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MAY
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Oregon
IectEon
Preservative Treatments
of Fence Posts
1939 Progress Report
on
The Post Farm
BY
T. J. STARKER
Bulletin
February 1940
(Supplement A to Bulletin No. 9
issued December 1938)
A Project of the School of Forestry
Engineering Experiment Station
Oregon State System of Higher Education
Oregon State College
THE Oregon State Engineering Experiment Station was
established by act of the Board of Regents of the College
on May 4, 1927. It is the purpose of the Station to serve the
state in a manner broadly outlined by the following policy:
(1)To stimulate and elevate engineering education by
developing the research spirit in faculty and students.
(2) To serve the industries, utilities, professional engi-
neers, public departments, and engineering teachers by
making investigations of interest to them.
(3) To publish and distribute by bulletins, circulars, and
technical articles in periodicals the results of such studies, surveys, tests, investigations, and researches as will be of greatest
benefit to the people of Oregon, and particularly to the state's
industries, utilities, and professional engineers.
To make available the results of the investigations conducted by the Station three types of publications are issued.
These are:
(I) Bulletins covering original investigations.
(2) Circulars giving compilations of useful data.
(3) Reprints giving more general distribution to scientific papers or reports previously published elsewhere, as for
example, in the proceedings of professional societies.
Single copies of publications are sent free on request to
residents of Oregon, to libraries, and to other experiment
stations exchanging publications. As long as available, addi-
tional copies, or copies to others are sent at prices covering
cost of printing as long as available. The price of tins bulletin
supplement is 15 cents.
For copies of publications or for other information
address
Oregon State Engineering Experiment Station,
Corvallis, Oregon
Preservative Treatments of Fence Posts
1939 Progress Report
on
The Post Farm
By
T. J. STARKER,
Professor of Forestry
October is the month in which "The Post Farm" usually receives its annual
examination. On October 11, 1939, this examination was made and all posts that
failed to resist a 50-lb pull two feet from the ground were removed. The following numbers of posts failed in the various series as indicated:
Series
8
10
13
15
18
19
20
29
31
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
Species
Douglas fir
Western red cedar
Yew
\Vhite fir
Douglas fir
Oregon oak
Cascara
Incense cedar
Sitka spruce
Western white pine
Sugar pine
Ponderosa pine
Western larch
Western hemlock
Douglas fir
Black locust
Treatment
Carb. Wood Pres. Co.
Dark.split
None-round
None-split
Crankcase oil & Creosote
None-split
Small round posts
None-split
None-4 x 4
None-4 x 4
None-4 x 4
None-4 x 4
None-4 x 4S4S
None-4 x 4
Asphalt emulsion
None-split
Total removed 10/11/39
Removed
10/11/39
Total Removed
To Date
5
12
1
1
2
4
18
2
1
2
1
2
4
10
12 (100%)
1
9
17
12
22
3
1
15
15
15
6
12
20
24
1
1
7
59
For those who are particularly interested, it is suggested that the above data
be inserted on page 12 of your copy of Bulletin No. 9. A blank sheet could also
be pasted in at this point and the additions to the farm inserted as parts of continuation of Table 1.
As outlined in Bulletin No. 9, page 13, future additions to the post farm
were contemplated. We are therefore pleased to announce that through the
cooperation of Harold Bowerman, District Ranger, Umpqua National Forest,
three sets of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) posts, were placed in the farm in
November 1938. Recently the Portland Gas & Coke Company contributed five
new series of Douglas fir posts using various combinations and treatments of
their new "Gasco" creosote, coal tar cresote, and petroleum oil. The Western
Pine Association has contributed 25 Permatol treated posts, the Corvallis Lumber Company 25 untreated Douglas fir posts, and tF Holmes-Eureka Lumber
Company are sending 25 heart redwood posts.
4
ENGINEERING EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN No. 9-A
RECORDS OF POST SERIES
Series 48, 49, 50. These consist of lodgepole pine contributed by Ranger
Harold Bowerman of the Umpqua National Forest. They are all round posts
and averaged 55% sapwood and 4-6 inches in diameter. The three series are
made up as follows: Series 48, 26 untreated dead posts; series 49, 25 untreated
live posts; and series 50, 25 posts treated with one part each of HgC12, As20,,
and NaC1. One tablespoon per post was inserted in a hole just above ground
line. All were planted November 1938.
Series 51. The posts of this series are stamped in the top, M-1 to M-28,
with numbers 8, 11, and 27 missing. The missing posts were used for other test
purposes.
These posts were treated in the full-size retorts of Pope & Talbot with a
coal-tar creosote-petroleum mixture. The average absorption was 6.20 lb per
cu ft. Planted 10/11/39.
Series 52. This series is stamped P-i to P-25 on the top cross-section.
These were treated with Gasco creosote in the experimental plant of Pope &
Talbot. The average absorption was found to be 7.62 lb per cu ft.
Post No. P-28 was cut at four points one foot apart and test blocks cut for
penetration, which averaged a little over 0.7 inch. The average absorption was
7.62 lb per cu ft.
Series 53. This series is stamped C-i to C-28 on the top cross-section
with numbers 8 to 11 and 27 missing. Post C-b is 18% sapwood and all others
are 100% heartwood. These posts were treated in the full-size retorts of Pope
& Talbot with other commercial orders, using straight coal-tar creosote. The
average absorption was 13.00 lb per cu ft. It was desired to secure only 8 lb per
cu ft but due to the large sizes of the commercial material in the retorts at the
same time this was not possible with these small posts. Planted 10/11/39.
Posts in series 51, 52, and 53 were all run through an incising machine and
the chisel or incisor marks may be seen in the reproduced photograph. They
average 0.40 inch in depth.
Figure 1. Sections of sample posts from Series 51, 52, and 53 showing penetration and
incisor marks.
Series 54. These are marked with aluminum tags numbered 1877 to 1901.
They are 4 x 4 rough Douglas fir treated green by the open-tank method using
Portland Gas & Coke Company (Gasco) creosote oil. The posts were kept
three hours in the oil heated to 200° F. and then quickly transferred to an oil
PRESERVATIVE TREATMENTS OF FENCE POSTS
bath at 1000 F. and held for another three hours. The specific gravity of the oil
was 1.02, weighing 8.52 lb per gal. The volume of oil absorbed per post was
0.067 gallons. Approximately 30 inches of the post were treated and the penetration was less than inch. The posts were not seasoned, but no moisture determinations were made before treatment. Planted 10/11/39.
Series 55. These are stamped on top cross-section from 1 to 28, with numbers 8, 11, and 27 missing, and are untreated 4x4 Douglas fir cut from the same
long cants as Series 51, 52, and 53. Cut at the St. Helens mill of Pope & Talbot
Lumber Company. In all, 31 sticks 4 in. x 4 in. x 20 feet long were cut for
this test. The long sticks were recut to five-foot lengths and a cutting chart
made. Moisture determinations were made on each cant and are recorded in the
office records. The test material was secured from the Portland Gas & Coke
Company without cost and R. H. Rawson, Consulting Engineer, supervised the
treatments on the series numbered 51, 52, 53, 54, and 55, All posts were 100%
heartwood except No. 10 in Series 52. Planted 10/11/39.
Series 56. Consists of 25 ponderosa pine 4 x 4 rough posts treated with
Permatol "A" Treating Solution as manufactured by the Monsanto Chemical
Company. The treatment consisted of soaking 17 hours in a cold solution. The
posts absorbed the solution at a rate slightly in excess of 1 lb per cu ft. Most
of the posts were 100% heartwood, but seven had some sap. The absorption and
percentage of sapwood for each post are recorded in the office files.
The posts were contributed through the courtesy of Dr. Ernest E. Hubert
of the Western Pine Association. They were planted 12/6/39.
Series 57. This series consists of 25 untreated Douglas fir supplied by the
Corvallis Lumber Company, Corvallis, Oregon, numbered on top with aluminum
tags reading from 400 to 424 inclusive. Some of these posts were coarse grained
and will be inspected to see if this factor has an influence on the rate of decay.
They were planted 12/6/39.
Series 58. Twenty-five fir posts of heart redwood have been shipped by
the Holmes Eureka Lumber Company, Eureka, California, but have not been
received and planted in the farm. These posts are of foundation grade.
As new methods are made available and other treatments are developed it
is the plan to place representative series of samples in the Post Farm.
THE ENGINEERING EXPERIMENT
STATION STAFF
R. H. DEARBORN, Dean and Director of Engineering.
S. H. GRAF, Director of Engineering Research.
A. L. ALBERT, Communication Engineering.
F. A. EVEREST, Radio Engineering.
G. W. GLEESON, Chemical Engineering.
BURDETTE GLENN, Highway Engineering.
J. R. GRIFFITH, Structural Engineering.
F. 0. MCMILLAN, Electrical Engineering.
W. H. MARTIN, Mechanical Engineering.
E. G. MASON, Forestry.
FRED MERRYFIELD, Sanitary Engineering.
C. A. MOCKMORE, Civil and Hydraulic Engineering.
W. H. PAUL, Automotive Engineering.
B. F. RTJFFNER, Aeronautical Engineering.
E. C. STARR, Electrical Engineering.
C. E. THOMAS, Engineering Materials.
GLENN VOORHIES, Wood Products.
Technical Counselors
R. H. BALDOCK, State Highway Engineer, Salem.
R. G. DIECK, Consulting Civil Engineer, Portland.
C. V. LANGTON, Professor of Hygiene, Oregon State College.
J. C. H. LEE, Colonel, Corps of Engineers, Division Engineer, North Pacific
Division, Portland.
PAUL B. MCKEE, President, Portland Gas and Coke Company, Portland.
J. H. PoI,HEMUs, President, Portland Electric Power Company.
J. C. STEVENS, Consulting Civil and Hydraulic Engineer, Portland
C. E. STRICKLIN, State Engineer, Salem.
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Corvallis
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