Sawzalls. Do they really?

[coltle6920]

Get a "AXE"

Get some Tannerite! A 1/2lb jar should do the trick.

 

[coltle6920]

Seriously, I got a Milwaukee also. Had a 35' cottonwood cut down. The darn tree had roots bigger than Hillary's ankles. I used a "demolition" blade on the roots. The tree and stump were done by pros.

 

[litenlarry]

Try using something to hold the root in place or have someone else wedge it against something firm with a rake handle while you cut.
I've cut roots before and they wiggle too much. They would get bound up in the blade and then just move back and forth with it.

Yep, this is the case when cutting roots, at least for me..I have an old hatchet that worked the best,

 

[hangnoose]

CUTTING ROOTS

I've pulled a bunch of stumps from my backyard & I found it easiest to clear the dirt around the root to be cut makes it easier to get to it from both sides if needed. A circle dug 18" deep around the stump, then a hose with a power nozzle to expose the roots & remove a lot of dirt, wait a day or 2 to dry & have at it. Once the major roots are cut a nylon tow strap & heavy duty come along usually pop them out. If you are not attatched to the tree you may want to lose it. Another root will likely replace the one you cut before too long.

 

[Texas40]

My CRAFTSMAN sawzall is over 30 yrs old and still works great. Been used for all sortsa cutting jobs. Blade choice is everything get a good wood blade and get r done.
Heck I've taken tree branches and small stumps out with my worm drive skil saw before. Any type of powertool is better than a hand saw or an axe way less effort and Im all about less effort.

 

[Etemmu]

Instead of waiting for a big, wet root to dry out, use a torch with mapp gas(unless you have acetylene handy). They do cut better when not so wet. Or, in case you didn't notice already...get a good blade

 

[psquarejr]

My Milwaukee Super Sawzall laughs at everything in it's way, it has yet to be defeated..... but I know it will lose against concrete LOL

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Blade selection is everything.

My Milwaukee SawsAll is a cutting machine.

Hack said it best. There are all sorts of blades for the reciprocating saws, some intended for wood, some intended for metal, and everything in between. Indispensible on any construction site and very handy to have for chores around the house and yard. With a good fresh blade of the proper type for the job you should have little difficulty.

For the past 20 years or so the cordless reciprocating saw has become standard equipment on our hunting trips. Time to quarter a 500 lb. elk? No problem! Bi-metal blade, off with the lower legs, then right down the spine, right through the pelvis, and you have two halves. Couple of quick cuts to separate the halves just behind the rib cage, and you have 4 quarters. Much easier to handle than a whole carcass. In 20 minutes you can do what would take a couple of hours with knives, axes, and a hand saw. Meanwhile the cook has fresh liver & onions and fried potatoes going, so we don't like to waste too much time on the chores.

 

[Alpo]

That little thing is called a bush where I come from. What was the rope used for? Did you have to rappel into the hole?

Y'all got big bushes.
http://s17.photobucket.com/user/therealalpo/media/100_0727.jpg.html

http://s17.photobucket.com/user/therealalpo/media/100_0730.jpg.html

Didn't rappel. Tied the rope to the truck, so I could get up the ladder.

http://s17.photobucket.com/user/therealalpo/media/100_0721.jpg.html

http://s17.photobucket.com/user/therealalpo/media/100_0718.jpg.html

http://s17.photobucket.com/user/therealalpo/media/100_0723.jpg.html

Destroyed my comealong winching it out of the hole.

http://s17.photobucket.com/user/therealalpo/media/100_0719.jpg.html

 

[Louchia]

3 important things
quality saw
proper blade, green or wet wood can gum up a good blade and make it useless
saw firmly against the work, so the work does not move or vibrate

 

[chief38]

The problem with the Battery operated tools is that after a while the batteries don't hold a charge worth squat! When you go to buy new batteries, they cost almost as much as you paid for the darned tool in the first place.

EX: I own a few (4) DeWalt cordless drills, a 12v, 14.4v, and two 18v - one being a hammer drill as well. None of them currently work because all their batteries are dead and will not hold a charge more than a few minutes. Each time I go to buy a new set of batteries I find that for only a few bucks more I can get a new drill, 2 batteries, a new case, a new charger, a bit assortment, etc. so that's what I wind up doing instead of buying the batteries alone. I once had eight (8) different cordless drills and wound up giving 4 away! Told the guys who I gave them too about the battery prices but them grabbed them anyway - ??????

Corded tools sometimes are a little more hassle because of the cord, but they always get the job done fast and efficiently without having to switch batteries and recharging them all day! I own two Milwaukee CORDED Drills so I can have two different bits or drills in them without switching them in & out if I am doing a large project that requires multiple bits.

I am DONE with the battery idea!

 

[Jambayzie]

^^Cordless, too!

 

[coltle6920]

Y'all got big bushes.
http://s17.photobucket.com/user/therealalpo/media/100_0727.jpg.html

http://s17.photobucket.com/user/therealalpo/media/100_0730.jpg.html

Didn't rappel. Tied the rope to the truck, so I could get up the ladder.

http://s17.photobucket.com/user/therealalpo/media/100_0721.jpg.html

http://s17.photobucket.com/user/therealalpo/media/100_0718.jpg.html

http://s17.photobucket.com/user/therealalpo/media/100_0723.jpg.html

Destroyed my comealong winching it out of the hole.

http://s17.photobucket.com/user/therealalpo/media/100_0719.jpg.html

My apologies to you. The first pictures didn't put things in perspective. That must have been one retarded looking tree. Did that monster even have a trunk?

 

[Alpo]

'Twas a eucalyptus. I cut it off as close to the ground as I could. Actually had about 12 trunks, as I had cut it flush before and it grew back.

I got tired of all the birds roosting in it and crapping on my Bronco.

 

[NYlakesider]

Have better than 40 years experience with Sawzalls (sometimes known as demolition saws). They are a very common tool in the construction trade I retired from (pipefitter/welder) I also have had one of my own for a long time.(One of my serious go-to tools.) Cutting holes in walls/floors, cutting all sorts of pipe and steel products. A very valuable tool in the car hobby also. You just get the right blade for the project you're working on and you're good to go. I have had a couple battery ones and they tend to puke out quite fast, you have a serious job use a wired one. They do make a lot of different blades and lengths, as stated get the right one and the job gets much easier FAST.

I did have one project for my boat down on my dock and I tried to get by with battery tools. That was a serious waste of time, finely got disgusted went back to the house got my generator and returned to the beach with the right tools.

 

[Old TexMex]

We've got those goshawful Brazil Pepper trees. They grow real fast, and root out like crazy. Destroy a patio slab. Do some damage getting those things out of the ground.

 

[rimfired]

Cut my huge basement beer refrigerator in half with one.
Only way we could get it up the remodeled stairway.

Damn, I miss that big fridge.

 

[LVSteve]

Update

Did some more digging and cutting. I discovered that the root is not round but a flattened oval shape that goes way into the ground. No wonder the saw was struggling as I could only see the tip of the iceberg. I thought I was cutting a round thing about 4 inches in diameter. Err, nope.

I flattened the battery and do not have the charger so that task is "done" for another week.

 

[Squarebutt]

'Twas a eucalyptus. I cut it off as close to the ground as I could. Actually had about 12 trunks, as I had cut it flush before and it grew back.

I got tired of all the birds roosting in it and crapping on my Bronco.

That Bronco would be perfect for a "low-speed chase."

 

[rburg]

Actually that job is ideal for a chain saw. But the same rule applies as the one's we're recommending for the sawsall. You need a good/right blade. It never fails to amuse me when I see someone failing miserably with a cutting type tool. And you look and the "pack" of blades cost $3 for a 12 pack! People expect performance from bargain priced junk. Time to go back to school. Good blades are expensive. The only saving grace is the expensive brand name ones work like crazy.

With a chain saw, you need a quality chain. No, not discount store junk, go to a Stihl dealer and buy or have them order you a carbide chain (carbide cutters) or a hard chrome model. Those are usually used by fire departments or professional cutters who know what they're doing. You can, too. Then when you're done with the part of the project that requires them, change back to other chain.

With the Sawzall, buy a big brand blade and again, only use it when needed. Sure, its easier to just continue and maybe ruin a big dollar ($10) blade, but then you won't have it when you need it. Once at a tool booth at a local flea market there was a small barrel full of blades. The sign said $1 each. The other guys there were pulling out the packs of a half dozen, thinking they were getting the bargain. I selected the Remington "Grit Edge" blades. I took home 10 of them and I'm a happy camper. They abrade, chew, their way along. Slow but hardened steel is just lunch to them. I still have 5 or 6 and its been years now.

Spend the money and buy quality. It will pay you back in faster work and less hassle in the long run. Oh, you could say that about guns, too. Buy the best, its only barely good enough.