" cross brace.

I think ya gotta go .40 CCA treated for ground contact.

*THAT CABIN IS NEAT!* Where did ya get untreated landscape timbers?


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## Boleyz

Jim S. said:


> I use them for cross braces, but not in the ground. They are common as cross braces here, and less than half the price of a farm-store treated 4" cross brace.
> 
> I think ya gotta go .40 CCA treated for ground contact.
> 
> *THAT CABIN IS NEAT!* Where did ya get untreated landscape timbers?


Follow the link to an old thread about my cabin. It should answer most of your questions.

http://homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=115937&highlight=landscape+timber+log+cabin


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## Jim S.

Thanks. That is really cool and unique.


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