Specification and Guide to FencePosts and Lazerlogs October 2011
Introduction Croft Pole Distributors Ltd has been a producer of poles, posts, lazerlogs and timber since 1987. The company specializes in the production of pine products for harsh environment or severe outdoor service with treatment to Hazard Classes H4, H5 and H6.
1 Scope: This specification details requirements for treated timber posts and poles for medium hazard in ground service. When used as a structural pole the design of the pole shall generally take into account, as appropriate, the limit states of stability strength, serviceability, durability and other requirements of AN/NZS 4676:2000. 2 Design Environment: Climatic design parameter Climate Climatic design value Temperate Coastal- saline Ambient Air Temperatures Normal range -5 to 35 C Mean Annual 15.5 C Rainfall average 1200mm Relative Humidity Up to 100% Altitude 1-1000m 3 Quality: General requirements: Each pole/post shall be sound, reasonably straight, uniformly tapered and free from excessive flare at the butt.
4 Timber Species and Source The species used shall be High Density Pinus Radiata sourced exclusively from Northland forests. Latitude 35 to 36 South. Crofts approach to foundation pile production starts with a long term supply of high density radiata pine. Crofts currently has in place supply agreements with logging contractors for low altitude, northern region and coastally grown pine. Tree age and knot size specification ensure that the stringent quality parameters to meet the New Zealand standards for foundation pile and anchor pile strength requirements are met. Wood is currently sourced from forests that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as sustainable forests. 5 Timber Grade Excluded defects Poles shall be visually inspected for the following defects. Visible defects shall not exceed the defined limits and any pole that exhibits defects in a position or to such extent that the structural integrity or service life of the pole or post is reduced, shall be rejected - decay - checks- the top and side surfaces shall be free from injurious checks and splits - Insect damage damage by insects or larvae including excessive superficial damage by bark boring insects - Transverse fractures - Shakes - Knots- large decayed or loose knots - End splits
6 Peeling Posts and Poles All outer bark and at least 90% of the cambium layer shall be removed, with no piece longer than 75mm or wider than 12mm remaining. The cutting heads shall follow the natural contours and irregularities of the pole and remove a minimum of wood so as to retain full strength. Only the minimum amount of sapwood shall be removed during peeling operations. 7 Rounding Lazerlogs Lazerlogs are given a second machining using a specially designed rotational cutter to produce a pole with a uniform diameter over the entire length. 8 Steam Seasoning Before chemical impregnation, each post shall be seasoned by low pressure steaming. 9 Physical Preparation Where the customer has specified incising, boring, chamfering, surfacing spitting, pointing etc, this shall be done before treatment with preservative. The finished surface shall be reasonably smooth and free from loose splinters and not damaged from chainsaw notches or axe cuts. Pointing of driven ends to Customer Specifications
10 Preservative Treatment The poles shall be treated with Chrome Copper Arsenate Oxide (CCA Oxide) to a hazard class either H4 or to H5 hazard class complying with NZS3640:2003 using an alternating pressure method cycle. The preservative shall be approved under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996. Penetration of the preservative shall be to the full depth of the sapwood present. Insufficient penetration Full sapwood penetration achieved by Crofts APM treatment Core sampling and boring in determination of the penetration of the preservative process shall be in accordance with the quality standards required by NZS 3640:2003 and AS2209-1994. 11 Branding/Tags Each pole shall be branded or tagged with a code providing the following information. Treatment plant registration number (409) Preservative code number CCA (01) Hazard class (H5 or H4) Woodmark Registration Symbol
12 Size and Strength Poles will be specified by nominal length, and minimum small end diameter. Lazerlogs shall be specified nominal length, and wet state machined diameter. Proof Testing for Wood Supply Quality Assurance Proof testing is used on an annual basis to confirm the calculated strength of the poles and as a quality check of the actual timber characteristic stresses. A small sample set of poles, posts or lazerlogs shall be randomly selected and stress tested.the pole shall be orientated for proof testing with its axis horizontal and the load applied at right angles. Crofts three-point-bending test rig Hydraulically loaded with Loadrite Electronic scale Postwood Test Photos 100mm X 2.7m Lazerlog 125mm X 2.7m Lazerlog 125mm X 2.7m SEDPost GL Load 400kg GL Load 800kg GL Load 1350kg
Postwood Standard Sizes Rounds 70-90 90-124 125-149 150 Diameter (mm) 1.8 m 2.4 m 2.7 m 3.0 m 3.6 m On request Half rounds 125 150 180 Flat face (mm) 1.8 m 2.4 m 2.7 m 3.0 m 3.6 m Quarters 75 100 Flat face (mm) 1.8 m 2.4 m 2.7 m Strainers 150 175 200 Diameter (mm) 1.8 2.4 2.7 3.0
H5 LAZERLOGS - Sizes Available Diameter 90mm 100mm 125mm 150mm 175mm 200mm Length 1.2m spec spec spec spec 1.5m spec spec spec spec spec spec 1.8m spec spec std std std std 2.1m spec std std std std std 2.4m spec std std std std std 2.7m spec std std std std std 3.0m spec spec std std std std 3.6m spec spec std std std std 4.2m spec spec spec std std std 4.8m spec spec std std std 5.4m spec spec spec spec 6.0m spec spec spec 7.0m spec spec spec 8.0m spec spec spec
Key Managers and Technical Staff Darrell Croft Managing Director 38 years forest industry experience including forest management, logging, sawmilling, preservative treatment and sales. Sawmill operation since 1980. 3rd generation sawmiller in Northland. David Watson- General Manager Bachelor of Engineering and Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration. 24 years industrial processing experience with 10 years of Pulp and Paper technology design and management. Felice Croft- Production Manager /Quality Control 8 years experience in timber processing. National qualification in timber testing and grading and independently verified by Graderight NZ. Registrations and Certifications Current qualifications held by Crofts for the production of certified timber products includes: Registered as an Approved Foundation Pile Producer (Plant No3) Timber Preservation Council registration for CCA treatment of timber Woodmark- registration and certification Graderight Verified for visual grading and mechanical stress testing of timber Applicable New Zealand Standards NZS3605:2001 Timber Piles and Poles for Use in Building NZS 3640: 2003 Chemical Preservation of Round and Sawn Timber NZS 3631:1988 Timber Grading Rules