New Telegraph Poles

Overview

The widespread use of new wooden telegraph poles

Wooden telegraph poles are part of the fabric of British scenery, and can be seen in most villages and towns throughout the UK. Over the last hundred years they have supported a spider web of overhead telephone lines and power cables that span across our countryside. Doubling up as notice boards, there are thousands of lost dog signs, village fete posters and council proclamations conveniently pinned to their bases. Due to their versatility, telegraph poles are increasingly appearing in construction, landscaping and leisure projects:
~ roof supports ~ bridges & walkways ~ architectural columns ~ edging & retaining ~ river embankments  ~ marinas & moorings ~ platforms & decking ~ gate posts & fencing ~ adventure play areas
~ forest walkways ~ treehouses ~ boat masts ~ shade sails ~ pole barns etc.. The list is endless!

General information about our new telegraph poles

TYPE OF WOOD. Normally our telegraph poles are made from Redwood or Scots Pine (Pinus Sylvestris). All the poles are FSC or PEFC chain of custody certified, meaning that all the trees that are harvested come from sustainable managed forests. 

BRITISH STANDARD. All our Telegraph poles adher to BS 1990: Part 1, 1984, Wood poles for overhead power and telecommunication lines, Part 1. Specification for softwood poles.
Published Date: 28/09/1984

FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. After harvesting, the bark is taken off our telegraph poles and they are graded into sizes (light, medium and stout) and stacked for seasoning. Telegraph poles are dried naturally by air. This process begins when first harvested and continues once they have been shipped to the UK, where they are moisture tested again and laid out for further seasoning. They are left for up to twelve months to complete the natural drying process. During this time telegraph poles are consistently moisture tested, and are not pressure treated until their moisture content is below 28%.

DRESSING. In order to provide a smooth surface to all the telegraph poles, they are dressed - peeling the outer cambium layer with an automatic dressing machine.

TREATMENT. Your telegraph poles can be treated with one of two treatments:
1) AC500 Treatment is a non-creosote, environmentally friendly, water based pressure treatment similar to Tanalith E treatment. AC500 treated telegraph poles can be used for standard telegraph pole purposes, and in addition CAN be used for children's play areas, tree houses, inside houses etc.. where creosote treated telegraph poles cannot be used, due to recent creosote legislation. AC500 treated telegraph poles do not emit anything in the heat of the summer, whereas creosote treated telegraph poles may bleed or leak sticky creosote when it's hot, and there's nothing you can do to prevent it. AC500 treated telegraph poles are sometimes used by local authorities who have a policy against creosote.

2) Creosote Treatment gives your timber telegraph pole the longest life span possible and protection from harsh conditions. Pressure treated creosoted telegraph poles provide a minimum desired service life of thirty years, but may last considerably longer. Indeed there are numerous examples of telegraph poles in service which are over 100 years old! Creosote has been used for over 150 years to preserve and increase the life-span of timber. Recent findings have indicated that creosote can be harmful in certain situations. So, be careful. Handle with gloves. Wear a dust mask when sawing or machining. Dispose of off-cuts, sawdust etc.. safely. Waste wood may be disposed of by burning, subject to any local rules on burning creosoted material in the open, or via your local waste disposal facility. Creosoted timber should not be used where there is risk of frequent (i.e. often-occurring or constant) skin contact, nor where it may come into contact with or contaminate animal or human foodstuffs. In particular it should not be used inside buildings, in playgrounds, or for garden furniture and picnic tables. For further information on creosote visit WOOD TREATMENTS

FIXING IN GROUND. Timber telegraph poles can be placed directly into the ground, and generally do not require concrete foundations or collars to prevent deterioration. Typically, a 9m pole will be inserted between 1 - 2 metres into the ground, depending on ground conditions.

CUTTING. You can cut telegraph poles to size with a chainsaw, circular saw or even a handsaw if you are feeling energetic!

SIZE, WEIGHT, DIAMETER etc... Telegraph poles vary in length, weight, diameter and taper. Not only is every pole different in dimensions from each other (like each tree) but also they are tapered along the length. So the diameter of a new telegraph pole will vary from top to bottom. In addition the very end of the pole (the original base of the tree) can broaden out even more. So, if you are looking for absolute regularity and identical telegraph poles, forget it! We classify new telegraph poles into broadly 3 diameter ranges - 'Light' , 'medium' and 'stout'. SEE BELOW for all the diameter, weight and strength specifications for new telegraph poles.

Are you a lover of wooden telegraph poles? 
YES there is a genuine Telegraph Pole Appreciation Society that has featured our website, and is a wonderful blend of information and eccentricity, including 'Telegraph pole of the month'. Pay them a visit! http://www.telegraphpoleappreciationsociety.org
There are some wonderful features and photos including a superb technical article about the telegraph pole, written by the Institution of Post Office Electrical Engineers in 1930.
https://www.telegraphpoleappreciationsociety.org/images/userImages/faq/thetelegraphpole.pdf   

In a recent trecking adventure we came across Hamelin Pool Telegraph Station (1884) near Shark Bay in Western Australia that shared a similar sense of telegraph pole fanaticism, eccentricity and nudity! https://www.railwaysleepers.com/projects/wooden-poles-projects/the-curious-case-of-telegraph-poles-eccentricity-and-aussie-nudity

VOTE OF CONFIDENCE!
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TELEGRAPH POLE SPECIFICATIONS (VOLUME, SIZE, WEIGHT & STRENGTH) 

SPECIFICATIONS  of  LIGHT  DIAMETER  TELEGRAPH POLES
Length (metres)	BASE min diameter (mm) 1.5m from Butt	TOP min diameter (mm)	Gefle Cu    Ft	Caliper Cu M3	Creo weight (Kilo)	Ultimate load @0.6m from top of pole (kN)	Load per mm deflection at point of application of load(N)
6	150	125	3.0	0.1099	76	4.39	9.3
7	160	125	4.0	0.1288	108	4.31	6.0
8	170	125	5.0	0.1985	126	4.4	4.8
9	180	125	6.0	0.2251	168	4.46	3.6
10	185	125	7.25	0.2699	190	4.25	2.8
11	195	125	8.5	0.3200	230	4.4	2.3
12	200	125	9.5	0.3922	272	4.26	1.7
13	210	130	10.5	0.4366	288	4.46	1.6
SPECIFICATIONS of MEDIUM  DIAMETER  TELEGRAPH  POLES
Length (metres)	BASE min diameter (mm) 1.5m from Butt	Top min diameter (mm)	Gefle Cu       Ft	Caliper Cu M3	Creo weight (Kilo)	Ultimate load @0.6m from top of pole (kN)	Load per mm deflection at point of application of load (N)
8	215	150	8.0	0.2919	203	8.2	9.1
9	220	150	9.0	0.3149	217	8.15	7.8
10	230	150	10.5	0.3599	254	8.15	6.4
11	240	150	12.50	0.4298	293	8.18	5.0
12	250	150	15.5	0.4899	345	8.23	4.1
13	260	160	17.00	0.5760	376	8.46	3.7
14	275	160	21.00	0.6434	432	8.98	3.3
15	290	165	24.00	0.7651	532	9.6	3.3
16	305	170	26.50	0.8688	591	10.23	3.1
17	320	180	30.00	0.9951	676	11.07	3.0
18	330	180	35.00	1.1482	771	11.14	2.7
20	360	180	46.00	1.3787	954	11.98	2.5
22	380	180	54.00	-------	----	12.63	2.3
SPECIFICATIONS  of  STOUT  DIAMETER  TELEGRAPH  POLES
Length (metres)	BASE min diameter (mm) 1.5m from Butt	Top min diameter (mm)	Gefle Cu     Ft	Caliper Cu M3	Creo weight (Kilo)	Ultimate load @0.6m from top of pole (kN)	Load per mm deflection at point of application of load (N)
9	275	190	13.00	0.4630	319	15.91	19.2
10	285	190	16.00	0.5502	378	15.52	15.5
11	295	190	19.00	0.6533	443	15.24	11.8
12	305	190	22.00	0.7428	515	15.08	9.4
13	320	195	25.00	0.8280	571	15.73	8.3
14	335	195	28.00	0.9485	633	16.24	7.3
15	350	195	33.00	1.0565	734	16.68	6.8
16	365	200	36.00	1.1737	788	17.35	6.2
17	375	200	40.00	1.3167	843	17.20	5.4
18	390	200	47.00	1.5362	1120	17.51	5.0
20	415	200	60.00	1.8516	1260	17.74	4.2
22	435	200	72.00	2.0388	1419	17.49	3.6
24	470	200	89.00	-------	-----	18.36	3.3
The strength properties stated here are based on using unstayed poles (Cantilevers)

 

THE TELEGRAPH POLE APPRECIATION SOCIETY

 

 

Extra Info

TELEGRAPH POLES ARE DELIVERY BY AN ARTIC LORRY WITH CRANE OFFLOAD

Our specialist telegraph pole lorries can offload themselves with a hiab crane. Your order can be crane-offloaded so long as there is space for the artic crane to operate without lifting over vehicles etc..You must ensure in advance that there is sufficient access space for the lorry to approach, manoevre and park. We will send you an artic access questionnaire, with all the required access space dimensions, to fill in before the delivery.