On 24/02/19 17:34, David wrote:
On Sun, 24 Feb 2019 09:00:04 +0000, Jeff Layman wrote:

Anyone got any experience with these? There are lots available on Amazon
but there are some very poor reviews, mainly of those which really are
made of wire. There are better reviews of those made like chainsaws.

I have an old Cornus I have to dig up, and have limited access. I've cut
it down so there are only half-a-dozen trunks left; they are about 7 or
8 cm in diameter and 30 cm long (left purposely that length to help with
leverage). The main problem is that some of the roots go under a tarmac
drive. Previous experience removing a ceanothus suggests a lot of hard
work in on the way. I wondered about using a wire saw to cut through the
roots, as it should be possible to use a small trowel to dig a channel
under the roots wide enough to pass the wire saw through.

Have you considered a reciprocating saw?

You might wreck a couple of blades but they are good for rough cutting.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/mac-allis...reciprocating-
saw-220-240v/625fx

as an example.

Yes, but those pebbles (see my reply to Janet) are a pain for anything
cutting where you can't really see what's there. I've found I can use
loppers on fairly wide roots by using them at an angle and cutting
wedges out of the root until I can progress to cut all the way through
it. It's very tiring, though.

--

Jeff