Need to cut a few railroad ties, was wondering about getting the saw all tarred up. What would be the best saw? Chain, skil, other?
Sawing Railroad Ties
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I dunno what you guys use in the US for railroad sleepers, but Down Under they use ironbark . . . closest thing to steel or iron that literally grows on trees! It is awesome to burn because it is so dense (50% harder and denser than hickory) and a groan to cut because it is so hard. On top of that, when you get ex-sleepers, they have blue metal (roadbase gravel) dust all through the grooves which blunts anything quickly. I got a pile delivered for free a few years ago:
![[Hearth.com] Sawing Railroad Ties](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/firewood_sleeper_pile4-webp.208923/ "[Hearth.com] Sawing Railroad Ties")
And ended up burning a drop saw out trying to cut them into lengths. Our sleepers are thick enough that a 10" blade on a drop saw (non compound) had to make 4 cuts. I tried a chainsaw, it lasted only a few cuts. The combo of blue metal chips and dust plus seasoned ironbark was too much. I tried a circular saw, it didn't have the guts. In the end the drop saw (2000W electric with 10" blades, had a 24 tooth and a 36 tooth blade) and constant sharpening of the tungsten carbide tips by a local blade sharpener was the best option, but it was slow going. I'd love to know a better solution, ironbark sleepers are the best for burning! Maybe those plasma cutters or high-pressure water wands will go consumer grade soon
And ended up burning a drop saw out trying to cut them into lengths. Our sleepers are thick enough that a 10" blade on a drop saw (non compound) had to make 4 cuts. I tried a chainsaw, it lasted only a few cuts. The combo of blue metal chips and dust plus seasoned ironbark was too much. I tried a circular saw, it didn't have the guts. In the end the drop saw (2000W electric with 10" blades, had a 24 tooth and a 36 tooth blade) and constant sharpening of the tungsten carbide tips by a local blade sharpener was the best option, but it was slow going. I'd love to know a better solution, ironbark sleepers are the best for burning! Maybe those plasma cutters or high-pressure water wands will go consumer grade soon
Are thse things actually ok to burn? I would have thought whatever it is they use to treat the ties with would render them akin to pressure treated lumber and not something you want to stuff into a woodstove.o
Hey guys, I figured I would revive this old thread with a question. I have about 15 OLD railroad ties, about 15+ years old I'd say. I have no need for them, and at the risk of sounding like a noob, can those be burned or is that a nightmare of an idea? I have an indoor stove and am trying to gather some good wood, and these dumb things are just in the way in my yard. I know how to safely cut them, and if I clean my chimney after each season, whats the issue?
Thanks for not laughing too hard at my question.
Thanks for not laughing too hard at my question.
Probably treated. I wouldn't burn them, inside or out. The issue goes beyond your flue condition...it goes to what you're putting into the air out the top. Make a foundation for a wood shed, border a garden or a path, build a little retaining wall, whatever. I'd haul them to the dump rather than burn them. Unless, of course, you can confirm positively that they were never treated with anything...in that case, they're just wood. Rick
RR ties were treated with creosote only i htink, soaked & not pressurized i think. Cutting them is difficult. How hot they wanna burn & how much creo has evaporated ?tlhfirelion said:Hey guys, I figured I would revive this old thread with a question. I have about 15 OLD railroad ties, about 15+ years old I'd say. I have no need for them, and at the risk of sounding like a noob, can those be burned or is that a nightmare of an idea? I have an indoor stove and am trying to gather some good wood, and these dumb things are just in the way in my yard. I know how to safely cut them, and if I clean my chimney after each season, whats the issue?
Thanks for not laughing too hard at my question.
I will never forget when the owner of the local welding shop in my very small home town scored about 10 semi-loads of used railroad ties.
People thought he was going to sell them to the farmers for fence posts but no.....
He built himself an outside woodstove of epic proportions that used underground ductwork and a huuuuuge fan to blow the air into his shop.
He heated his shop for years with those railway ties. I can't seem to recall any of the town getting that upset over the blacksmoke that came out of that stove.
He built a smaller version, but didn't use ties, to heat his house.
Funny how memories are triggered. I know a guy who used open pails of used motor oil to run his Outside Wood boiler when he was low on wood. He rigged up a system where he was able to control the burn of the oil by using a cardboard lid of some sort to cover part of the surface. Strange things we human beings will do to avoid cutting real wood and doing things a better way.
People thought he was going to sell them to the farmers for fence posts but no.....
He built himself an outside woodstove of epic proportions that used underground ductwork and a huuuuuge fan to blow the air into his shop.
He heated his shop for years with those railway ties. I can't seem to recall any of the town getting that upset over the blacksmoke that came out of that stove.
He built a smaller version, but didn't use ties, to heat his house.
Funny how memories are triggered. I know a guy who used open pails of used motor oil to run his Outside Wood boiler when he was low on wood. He rigged up a system where he was able to control the burn of the oil by using a cardboard lid of some sort to cover part of the surface. Strange things we human beings will do to avoid cutting real wood and doing things a better way.
Many years ago when I was first starting out, I burnt some railroad ties in our wood stove. They were old dried oak that had been treated. They burnt really hot with just a huge amount of heat. Only problem was everyone in our town knew what I was doing, Lots of smoke and they really did stink. David
Me . . . I wouldn't want to put any RR ties into my woodstove . . . 1) I would be concerned with what is going up into the air that me and everyone around me is breathing and 2) I'm not a super enviro nut, but what I am is cheap and I would hate to have a creosote-soaked RR tie lead to a run-away fire that would damage my stove . . . that would cost me some serious money.
RR ties are a "no-no" to burn. The smoke generated is pretty toxic. A lot were treated with PCBs (from the 40s to 70s). PCBs are among the worst things to burn because Dioxins and other nasties are produced at a far higher concentration than regular wood burning.
In all fairness to the OP he said he needed to cut a few ties and said nothing about burning any.
tlhfirelion said:
It is a nightmare of an idea. Actually a really bad idea for lots of reasons plus the ones that have been mentioned above. It just ain't worth it.
Its gonna be hell on your stove, hell on your pipes, hell in the air and hell on the people. Please dispose of them properly (or better yet, find a good use for them)
Just one dudes opinion.
oldspark said:
Hey now Old Spark . . . try to be nice to our members . . . we don't tolerate name calling here.
ihookem said:
Build yourself a gasser that takes an 8'6" log and you'll be disposing of them about as well as can be done, otherwise leave em alone.
I have no knowledge of what is in new ties, but they are pressure treated all the way through. Many are red oak and other species that aren't rot resistant at all. In years past penta was the preservative of choice, probably still is.
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