I have 8 poles. I think I'll peel the worst one, and try the WD40 to see if the sawdust stops.
If that doesn't work, I have to decide between the Bora-Care or burning. The Bora-care will cost more than the 8 poles cost, but I can't find any poles in the Houston area, so replacing them would be hard.
If the peeling goes well, I'll keep going. Last time I tried to peel cedar bark, it took me a long time. Learning curve, I guess...
Thanks for all of the suggestions. If you have more, bring them on.
And I don't freak out if folks stray from the original topic. I like good stories.
Good post, John! I like your attitude!
I believe those poles will need to be peeled for best results, regardless of the chemical pest control you choose. I would be concerned about the bark absorbing all or most of the treating agent, and it sounds as if the bugs are already in the wood. I would peel them even if I used Bora-Care.
The sap is up in the trees now, and as a rule, late spring and summer cut wood peels more easily than winter cut wood because of this. So, if the poles were recently cut, the bark ought to peel right off. I have harvested cedar bark from my trees to use for tinder, wadding, and twisting into cordage. The outer bark is waste, but the fresh inner bark has a texture almost like leather. I don't know how big your poles are, and I doubt I've peeled that much cedar at one time, but at this time of year, you can pretty much pull fresh bark off with your hands. I would start at the big end and peel toward the small end. You can use a wood chisel to push in the cut end of the pole between the actual wood and the inner bark. Loosen a piece enough that you can grab it with your hand, then just pull it away from the wood. If all goes well, you can pull off a piece several feet long. Keep going until the pole is clean. You can use your pocket knife to cut off any stubborn bits around the bases of limbs.
There is a specialized tool called a "spud" which is used for loosening and prying off bark. Our frontier ancestors, living off the land, would peel bark by the wagonload to sell to tanneries. They called it "tanbark." "Vegetable tanned" leather is actually bark tanned. In any event, the spud was a well-known tool back in the day.
If the poles have dried out and/or were winter cut, the bark will be harder to peel, and a drawknife will be the best tool for the job. It will go a lot faster if you have a helper to serve as a "clamp." Lay the pole across sawhorses, and start at the big end, peeling with your drawknife. Cut deep, taking the inner bark off with the outer. Your helper will hold the other end of the pole to keep it from shifting and to rotate the pole for you when needed. As you progress, your helper can move to the other end of the pole. Without a human helper, you can make-do with C clamps or maybe even a pipe clamp, but it will take longer as you have to stop peeling to reposition the clamp.
Years ago, I cut a truckload of fire-killed cypress posts for a fencing job. The posts were heavy enough that they didn't need to be clamped, so I just jury-rigged some vee-blocks to hold them. Peeling the posts wasn't difficult, but just took a little time. If your poles are heavy enough, some simple vee-blocks might be handier than a clamp.
However you go about it, if I were you I would get on it pretty soon to minimize bug damage to your poles and to get rid of those little varmints and keep them from spreading. I would go ahead and peel all eight poles. They will look fine without the bark.
Best regards,
Notchy Bob
