Inappropriate use of power tools
Discussion
I had a 20 odd foot palm tree in my back garden which was fairly dead after the snow. I decided to hack off the dead branches before they fell on the kid's heads. Unfortunately i don't own a chain saw, my only hand saw wasn't making much of an impression so I attacked it with a black and decker jigsaw. An hour later it was bare.
I figured that while i was at it, I may as well chop the trunk down as well. The Jigsaw wasn't making much of an impression so I atttacked it with the chisel bit on my SDS drill.
Took a while but eventually i got enough hacked out of it to throw a rope round the top and snapped the trunk away about 3 feet up from the ground.
I now have a trunk in my back garden that's too heavy to move on my own and no easy way of cutting it into conveniently sized chunks
An angle grinder may be called into play
I figured that while i was at it, I may as well chop the trunk down as well. The Jigsaw wasn't making much of an impression so I atttacked it with the chisel bit on my SDS drill.
Took a while but eventually i got enough hacked out of it to throw a rope round the top and snapped the trunk away about 3 feet up from the ground.
I now have a trunk in my back garden that's too heavy to move on my own and no easy way of cutting it into conveniently sized chunks
An angle grinder may be called into play
Sounds like a perfect recipe for a "You've been framed" video!
One of these on the angle grinder:
http://www.axminster.co.uk/arbortech-arbortech-woo...
Either carve it into a work of art or chop it up and burn it.
One of these on the angle grinder:
http://www.axminster.co.uk/arbortech-arbortech-woo...
Either carve it into a work of art or chop it up and burn it.
mgtony said:
Sounds like a perfect recipe for a "You've been framed" video!
There was one moment, cutting the top branch off when it swung down, missed the ladder by inches then bounced off the hedge into the neighbours garden, narrowly missing her bird house feeder thing and some other bit of garden furniture. 
944fan said:
As for the trunk, a circular saw would be a good place to start!
Please don't try to cut into the trunk with a circular saw, this is a very bad thing to attempt.Got one of those "raised hair on the back of my neck" moments when visualizing that in my minds eye.
Blade kicking back, Blade stopping, etc etc.
If it has to be got rid of then at least use the right tool for the bigger job, that being a chainsaw.
Good luck with it, and as was said before top marks for ingenuity.
ooo000ooo said:
I don't own a circular saw and i don't think my mitre saw is going to be much use but what's the dangerous bit if the above happened? (serious question as a circular saw is on my list of tools to buy at some stage)
Sure I saw something like that on 999 (with Micheal Burke) where a guy was cutting up a tree with a circular saw, it kicked back somehow and sliced his leg half off.ooo000ooo said:
I don't own a circular saw and i don't think my mitre saw is going to be much use but what's the dangerous bit if the above happened? (serious question as a circular saw is on my list of tools to buy at some stage)
The kick back from a circular saw is a very destructive thing. The blade moving at aprox 5000rpm will not know the difference between your Arm, Leg, hand, or the tree trunk. I have had seasoned chippy's baulk at picking up a circular saw and using it if they could use chop saw or a radial arm saw, or even a hand saw instead.
As mr_fibuli mentioned the same type of scenario was mentioned in his post.
CedGTV said:
Please don't try to cut into the trunk with a circular saw, this is a very bad thing to attempt.
Got one of those "raised hair on the back of my neck" moments when visualizing that in my minds eye.
Blade kicking back, Blade stopping, etc etc.
If it has to be got rid of then at least use the right tool for the bigger job, that being a chainsaw.
Good luck with it, and as was said before top marks for ingenuity.
Yes good point sorry. I actually meant it as a joke. Should have used a smilie to indicate as such.Got one of those "raised hair on the back of my neck" moments when visualizing that in my minds eye.
Blade kicking back, Blade stopping, etc etc.
If it has to be got rid of then at least use the right tool for the bigger job, that being a chainsaw.
Good luck with it, and as was said before top marks for ingenuity.
Most of the accidents with a circular saw will happen when it's not being used for its intended purpose ie gardening 
. Fresh wet wood will bind on any saw blade and cause it to kick back or jam, not good if you're up a ladder using it with one hand.
It's a pretty safe tool for cutting sheet material if you keep both hands on it and take basic safety measures.
. Fresh wet wood will bind on any saw blade and cause it to kick back or jam, not good if you're up a ladder using it with one hand.It's a pretty safe tool for cutting sheet material if you keep both hands on it and take basic safety measures.
Simpo Two said:
Bow saw (big teeth that don't clog with wet wood) or if you're lazy, chainsaw. Unless you're a lumberjack or have a power tool fetish a £50 electric one will do most garden needs.
I only had one tree so buying one is a waste of money, hiring is the same cost as buying one 
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