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hedge posts

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jigs

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I have a creek that has alot more hedge than I can use. I am looking into selling off the hedge. everyone building fence around here wants to have the posts, but won't pay for them. if I cut them I could easily get 6 for lines and 15 for corners..... I offered a guy to cut all he wants and pay me 3 for line and 9 for corners.


this sound fair? any other ideas?
 
jigs said:
I have a creek that has alot more hedge than I can use. I am looking into selling off the hedge. everyone building fence around here wants to have the posts, but won't pay for them. if I cut them I could easily get 6 for lines and 15 for corners..... I offered a guy to cut all he wants and pay me 3 for line and 9 for corners.


this sound fair? any other ideas?

What are you calling hedge. Is that like our "Mock Orange" or "Bois D'Darc"?

Yea 1/2 sounds like a fair deal to me.
 
I feel you are being very fair but around here every one feels the post must be from a sawmill to be good.

In this area it is hard to find a hedge post stright but if you want to you can usually turn the curve in line with the fence and they last forever.

If you get them sold it will probably be to an older generation person that knows quality counts more than looks.
 
Only problem with those posts George, after about 10 years you can't drive a staple in them. :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
I had one of the straightest and tallest hedge trees ( our variety is Osage Orange) I have ever seen. It was over 40 foot tall and grew in three main beams. I got 11 corners out of it, and quite a pile of line posts!
 
Mike said:
jigs said:
I have a creek that has alot more hedge than I can use. I am looking into selling off the hedge. everyone building fence around here wants to have the posts, but won't pay for them. if I cut them I could easily get 6 for lines and 15 for corners..... I offered a guy to cut all he wants and pay me 3 for line and 9 for corners.


this sound fair? any other ideas?

What are you calling hedge. Is that like our "Mock Orange" or "Bois D'Darc"?

Yea 1/2 sounds like a fair deal to me.
I have always called "Hedge" - "Osage Orange". BTW - are you saying you can get $15.00 each for corners and $6.00 for line posts??? Holy Cow - I knew prices have gone up, but that is a pretty steep amount of bucks, even thought they do last 50 years! And if you are going to try to drive staples in them , you had better drill starter holes!

DOC HARRIS
 
Jigs, I do not know what part of Kansas you are in, but around here some people that have more hedge posts than they can use themselves take them to the sale barn. There are a couple sale barns around here that sell stuff outside before they have the cattle sale.
By the way I do not think you are out of line on the price of the line and corners, in fact line post bring around 8 dollars here, corners are about the same as yours.
 
Posts are in short supply up here. The local lumber yard that usually sells several loads of posts a year had their order rejected because the plant has no idea when they can fill it.

For them hedge posts, is there a staple that will work in a battery operated brad nailer?
 
Jason said:
Posts are in short supply up here. The local lumber yard that usually sells several loads of posts a year had their order rejected because the plant has no idea when they can fill it.

For them hedge posts, is there a staple that will work in a battery operated brad nailer?

I'm afraid those would bend also Jason. These posts seem like they turn to stone when they cure. We sometimes have to tie the barbed wire to the posts with another piece of wire.

They do make a short staple, but you still have to start it in a crack in the post.

Osage makes dang good firewood too! Burns a "Blue" flame.
 
I've just seen them power nailers nail some pretty hard wood. Thought maybe would be worth a try.

Always seems to be a down side with a good thing. The post lasts and lasts but you have a heck of a time tying the fence to it :lol:
 
Tommy said:
Jigs, I do not know what part of Kansas you are in, but around here some people that have more hedge posts than they can use themselves take them to the sale barn. There are a couple sale barns around here that sell stuff outside before they have the cattle sale.
By the way I do not think you are out of line on the price of the line and corners, in fact line post bring around 8 dollars here, corners are about the same as yours.
Hey Jigs, my comment about the Hedge Posts being expensive - - it wasn't that I thought they were too expensive - it was a sudden realization that it has been almost 58 years since I had considered - - "Osage Orange Posts". They aren't used in Colorado, and I had - -I mean - - uh - -it's just that - -well, I mean - - Uh - - -hmmmm - I guess I'm getting old! That's it! Yes, it's the cat's fault! She never told me that Osage Orange prices were going out of sight. Blame the cat!

DOC HARRIS
 
I do not know what the market is for them as we cut all our own and dont' sell any, got a lot that need cut out so the trees can work at coming back. Don't even know what variety of Hedge it is, I'd asume Osage.

The rule for us is double staple when the post is new or tie with baling wire, no use wasting the staple
s and energy cussing the post out after you bend so many staples
 
We use tie wire and just tie the fence to the hedge post. You all get staples drove in them. Impressive. With tie wire and the crookedness of the hedge posts that can be bought around here then the wire can just be right with the post and kept tight. Some people in the area use a drill and drill a hole through the post and run the tie wire through the hole at every line of wire.
 
I've built 10 miles of fence with hedge (osage orange) over the years. A great uncle taught me a great trick to get hedge to hold staples. Peal the bark off of the "backside" of the post . . . meaning the opposite side from the staples. This works exceptionally well if the posts are planted within a year of their being cut. Generally, 80 to 90 % of the staples will then hold for years.

The reason they "crack" where the staples are - is that part of the post then dries more quickly. If you peel the bark with an ax the posts dry more evenly and the "cracks" where the staples are don't "grow".

Works best if the posts have at least a 3" top. Also, i have had the best luck with a 1" to 1 1/2" barbed and rosin staple.
 
bjb-iowa said:
I've built 10 miles of fence with hedge (osage orange) over the years. A great uncle taught me a great trick to get hedge to hold staples. Peal the bark off of the "backside" of the post . . . meaning the opposite side from the staples. This works exceptionally well if the posts are planted within a year of their being cut. Generally, 80 to 90 % of the staples will then hold for years.

The reason they "crack" where the staples are - is that part of the post then dries more quickly. If you peel the bark with an ax the posts dry more evenly and the "cracks" where the staples are don't "grow".

Works best if the posts have at least a 3" top. Also, i have had the best luck with a 1" to 1 1/2" barbed and rosin staple.

I'll try that. Another thing about these hedge posts is.........it's hard digging a crooked posthole to fit the post. I have those older diggers and they dig a straight hole only.
 
Mike...I'll try that. Another thing about these hedge posts is.........it's hard digging a crooked posthole to fit the post. I have those older diggers and they dig a straight hole only.


Mike I just cut the staightest ones for posts, use the crooked hedge for firewood. The good thing about hedge is they will outlast just about anything else.
 

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