Safety glasses are a mus @NorthernJoe, I got told off in A&E for not wearing them whilst brushing up dusty debris in the garden. Ended up with scratched eyeballs which were rather painful for a few days. Screwfix sell a good pair which don't fall off your face. We've got a long handled pruner with cutting hook and rope pulley system but I think it's a Spear & Jackson one, works pretty well. I use it mainly for pruning our apple and pear trees so good for branches not much more than 1" or 2" thick. Not tried the saw attachment that comes with it yet.
Found out the hard way about the safety glasses. Even with normal glasses on I got things in my eyes.
Did a fair bit already. Taken the thinner branches down up to about +2.5m or so. A little climbing to do it using the lower branches if cut off but not flush to the main trunk to get higher up. Then I tried cutting a trunk branch. It didn't fall. I had to really pull it out if the upper branch tangle. Then I could lay it down where I wanted. They were lighter than I thought. Suspect most were dry and dead standing.
So now I've cut down half the trunks at just above head height. Just the big trunks left and then I'll cut them again about chest height. After that it's getting the stump out. Pretty pleased with the job considering I think it was actually bigger than I thought.
Well done. Job and a quarter. Sorry. I should have mentioned the safety point myself. We wore good gloves, long sleeves and definitely goggles, mainly because I am allergic to the resin from conifers.
NorthernJoe - be warned. Conifer roots aren't always as extensive or deep as you may expect. When I was removing one, I'd cut it down to about 6' high then used a mattock to cut a circle round it, chopping the roots near the surface. I then grabbed the trunk and pulled it, expecting minimal movement. I ended up on the ground cuddling a lump of tree trunk!
I'm thinking a rope tied to the top of the trunk I leave up and the three of us pull together. I do not expect it'll be that easy though.
We've been scarred by the front garden stump. It was a monster that fought a neighbour's chainsaws (plural it kept blunting the blades) for a few weeks. My dad tore shoulder ligament out that might be inoperable. If it looks like there's a fight we're getting a surgeon in for the stump.
We're only doing this because round here tree surgeons don't seem to like doing small jobs. They promise things then don't deliver too. However we're not going through the same as the last stump. This tree is actually twice the size of our monster stump tree too.
Well the last of the trunks is down. No damage to shrubs despite landing on a tree/shrub. I held it upright until it hit the ground. They all dropped vertically then I laid them down. This last one was 20cm diameter or more. It was a little too heavy 6 hold one handed while hanging partway up the remaining trunk.
So now it is about 7ft tall. I've had a poke with the mattocks. Immediately got in under a branch and couldn't lever through it despite a few strikes to cut it. Then suddenly crack and the root was through. If its like that all around I'll be a bit more positive about levering it out. Just bit to watch the 2 ft high retaining wall about 2 of 3 feet away. Don't want to damage that somehow.
Tomorrow I'll clear the branches and trunks. I'll keep the bigger pieces to dry for campfire wood. It's very dry anyway so might not take years to dry out enough. Can borrow ahumidity tester.
Chopping down is fun, clearing up ism so and stump removal is beep beeping hard work! Fun bit is done. Can I get off now? What can you do with a 5 to 6 m multi stemmed conifer once cut down? Last few trees we've cut down and trimmed to 20+ visits with up to 3 x 272 litre rubble sacks.
I wondered whether a chipper for mulch or to add to compost bins. We got about 5 with the house when we moved in dotted around the garden. Mostly empty. If we add chipped wood to green waste n would it all compost down OK? Compost is a black art IMHO. I've never known anyone who has had a good compost going on.
Excellent work, @NorthernJoe, sounds like the trickiest part is done. Just the slog of getting the roots out, but less dangerous than potentially having branches / tree trunks falling on you.
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We've got a long handled pruner with cutting hook and rope pulley system but I think it's a Spear & Jackson one, works pretty well. I use it mainly for pruning our apple and pear trees so good for branches not much more than 1" or 2" thick. Not tried the saw attachment that comes with it yet.
Did a fair bit already. Taken the thinner branches down up to about +2.5m or so. A little climbing to do it using the lower branches if cut off but not flush to the main trunk to get higher up. Then I tried cutting a trunk branch. It didn't fall. I had to really pull it out if the upper branch tangle. Then I could lay it down where I wanted. They were lighter than I thought. Suspect most were dry and dead standing.
So now I've cut down half the trunks at just above head height. Just the big trunks left and then I'll cut them again about chest height. After that it's getting the stump out. Pretty pleased with the job considering I think it was actually bigger than I thought.
We've been scarred by the front garden stump. It was a monster that fought a neighbour's chainsaws (plural it kept blunting the blades) for a few weeks. My dad tore shoulder ligament out that might be inoperable. If it looks like there's a fight we're getting a surgeon in for the stump.
We're only doing this because round here tree surgeons don't seem to like doing small jobs. They promise things then don't deliver too. However we're not going through the same as the last stump. This tree is actually twice the size of our monster stump tree too.
So now it is about 7ft tall. I've had a poke with the mattocks. Immediately got in under a branch and couldn't lever through it despite a few strikes to cut it. Then suddenly crack and the root was through. If its like that all around I'll be a bit more positive about levering it out. Just bit to watch the 2 ft high retaining wall about 2 of 3 feet away. Don't want to damage that somehow.
Tomorrow I'll clear the branches and trunks. I'll keep the bigger pieces to dry for campfire wood. It's very dry anyway so might not take years to dry out enough. Can borrow ahumidity tester.
I wondered whether a chipper for mulch or to add to compost bins. We got about 5 with the house when we moved in dotted around the garden. Mostly empty. If we add chipped wood to green waste n would it all compost down OK? Compost is a black art IMHO. I've never known anyone who has had a good compost going on.