This oddball wooden spacer was once a familiar sight here in London, Ontario. There were once loads of these used on the three phase low voltage distribution circuits that ran through a lot of the residential parts of the city. It's a simple design: two wooden slats with companion grooves that are bolted together so that the line wires would have been held in the grooves. The galvanized bracket affixed to one side could be used to run drop wires to residences. London Hydro must have custom ordered these back in the day as I've never seen them in use anywhere else. They turn up in areas of the city that were built into the 1950s or so, and then seem to have been replaced by fibreglass spacers by maybe the 1960s or 70s. Most of these are long gone, but the odd one can still be seen in use here or there. I'm not sure what sort of wood they were made of, but I'd guess cedar or tamarack. This example would have come from a line crew working in a part of the city that was likely electrified in the 1920s or 30s. I got truck loads of stuff from them back in the 2000s while I was still in high school. I guess this piece is nearly 100 years old now and it seems to have held up well despite decades in the air!

This example has the surface weathering typical of old power line hardware. The wood is grey toned and well weathered with a few ancient bore holes from sort of burrowing insect. The metal parts, once grey with zinc galvanization, are kinda rusty in a several spots. The side bracket that once bore a drop wire still retains most of its galvanization. The bolts are all pretty seized and will not likely want to come apart anymore. Overall it's in solid condition but looks the part of its age.

I'm asking $50 USD plus actual shipping cost for this piece. I'm always happy to trade for early Canadian glass or Canadian-made porcelain insulators. I have a long-standing want list of Canadian-made porcelain posted, [id=505519866; please click here to see it]. I accept PayPal, or personal cheque from any member of ICON or any collector with whom I have dealt before. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or for more photos, and look through my other items or unsold sales stock to combine shipping on items.