I've removed more stumps than I can recall at age 73 and this is the best method there is in my opinion. But I did learn from your video. I never removed the bark for a cleaner entry point. That's a good idea. Thanks
I own a stump grinding service company. Occasionally, I'll use a similar technique. I dig a little lower and then clean up the bark/dirt with an axe, like you did. But I come in a little higher with my saw and angle the tip down a little so I'm mostly cutting deeper than my entry point level. I cut around the edges with my Sawzall and then cut out the middle of the high half under the saw entry point... finally completing that cut with my Sawzall. The use of the Sawzall greatly increases the odds that your chain will emerge unscathed!
Saw arrived yesterday ru-vid.comUgkxfQm1wmg0ItKDLavxj1nXtQY9HP7EF504 and today I cut about 3/4 cord of wood with it. Make sure you get an extension chord that is at least 12 gauge wire, minimum. This is my first electric in about 10 years, and things sure have improved. The self-sharpener works great, and it just kept cutting through some pretty decent logs. Wear your eye protection, and ear protection. Excellent saw.
I like this cutting technique. Thank you for sharing. Regarding the bark removal, I've heard generally that it is good to remove the bark at the site of any cut since the wind carries debris which gets lodged in the bark and contributes to dulling the chain. Cheers!
This works fine. I've done it a number of times. I also just let the stumps let the stumps rot. Had a couple of 12" stump diameter Maples in the yard. Cut them about 3" above ground. Immediately put some full strength Roundup or Crossbow on the stumps to prevent shoots from coming up. Also grooved the wood on top to collect water. Every once in a while I would hit the top of the stumps with tip of my chainsaw while doing other yard work. The stumps rotted away in a couple of years.
Always negative comments on a good video like this - probably most from all the stump grinders out there who buy big buck equipment and then gouge everyone for stump grinding. I like cutting them off similar to this and then burning them out. I've saved thousands of dollars over the years doing it this way. I use an older bar and chain and sharpened and clean the entire saw when finished. I say - good video and thank you.
Good job and nice to see a homeowner actually wearing safety kit with chaps and helmet 👍🏻. I cringe when I see guys working a saw in jeans because you only have one chainsaw accident and it will be your last.
Thank you, sir! The previous owner left a stump in the front yard and just put a flower bed around it. It was nice when there were flowers, but now it's just a hassle to mow around. I dug down a ways and cut it like the video. Then I cut a grid pattern and came in from the side and knocked out a bit more. Looks good now. I just need to pick up some sod to patch that spot up.
I've been doing this over well 30 years and I think this a bit overcomplicated to be honest. A decent spade will clear the bark off and remove the worst if not all of the soil. Bear in mind the saw exhaust is blowing the soil/dust/grit around and over the chain so a good plan is dampen the ground around the stump and stamp it down before you do any cutting. Don't bother with boring into the stump (very dangerous for the inexperienced!) just cut with a 'pulling' chain straight across. Best plan is just to have a spare old crappy chain if you need to do this task!
Also if you cut it low then dig up the highest portions and cut grooves into the stump and roots you can use your axe to bust of chunks and fill dirt back on top leaving the stump and roots 5 or 6 or less inches under the ground depending on how much you want to do it
Been grinding stumps / roots, for 32 yrs. Love to see stump vids, whoda thunk? Done plenty, as big as a pickup truck. We have had a lot of hurricanes, plenty of em uprooted.
Thank you for posting this. I appreciate it! I've got to remove some stumps this week and was wondering what the best way to do that with my chainsaw was!
You are really winded. But I can tell this was very hard work. Great video and very informative. I love You Tube videos that I can actually learn something. Thanks.
Nice flushcut. Easy enough to split away dirt/bark/outer layer of wood all the way around a small softwood stump like that, better chance of less chain dulling
Thanks Paul! Great idea to save your chain! I usually make pie cuts into the stump from the top n then have to chisel em out but your way looks way better than mine. The pie cuts might still be good to help it rot out faster.
@@OneWildTurkey Yes sir. I was speaking more in regards to the spelling error when I commented :). Just uploaded a quick video dropping a black locust using a bore/plunge cut and a step cut for the backcut, with a dutchman to swing the top around another tree. Have a great weekend.
I just did this today but dug down about 8 inches and a couple feet around. Sprayed with a hose to get any dirt off stump. Let the water drain down. Cut off well below ground level. Threw some sod over top.
I love the speed up shoveling... Gets ya goin' But the speed up cuttin' sounds way too much like a dental drill.... Great video, good logic Don't wreck your chain if you don't have to.
Ive done it by gouging out the center with the chainsaw. An axe does a pretty good job with almost the same amount of effort and easier to sharpen afterwards.
yep, and then use reciprocating saw to cut the outer edges. I hit dirt with the chainsaw otherwise and sick of doing that, did it again today ruined new chainsaw blade after about 10 seconds.
If your chain dulls from a little dirt hit, just sharpen it like you should. Don't be afraid of a little dirt, learn what maintenance sharpening is. I abuse my saws constantly, maintenance sharpening allows them to cut better than any normal homeowner that doesn't know what their doing.
Make + shaped plunge cuts into the stump that is in the ground to fasten decay. If you are in cold climate the water will freeze and expand and crack the stump as well.
I need to do something similar, possibly a bit lower than ground level. Will anything grow back from the stump? Or did you do something to kill it before this stage?
If you go lower than ground level you have to dig wide enough for the saw. I didn't have any sprouting from the pine but other species may. Use herbicide or pruning to eliminate.
Firemen use those to cut through nails into burning houses. They advanced those carbide tipped chain designs greatly after the eruption of Mount St Helens because the ash was trashing their chains!
Honestly I'm not impressed with the one I got. $200 for the chain, $35 to sharpen it. Stihl shop said that the sharpening tool they sell has too high of RPMs for the stone to do at home, they have the correct stone and slower grinder. Still blued all my tips. From new the chain wasn't that sharp, haven't tried it since the sharpen. Quicker for me to swap out regular chains and hand file later
Do you think I can clear 0.40 acres from A to Z with a chainsaw? If I have a whole year to do it on weekends! Can I do it in ur opinion? Thank you for the video sir
I do the same to clean the stump but I just use the tip and angle the saw at 10 degrees so it pops out like a pencil, then the middle is below ground level, only the very edge is above, its impossible to catch the soil this way
A lot of work, and then a few months later one or more of the roots might continue growing, find the surface and start a new tree. Best to chemically kill the roots, although not environmentally friendly, I won’t tell anyone!
Fill those grooves and slots with old engine oil, that’ll finish off any attempt at regrowth. I cover the stump with a plastic bag, level it back up to the lawn, add in some grass seed. A few weeks later - where was that stump?
@@nickybritain4900 yeah but oil will stop fungi from eating the stump. I find that they naturally rot pretty quick then you can pull em out or even shove a wedge in there, sledge it in and bust it up
True.........so many spend money on total removal when there often is no need. It does work better with a longer chain / bar ...and to keep way from the dirt..... yah only need a small starting area thats clean.....as long as the chain teeth are not pulling directly into the dirt...the natural wood is as clean as it gets...always have the chain cutting ///// pulling the dirt towards you and dont let the top part of the chain / bar go out the far end. Otherwise you would be pulling the dirt into the teeth. This way....its almost harmless to the teeth. But there is always sand and dirt in a stop since its that close to the ground
I just removed a elm tree and while it was 10ft tall I put a rope around the top and dug around the tree and cut roots and pulled the tree over and got the whole stump and roots out, much better, but don't cut it down to ground level before trying to remove it.
I hate stumps exactly this much too, and I love my Granberg as much as I hate stumps. This is exactly how I do it and it's always my last cut because I'm going to give the chain some love either way.
That'll work. Sometimes you'll hit a rock. Sometimes you're lucky. I never use a new chain for this. For the follow up, you can drill 1" holes in it with a paddle bit. Cover the area with dirt. In a few years, it'll rot away.
What about cutting into the stump with the saw, sort of like slicing a cake? Then remove small, shallow chunks at a time. Seems to me you could end up cutting below ground level on all but the very perimeter. Then you'd have a sort of "bowl" to catch and hold water, to help rot the remaining below-ground root.
Haven’t tried it yet, but was told if roots are angled into the dirt that you can powerwash them several inches below grade. You can powerwash the dirt! Bet it’ll fly and be a dirty job. Lol.
@@paulreitzel9407 ,It's best way ...I have removed stumps this way also ..Blow the dirt from around roots and cut with recipecating electric saw .. Leaves stump long when you cut tree like 4 ft high so you can grab it and work.it out of ground ... Pressure washer is just great I can get 6 inch's under ground level to cut stump and grow grass on it ....
I always dig just a couple inches deeper and I could care less about spending time and work of removing bark from the stump. Chainsaw blades are not expensive anymore. I keep one blade for 'digging' in the dirt and a couple good blades for normal chainsaw use.
You could of left the height of stump you had and cut a deep cross cut from above splitting the stump in 4 parts then using a sledge hammer break the stumps apart and away from the roots. Just fill the hole with sand. It will dip over time as it rots just top it off when it does.
I use pressure washer with tip that will blow dirt out around stump .,.. This way you can cut deeper in stump and use dirt to cover and plant grass seed ... Pressure washer can make hole around stump much wider so your chain does not hit dirt ...
Yes, if you are dealing with a small tree that has not already been cut down, leaving the entire tree gives you the mass of the tree to help with leverage in chopping the stump out.
One thing to consider is air flow for cooling your saw . That close to the ground restricts air flow and you could fry your saw on a hot day. I’ve cut tree for thirty plus years and never cut stumps that short , maybe leave em five inches high and pay real money to have them ground out by a pro.
Or use one of those cheap $39 electric chainsaws from Harbor Freight just for this job. I wouldn't use a good saw on it. If away from the house, you can use a generator or power inverter on a truck battery.
Before we remove the tree, think and ask. Keep timber or just remove tree and stump? For timber cut as low as possible. For tree and trunk removal - cut 6-10 ft up. 6-10 ft up enables good leverage on stump. Use pully system between 6-10 ft end and an anchor such as a second tree trunk base, of equal or a larger tree or several smaller trees. Use choke tie on trunk so connections don’t slip. Watch that stump slowly give in.
Or just cut it out with a saw in maybe half the time and half the complex. A saw blade is cheap, and in my area 8 dollars to resharpen. i use the oregoin power cut bar/chain on my stihl 170 and been taking out 6-12" stumps just like this in 5-10mins if that. I like to wait when the ground is wet to make scrapping the dirt back much easier.
Not sure what stump grinding guys charge in your area, but at a guess I would have nearly done them at $50 a pop, 6-8" under, never have to worry about them again, establish grass properly over it
One smart man !!!!! Instead of paying to have them romoved.......so much cheaper and quicker to just cut them off ! Also....consider just adding a mound of dirt around the stump so you can glide over it. No need to cut them then ! At that height of a stump....might need a half wheel barrel of dirt.
Yes, but with this technique the chain really doesn't dull much. In fact after that video was made I leveled several more stumps before I needed to touch up the chain.Thanks for your input.
I didn't see anything about removing a tree stump, just cutting one flush with the ground. When I remove a stump, I blow the ground around it away with my pressure washer, then after it dries, I cut the roots with my chain saw and pull the stump out of the ground with my crane.
We had one down the street. We loaded it up with charcoal and it burned for 2 days. We took turns watching it & would fan it with a leaf blower once in awhile.
