Telephone pole logs...

[Mac Smith]

I just came up on a bunch of old telephone poles. What should I use to cut out the holes for the handles?

[ClayEdgin]

I used a chainsaw and that worked fine. I had to dig out a few inches at a time with the tip of the saw.

[Jay Hagadorn]

Mac-

The only thing I've ever seen used to cut the holes was a chainsaw. Maybe there are better ideas out there though...

[Mac Smith]

how big were the holes Clay?

[Jay Hagadorn]

Mac-

Here is a link that tells you how to do it step by step.

http://www.ontariostrongman.ca/Resources/training/basic_primer.html#gym

[SqeezeMasterFlash]

I tried all kinds of things and the best was an air chisel. Score out the holes with a sawzall and then dig in with the chisel. Don't use a spoon bit on your drill to make the holes for the handles and the bar. Spend the money on a good bit and it will save you a ton of time.

[Mac Smith]

Thanks fellas!!! These will be my first logs and only the second time I've ever lifted a log. I'm really excited!!!!

[ClayEdgin]

Mac, I made the openings 8" x 8" square but now realize that was too much. 6" x 6" would be fine. One thing I wish I had done before using the chainsaw was to drill a 1" hole all the way through the log for the handle, and THEN dig out the holes with the chainsaw. Instead, I dig the hole out first and then had to drill two different holes and it was a pain in the cajones to make sure the holes were lined up properly so that a piece of pipe for a handle would go all the way through.

[rob meulenberg]

I just came up on a bunch of old telephone poles. What should I use to cut out the holes for the handles?

One word for you...CABER!!!!

If I was near Vegas, i would steal one from ya! lol

[Grant Buhr]

Maybe it's just me, but I've found that cutouts smaller than 8x8 chew the hell out of the bottom of my forearms during the clean.

[MarshallWhite]

I once saw ortmayer hack the holes out with a dull hatchet! It took him like 2 days but it got the job done (sort of)

[Patrick McGuffin]

I once saw ortmayer hack the holes out with a dull hatchet! It took him like 2 days but it got the job done (sort of)

i think i would of paid to see someone do that....hahahahahaha

[Paul Neuhaus]

Does anyone have pics of their wooden logs? I'd like to see an up-close of the top view, to see how they're put together.

[ClayEdgin]

Here's a pic showing the handle setup. What I did was drill that 1" hole through the log for the handle. Then I took a 1" washer and drilled a hole on each side of the 1" hole. Then I slid the handle through the log, put the washer on each end of the log, and put a lag screw in each hole on the washer to keep it tight to the log. Then I just tack welded the handle to the washer in a couple places. What I have to do next is cut off the excess pipe sticking out and clean the area up a bit.

I used galvanized pipe for one of the handles and it welded like crap, but the other one tacked real easily.

I've seen wooden logs where the pipe ends are just peened over but that isn't always reliable and it can loosen over time.