telephone poles in PSP construction

[PeteCellar]

Can telephone poles be used as posts, beams and girders in a PSP structure?

[Amanda_931]

Yes.

One (actually both that I've got) of the two books on pole-frame construction thinks they're great.

Not for me after one just two feet longer than my truck bed pops out and puts two or three dents in my truck while I was only going 3 or 4 miles an hour.  On a paved road--the utility company's driveway.  Might work better now that I'm using tractor tire sidewalls to hold stuff in the bed.  And they can a pain if you want to get get other wood fastened to a handful of poles in a straight line.

But they're nice and big (not to mention heavy) so they don't look wimpy, and they're round (both a plus and a minus), and they are already pressure treated, and you can, with a chain-saw, cut them to length (at my utility company, you'd best sweep up your sawdust) before you load them, and they're usually free.  Sometimes they're even delivered for that price.  Or used to be.  And you should be able to paint them immediately, not wait for six months the way you are supposed to do for fresh PT wood.

Either this one, or the one by Ralph Wolfe (he's more enthusiastic) that the 500 pound gorilla would like you to buy in addition:
http://www.amazon.com/Monte-Burchs-Pole-Building-Projects/dp/0882668595

[desdawg]

The electric company here won't give the old poles away. Due to the creosote they have to be "properly disposed of" whatever that  means. They aren't installing any new wooden poles, but have gone to metal wind whistlers. The metal poles are predrilled with lots of holes for different applications and the unused holes whistle pretty good when the wind blows around and through them. The environmentalists have screwed up another source of material. LOL. I could work magic with a load of poles.

[glenn-k]

They can be used but you don't want to do it if you are going to live in there.  The creosote smell will be noticeable and not healthy for you.

Mike Oehler got away from using treated poles of any kind and dealt with replacing one occasionally.

I can say , do not go with his later method of charing the base of the poles and wrapping them with plastic.trash bags.  The plastic keeps any water in there that may enter and rots the wood.  I did three that way and have to repair 2 that I know of.  Haven't checked the third.

What type of structure are you planning?  Welcome to the forum.