I have a 6' tall evergreen tree i want to remove. I used a circular saw to cut down the branches. Right now it is about 2' high & i tried to dig the remaining part out. I am getting nowhere because the roots look like 2" in diameter & the tree wont budge when i push on it. I can't get the saw under to cut the bottom off. How can i remove it ?
The OP sure reeks of spam, but on the chance it is sincere......dig out enough soil to expose the roots and cut them with a pruning saw. Pruning saws don't look like much, but they will cut through a 2" root pretty quickly. A six foot tree can't have a huge mass of roots, so a little digging, a little cutting, will get it.
A circular saw is a very bad choice for that application. If that things kicks back while you're stooped over and it hits your leg and severs your femoral artery you'll be bleed out and be dead within a minute or two. It happens and a stupid tree isn't worth that risk. You'd do better to use a small hatchet or even some long handled loppers to cut the roots. Keep digging.
R
A circular saw is really not a good idea because of kickback issues.
I have removed the stump and roots of small trees by exposing them and putting a long pruning blade on the sawzall and using that to cut the roots.
Happened to a coworker cutting off branches with a circular saw. He nearly bled to death. Also had a neighbor killed felling a partially downed tree. Don't think the latter could happen to the op ;)
Frank
Dig away the dirt as step one.
Sawzall, cheap ugly blades. You can cut the stump and roots below the ground level.
Circular saw on a tree? Got a good health care plan?
Forget about the digging. Cut it off as close to the ground as you can.
Cover the stump with a coffee can.
Wait.
Next time leave more than 2 feet. The more you leave, the more leverage you get to rock the thing loose.
Dig out a ring about 3 feet from the trunk. Go down about a foot. Cut any roots you find there. Then remove any dirt from the ball and you should be able to get the tree and roots out of the hole.
I've done a bunch of bushes and trees of this size and bigger. It's hard work but doable.
cut level with ground, drill some holes in stump with spade bits, add rotting stuff if you want.
evergreen stumps dont grow back, and patience is a virtue. mother nature will remove whats left over time.
its not worth the work digging out the stump
How'd we survive without power tools? Krimany, I'm an old lady and all I need to dig it out is a garden spade and a pruning saw.
He may want to plant something else in that location.
R
This is too funny. Using a circular saw to cut a tree down?
Get an electric chain saw at the local rental shop. It will cut the tree down faster than it took you to type up the message.
You have already screwed it up, so I'll try to save it from here.
First, you should have left the trunk longer for leverage.
Hook a chain from the top most point of the remaining trunk to a truck hitch, or a come-along to it and get it in a good bind. Now, dig the roots. If you have drainage, a power washer helps to blow out the roots, and identify where to clip them. If you don't have good drainage, I have dug them out by digging a little, then using a shop vac to get out the dirt. The thing you want to do is get to the roots that are the main ones. As you cut them, you will notice the strain being relieved on the chain/come-along assembly. Retighten and keep looking for the ones that are keeping it in the ground.
It will be harder now that you have lost a lot of leverage, but other than having it professionally dug out, this will work. As you go, you will notice when you cut one that is restraining it. Then just keep the pressure on it, or bump it with the truck and chain assembly and it might pop out all at once. Trick is to dig out the main roots, and you identify them by power washing around them or vacuuming out the dirt so you can see them.
Be careful! Chains that pop loose, or any rigging that pops loose is like a rocket.
Worked for me on many trees. Still a lot of work and a royal PITA.
Steve
"desgnr" wrote
A 60' pine fell 3 weeks ago. The trunk is over 2' diameter. I cut the majority of the branches with a bow saw--much safer than using a chain saw and ladder. In your case, dig around the roots. A pick axe will help. I can't imagine using a circular saw for this.
I did this a couple years ago. 20 foot Evergreen. Cut the upper as you did which will leave a two or three foot trunk. Get an ax and start to cut through all of the horizontal/diagonal main roots. Soak the soil so that you can start to rock the truck. As you rock the trunk you can dig and expose more roots to cut.
The hardest part will be getting to the last few roots under the trunk. Keep whacking at the un seeable roots under the trunk until you can rock/twist the trunk away.
That's not a tree. That's a bush.
Unless you rent a stump grinder, or have it professionally ground, there is no "easy" way to get it out. Either cut it off even with the ground and wait for it to rot, or get out the shovel and do it the hard way...
What I found worked the best for cutting roots is a "Go-Devil," a splitting maul, used to split firewood. They look like a sledge hammer with an axe edge on one side. One swing was generally enough to cleave the root off at the stump, and a second shot trimmed the root back enough to get in there with the shovel and continue digging.
It's not easy. Don't use the circular saw.
JHC!!!! What a stupid request.
I really hesitate to suggest this. A chain, a pickup truck, and a lot of common sense can either pull the whole thing or, at least, provide enough tension to make digging and axe work more productive. Without the common sense your results may differ.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.