Cutting down Cypress trees (cheaply and easily!)

[Tone70]

Hello there,

A group of friends and I have been gradually chopping down some Cypress trees in my garden under instruction from my insurance company as they're causing subsidence in my house. We've been battling away with bow saws and even a hack saw and progress seems slow. From the start I was looking to get them down extremely cheaply and not involve expensive tree fellers costing me hundreds of pounds which I can ill afford. Chainsaws were mentioned but i'm looking for a more manual angle. The bow saws we have seem to take forever to slice through the bark, could anyone recommend something that could get the job done quicker, bearing in mind nothing electrical! Someone at work mentioned a 'tree saw' which is tougher than a bow saw, but I can't seem to find this tool. Would an axe do the trick? Diesel in the bark (drastic last resort if bow saw's the only option!)? Any tool that can slice through the bark quicker than a bow saw and get the job done in half the time would be exceedingly handy. Any ideas?

Cheers for your help!

[despen]

Highly doubtful.

Hack saw? You're kidding right?

Do you mean one of these:

so, wrong blade.

If you want to use this tool, you want one with teeth about a half inch long. (1.25cm).

Diesel? You're kidding again right?

Axe is probably a little easier than a bow saw.

What you want is a chain saw. Depending on your situation, an electric chain saw might be sufficient.

As for "tree saw" someone might be thinking of a big 2 person saw. If you don't have 2 people forget it.

[lannerman]

Hi Tone, It sounds to me like the bowsaw you are using is either very blunt or has a cheap blade ?? I would go to a hardware store and buy a new one, they are not very expensive ! and get one thats about 20" long, it will be much easier to use. I'm a professional gardener and whilst I have all manner of equipment, I still like using my bowsaw, I find it very useful especially when up a tree. One word of warning, please stay away from chainsaws if you dont know what your doing, they are good tools but they demand the upmost respect and you need to have not only confidence but a high skill level to use one safely, especially if there are other people around you ! A good bowsaw will cut through cypress trees very easily ! Lannerman.

[Mysterious Traveler]

What is your reason for not wanting something electrical? A reciprocating saw works for me when I cut Juniper trees which I think would be similar to a Cypress tree.

[David Hare-Scott]

I am concerned that you seem to have little or no idea about this project and that you may do harm to your house or yourself. How tall are these trees? How many of them? How thick is the heaviest trunk?

Felling large trees near a house is NOT something to take on if you know so little that you would use a hacksaw.

A bowsaw about 70cm long with teeth about 9 mm will cut quite large branches with a person on each end provided it is sharp (buy a new blade if it isn't) and the two know how to cooperate and how to not jam the blade. Hiring a chainsaw would be a cost effective option but you need somebody who knows how to use it, also you need safety gear but that ought to be supplied with the saw. A clumsy tyro can cut off their foot as easily as the tree branch. I fear an accident in the making.

David

[Chris]

No kidding. During my undergrad days I worked summers for the US Forest Service. This is simple stuff to learn, but difficult to put into practice. I also don't know what size trees we're talking about, but even a little one can kill you if it lands on your head. And even using an axe, if the tree is rotten inside it can split right up the middle- seen it happen. If you're lucky, half the trunk won't pop off your cut and bash your brains out.

Another happy thought- he should be checking the upper stories of the trees for widow-makers...loose or dead branches that can be dislodged by the vibrations of ax or saw on the trunk. They fall down right alongside the trunk, and inevitably on the side where you're standing. There's a reason people call them that, you know...

No, I would definitely not recommend putting a chainsaw into Tone70's hands.

Someone already mentioned a two-man saw. Here's one:

that's misleading. You need two people on the saw and one person as a spotter- you _always_ have a spotter along, doing nothing but watching the tree, ready to yell when something bad happens. And if you cut down enough trees, something bad eventually WILL happen.

Chris

[Tone70]

Lannerman,

Sound advice sir! I must admit, the bowsaw I do have was purchased rather cheaply. Something of a bit higher quality could be the order of the day.