# Recip Saw For Roots?



## velvetfoot (May 13, 2010)

Has anybody tried this?
I think I will tonight.
Could it be used to cut stump flush to ground if you want to leave the chain saw out of it?

(I started this thread from another one for the recip. idea.)


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## gzecc (May 13, 2010)

I have used the recip saw for roots in the past. Nothing larger than wrist size.  I love the recip saw. With all the different blades available its very versatile.


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## smokinj (May 13, 2010)

The only reason I could think of for using a sawsall would be if your going below ground level? if so should work well.


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## velvetfoot (May 13, 2010)

You can cut flush to the ground with a chain saw?
I haven't tried it yet.


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## vvvv (May 13, 2010)

velvetfoot said:
			
		

> You can cut flush to the ground with a chain saw?
> I haven't tried it yet.


dirt kills the chain


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## fire_N_ice (May 13, 2010)

yes it works, I used for to remove some sort of bush "stump"?? . Water hose or pressure washer helps to expose the roots too.


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## velvetfoot (May 13, 2010)

I figured it would kill the chain, so I thought maybe the long recip saw blades would be cheaper, even if cutting flush.


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## smokinj (May 13, 2010)

velvetfoot said:
			
		

> I figured it would kill the chain, so I thought maybe the long recip saw blades would be cheaper, even if cutting flush.



you should not be in the dirt if you start out level, you will have a lot more hp with the chainsaw and stumps can be very tough!


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## velvetfoot (May 13, 2010)

Thanks.
I'll scrape around after I mow the lawn tonight and think about it some more.


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## Backwoods Savage (May 13, 2010)

I agree with Jay. You can also, as suggested, power spray water around the stump to expose more of it before cutting. This will not only expose more of it but also wash the dirt off.


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## TreePapa (May 14, 2010)

Had some roots from a Catalina Cherry (Prunus ilicifolia) in a "hole" in our patio last year ... it was actaully cut down the year before and stump ground, but the tree service could not grind the roots down very far becuase the hole is square and less than 3 ft across). The roots kept sprouting, so I finall dug up the dirt and started trying to cut out as much as I could. I started with a pull-saw, but soon changed to a cordless recripro-saw w/ a pruning blade. After I got as much as I could with that, I switched to my old Craftsman ax. When I got down as far as I could, I drilled some holes in the remaining roots and poured in root killer. Hasn't sprouted since. I refilled w/ dirt and then dry laid fieldstone pavers. One of my projects this summer should be to relay the fieldstone w/ motar.

Peace,
- Sequoia


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## mkt1 (May 14, 2010)

I use fire, when a stump is in the yard and needs to be removed not in a hurry I let it dry for about a year and then put charcoal lighter fuel on it a little at a time letting it soak in then set it on fire and let it burn. It will burn and then smolder for a couple of days, getting the roots under ground as well as the stump.


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## velvetfoot (May 14, 2010)

It'll be awhile before I use it, but I did discover there are pruning blades for recip saws so I got one of those and a 12" demolition blade.
Maybe the demo blade would fare better if dirt was involved.
I have about 3 or 4 of 12" stumps and about 20 of the small ones.
I'm thinking more about the little ones so I can mow and not trip, etc, so maybe use the recip saw to get it close to the ground.
Thing is I have to use the generator 'cause it's so far away, so I probably don't want to run it that long, so I guess that would lean me toward cutting it flush.
I did get that 4.5" stump out I mentioned earlier - there was a rock involved.


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## firefighterjake (May 14, 2010)

I think cutting the stump flush to the ground would be a heckuva lot easier using a chainsaw and just being careful . . . unless the tree is fairly small using a reciprocating saw would not be the best tool for the job.

As for stump removal . . . I am more of a patient person . . . I just wait . . . and burn fires on top of the stumps . . . it may take a couple of years, but eventually the stump is pretty much gone.


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## velvetfoot (May 14, 2010)

These trees are less than 6".
I'll try both ways.


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## woodhound (May 14, 2010)

I have 2 old chainsaws with very little compression that I use for stump and root cutting.  6" stumps I would just pull out with my truck and a log chain.   I have dug out some monsters in my yard in the last 4 years.  3-4 foot across.  Shovel around stump find roots jam saw into dirt and cut.  Does the job and I don't care about the saw since its junk.


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## velvetfoot (May 14, 2010)

Thanks.  I do have an electric saw I'm not that crazy about but I imagine that kind of work could mess up the bar as well as dull the chain, no?


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## woodhound (May 14, 2010)

Yeah it wrecks the the saw, but if it's junk already there is no remorse.  Haven't done a thing to it in 4 years, sure chain is somewhat dull, bar is junk but as long as it cuts the roots it's perfect.  Thats what I keep it around for and I always keep my eye out for more junk saws lying around.


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## velvetfoot (May 15, 2010)

Well I experimented a little today.  I bought a Vermont American 10 pack of 12" blades.  They are kind of floppy, but are less than half the price of the stiffer ones.  I'm not sure if the stiffer ones last longer, but I did buy one so I'll try it.  Cutting the roots dulled the blade pretty quick and it still requires a lot of work, so I just started cutting them as flush to the ground as I could get.  I've gotten up to 6" diameter trunks but the problem is they flare out.  Anyway, they won't be a tripping hazard and I can put some dirt over them.  I've got at least 20 of these little ones to do.  The big stumps will need some more strategizing.

At least I put the generator and recip saw to some good use today. The only time I used the saw was to cut an opening for a kitty door a bunch of years ago.  There are still plenty more of the little stumps, so I might try to do the rest tomorrow.  I move the generator down the 400 foot driveway by putting it on a hand truck.


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## dave11 (May 16, 2010)

I guess I must be old-fashioned. I've removed countless stumps and roots from my yard with a sharp mattock, a double bit axe, and an eight foot steel bar. The trick is to sharpen the mattock and the axe really, really sharp. Free up one side or edge of the stump/root, then lever it out with the steel bar and a rock for a fulcrum. Water helps somewhat to clear away the dirt but also makes a muddy mess, so I usually avoid it. Chainsaw can help, if you don't mind sharpening the chain every three minutes. 

I tried the sawzall years ago, but after I bent the second blade, gave up on that idea. It's not what that tool was designed for.


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## velvetfoot (May 17, 2010)

The second blade???  I went through a pack of 10+ and just got a second pack.  
Seriously, they don't last long at all in the dirt, and they're not all that cheap.
Even cutting them flush with the sawzall is not easy.

I got a mattock from HD, but it was very weak, and I bent it when I put a very small amount of prying pressure on it.

I have a steel bar, but I've bent that in the past as well, lol.  Maybe it's more iron than steel.


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