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Preservative Treatments
of Fence Posts
1940 Progress Report on the Post Farm
By
T. J. STARKER
Bulletin Series,
No. 9-B
November 1940
(supplement B to Bulletin No. 9, issued Decemoer 1938)
A Project of the School of Foresti
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:
(1) 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
As long as available, additional copies, or copies to others are sent at prices covering
cost of printing. The price of this bulletin supplement is
stations exchanging publications.
15 cents.
For copies of publications or for other information
address
Oregon State Engineering Experiment Station,
Corvallis, Oregon
Preservative Treatments of Fence Posts
1940 Progress Report
on
The Post Farm
By
T. J. STARKER,
Professor of Forestry
On October 12, 1940, 'The Post Farm" received its annual inspection and
all posts that failed to resist a 50-lb pull 2 feet from the ground were considered
to have failed. The following number of posts failed in the various series
indicated:
Series
8
9
12
15
15
21
22
31
34
35
36
37
38
39
47
Species
Douglas-fir
Treatment
Carb. \Vood Pres. Co.
Port Orford cedar
White fir
Douglas-fir
Port Orford cedar
Douglas-fir
Sitka spruce
Western white pine
Sugar pine
Ponderosa pine
Western larch
Tops, open tank
Douglas-fir
Cascara
Aspl1alt emulsion
Douglas-fir
Western hemlock
ZnCl2, steeped
Nonesplit
Crankcase oil and creosote
Nonesplit
Charred
None-4 x 4 rough
None-4 x 4 rough
None-4 x 4 rough
None-4 x 4 rough
None-4 x 4 S4S
None-4 x 4 rough
Noneround
Total removed 10/12/40
Removed
10/12/40
2
1
1
1
2
1
1
Total Removed
ToDate
14
1
24
19
6
1
25 (100%)
2
2
21
24
17
20
17
22
1
1
1
4
2
2
2
25 (100%)
25
This number removed, 25, is far less than last year when 59 posts were
taken out.
For those who desire to keep their tables up to date, it is again suggested
that the above information can be inserted on page 12 of your copy of Bulletin No. 9.
In the 1939 progress report (Bulletin Series, No. 9-A), mention was made
of receiving 25 redwood posts of foundation grade from the Holmes-Eureka
Lumber Company, Eureka, California. These were planted in the farm on
December 20, 1939. We hope others who are interested in wood preservation
will contribute other species and processed material to add to the value of the
farm, which has contained to date 1,442 posts.
As indicated in the above table, two more series have been completely
removed; and the cascara posts, consisting of 12 small specimens, were all
removed at the examination in 1939. The following chart is Figure 5 from
Bulletin No. 9 brought up to date.
4
ENGINEERING EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN No. 9-B
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SPECIES
AVERAGE SERVICE OF POSTS THAT HAVE FAILED 100 PER CENT. THE FIRST FIVE WERE
WITHOUT TREATMENT, THE OTHER ThREE TREATED AS INDICATED.
Interesting facts, that are borne out by similar tests, show that Douglas-fir
untreated is more durable than when charred or coated with asphalt emulsion.
Untreated, the above chart shows a life of 84 months, while the charred posts
had an average life of 76 months and asphalt-emulsion-coated posts 75 months.
The graph line of 57 months for cascara is not a comparable figure with
the other series, as these samples were small, 2 to 3 inches in diameter. For
such small posts their service life was very good. A new series of cascara posts
of larger size, 4 to 5 inches in diameter, were placed on January 29, 1938.
Attention should also be called to the other series of posts planted at the
same time, September 20, 1933, as the asphalt-emulsion-treated Douglas-fir posts
that have failed completely. In the same time 24 western white pine posts had
been removed, 21 Sitka spruce, 20 ponderosa pine, 17 sugar pine, and 17 western
larch, indicating that none of these species are very durable in this particular
climate. This is especially surprising with western larch, which has had a good
reputation in Eastern Oregon for durability.
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. GRIFFITI-I, Structural Engineering.
F. 0. MCMJLLAN, 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. RUFFNER, 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.
C. B. MCCULLOUGH, Assistant 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. POLHEMUS, President, Portland General Electric Company.
J. C. STEVENS, Consulting Civil and Hydraulic Engineer, Portland.
C. E. STRICKLIN, State Engineer, Salem.
Oregon State College
Corvallis
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