Geelhoutvlei Timbers
Poles and Roundings

Upcountry, they are known as gum poles. The Radiata and Pinaster pine poles of the Cape are the only pine poles South African National Authority (SANS) certified for use in building and fencing.

Due to its uniform, straight and slow growth Radiata makes a very fine pole. At Geelhoutvlei Timbers we offer Radiata pine tapered poles or rounded lathe poles.

The difference between tapered poles and rounded lathe poles is that in tapered poles only the bark and cambium is removed, and the poles retain their natural taper. Rounded lathe poles are put through a machine which removes all timber in a straight line with the top end diameter achieving a uniform smooth pole. This leads to various advantages and disadvantages:

The advantages of a tapered pole are:

• It is cheaper
• It is more durable due to the fact that no sap wood has been removed and that it therefore retains chemical during treatment better
• It is suitable for planting in the ground

The advantages of a rounded lathe pole:

• It is cylindrical and easier to work with
• Some people find it aesthetically more appealing due to the uniformity

All our poles are graded to SANS 457 and treated to SANS 457 H4 treatment.