I have felled about 60 trees in our small wood, some pine, some ash and
beech, most have trunks about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Initially i made
the mistake of chainsawing them flush with the ground, but soon found thet
chain saws soon blunt because of the grit around the base of tree trunks.
Subsequently i cut them leaving about 3 feet standing. I haven't got a
tractor or JCB to pull them bodily out with, in fact I don't really want to
tear the place up to that extent. What's the correct way of cutting them
flush to the ground without the local sharepening place having next years
holiday on me? What's a stump grinder? Thanks.

The message
from Chris contains these words:

I have felled about 60 trees in our small wood, some pine, some ash and
beech, most have trunks about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Initially i made
the mistake of chainsawing them flush with the ground, but soon found thet
chain saws soon blunt because of the grit around the base of tree trunks.
Subsequently i cut them leaving about 3 feet standing. I haven't got a
tractor or JCB to pull them bodily out with, in fact I don't really want to
tear the place up to that extent. What's the correct way of cutting them
flush to the ground without the local sharepening place having next years
holiday on me? What's a stump grinder? Thanks.

Digging round them and cutting the roots while they are still standing,
then pulling them over.

You've just made an awful lot of work for yourself.

--
Rusty
horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

Chris wrote:
I have felled about 60 trees in our small wood, some pine, some ash and
beech, most have trunks about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Initially i made
the mistake of chainsawing them flush with the ground, but soon found thet
chain saws soon blunt because of the grit around the base of tree trunks.
Subsequently i cut them leaving about 3 feet standing. I haven't got a
tractor or JCB to pull them bodily out with, in fact I don't really want to
tear the place up to that extent. What's the correct way of cutting them
flush to the ground without the local sharepening place having next years
holiday on me? What's a stump grinder? Thanks.

What I have been doing with the trees I've been cutting down on our
land is to cut 'normally', i.e. two or three feet above ground and
then, as a separate exercise, cut the stumps close to the ground.

When most of the tree is gone it's much easier to dig around the stump
and clean things up so that you can use a chainsaw pretty close to the
ground. Dig a shallow trench around the base of the trunk and then
use a stiff brush to clean soil off the trunk. Then, with a little
perseverence, you can cut close to the ground without blunting the
chain too often.

Also, it's very simple and quick to sharpen your own chain(s). I
thought it would be difficult too but when I tried it (with a Dremel
clone, plus attachment, not expensive) it was very quick and easy, I
was pleasantly surprised.

--
Chris Green

wrote:
[...]
Also, it's very simple and quick to sharpen your own chain(s). I
thought it would be difficult too but when I tried it (with a
Dremel
clone, plus attachment, not expensive) it was very quick and easy,
I
was pleasantly surprised.

Yes, it is an easy job; but don't forget to take off the chain and
smooth the burr off the bar regularly -- not cutting your fingers on
said nasty burr! Then, of course, take up the slack when refitting.

--
Mike.

On 3 Nov 2005 12:30:35 GMT, wrote:


Also, it's very simple and quick to sharpen your own chain(s). I
thought it would be difficult too but when I tried it (with a Dremel
clone, plus attachment, not expensive) it was very quick and easy, I
was pleasantly surprised.

You don't need that, just the correct size of round chainsaw file in
an appropriate holder + occasional use of a flat file with a guide on
the depth gauges of the teeth. Your local chainsaw supplier will
advise you and sell you the right kit. You can do that in the wood.
most operators cut close to the ground - the bigger diameter there
gives you more chance to use a felling lever or wedges to tip the tree
over in the right direction. Get a demo or tuition in using
directional felling techniques and in saw maintenance.

Rod

To reply use rodtheweedygardeneratmyweedyisp - just remove the weedy bits and plant the sqiggly thing at.

http://website.lineone.net/~rodcraddock/index.html

Rod wrote:
On 3 Nov 2005 12:30:35 GMT, wrote:


Also, it's very simple and quick to sharpen your own chain(s). I
thought it would be difficult too but when I tried it (with a Dremel
clone, plus attachment, not expensive) it was very quick and easy, I
was pleasantly surprised.

You don't need that,

You don't need it no, but it makes the job very easy indeed. I had
the Dremel clone already and bought the chain saw extras on a whim
when I saw them on special offer.

--
Chris Green

Also, it's very simple and quick to sharpen your own chain(s). I
thought it would be difficult too but when I tried it (with a
Dremel
clone, plus attachment, not expensive) it was very quick and easy,
I
was pleasantly surprised.

Yes, it is an easy job; but don't forget to take off the chain and
smooth the burr off the bar regularly -- not cutting your fingers on
said nasty burr! Then, of course, take up the slack when refitting.

However you do it, sharpening your saw regularly is an important part of
using it safely. Just as with any cutting tool, using a blunt saw can be
dangerous, so learn to sharpen it yourself. Lots of advice on the web.

If you are still following this thread,
Any roots left in will rot down, expect mushrooms or toad stools in due
course.

regards
Cineman
"Chris" wrote in message
.. .
I have felled about 60 trees in our small wood, some pine, some ash and
beech, most have trunks about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Initially i made
the mistake of chainsawing them flush with the ground, but soon found thet
chain saws soon blunt because of the grit around the base of tree trunks.
Subsequently i cut them leaving about 3 feet standing. I haven't got a
tractor or JCB to pull them bodily out with, in fact I don't really want
to
tear the place up to that extent. What's the correct way of cutting them
flush to the ground without the local sharepening place having next years
holiday on me? What's a stump grinder? Thanks.

the only way of taking the stump down to the ground is grinding, you will get through so many saw chains and ruin your saw if you keep dabbing the ground. also trees near the ground can have dirt in them....you have a tought old job there..you can hire small stump grinders for about 7-8- pounds....you need to make sure the teeth are sharp before you take it away though....otherwise you are in for another hell of a job...
you can hire a stump grinder with a man to operate it for slightly more than that and he would sort the job right out....for more info check www.stumpgrinding.eu.com just for info on what a stumpgrinder is...

stumpy66 wrote:

the only way of taking the stump down to the ground is grinding, you
will get through so many saw chains and ruin your saw if you keep
dabbing the ground. also trees near the ground can have dirt in
them....you have a tought old job there..you can hire small stump
grinders for about 7-8- pounds....you need to make sure the teeth are
sharp before you take it away though....otherwise you are in for
another hell of a job...
you can hire a stump grinder with a man to operate it for slightly more
than that and he would sort the job right out....for more info check
www.stumpgrinding.eu.com just for info on what a stumpgrinder is...

If you're careful you *can* cut with a chainsaw close to the ground. I
have cut several (like twenty or thirty) big Leylandii (up to 18"
diameter) flush with the ground and, while it does wear the chain
faster than normal cutting, it's tolerable.

My way of doing it is:-

Cut the tree in the normal way leaving a stump.

Cut down to within 10" or so of the ground to leave a manageable
weight when you cut the last bit.

Dig clearance for the saw around the stump at ground level so you
can easily make a horizontal cut at ground level.

Clean the trunk at ground level, a stiff brush or broom is good
for this.

Cut at ground level, dig more space and clean more if necessary.

--
Chris Green