…hand axe and/or machete would you recommend? These again will used for clearing and then maintenance, splitting of logs/coppicing etc.

I’ve done ‘gardening’ before but this new place takes it to a whole new level.

Real work such as felling of trees that need clearing will be done by professionals but I’ll be left with a lot of wood that will we’ll use eventually.

All suggestions will be greatly received.

Watch out for my ‘What chainsaw thread in the near future’ 😉

Axe-gun.

I use a maul for splitting, a chainsaw for cutting, and for clearing and anything up to wrist diameter a Fiskars Brush hook:

I did try a machette, but they don’t seem to do anything as well as the brush hook.

A Yorkshire bill hook

(And lots of arm/leg protection as you can easily get carried away

Do you have a decent folding pruning saw yet, very versatile, useful for lots of what you’ll be doing.

I’ve got two Fiskars axes. The X27 for manly chopping, and the X5 for the kids to play with. And a chainsaw too, obviously.

Do you have a decent folding pruning saw yet, very versatile, useful for lots of what you’ll be doing.

No, can you recommend one?

the old oak handle on my ancient billhook (been using it since I was 10!!) has died, any suggestions as to a replacement handle??

That Fiskars hook is ace- worth taking the time to put an edge on it as they’re fairly blunt from the shop, so can get caught up a bit in straggly or fibrous stuff. Well up for smaller axe work.

re: pruning saws.

I have a Bahco Laplander, and it’s great for the cash.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0001IX7OW/

Laplander is a good foldy.

This:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-868611-Pruning-Sheath-275mm/dp/B000LFVT5Y/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1413497603&sr=8-13&keywords=pruning+saw
Is kind of cheap and nasty (handle keeps coming loose on mine) but it’s very effective on softwood, rips very fast and has a nice size blade- the extra length is very handy over my laplander. I use them mostly for trail clearance, if I know I’ll be cutting something I take the fixie, if I just think I might I take the foldy.

I have the fiskars brash axe and a Gerber machete. The machete is the most useful.

I also have a folding German army spade and a pruning saw. Together they do a reasonable job of small to medium size trail titivation, but for big stuff you can’t beat full size tools.

Silky everytime for a pruning saw.
Again, watch out as they bite!
I’ve got too many scars and should know better but it’s amazing what they’ll go through.

I have what I believe is a Spar Hook, a smaller version of a Billhook, which has been useful for hedge laying and coppicing. It’s easier on my girly thin wrists for occasional work: forehand & backhand and left-handed too.

Keep it sharp: bouncing off can be dangerous.
Both hands behind the blade & legs out of the way.
Work up the trunk and branches.

That yellow thing is just a plastic handled ‘acker.
If you want a full size axe , army surplus stuff is good quality.
Who wanted a handle.?
Ash. Find a lump and make it your self using the old head and a pocket knife. That’s what I did as all my bloody axes had busted handles and I couldn’t be arsed to walk down the garden to find a draw knife.

A pleasant chap at Sorbus just sold me an ARS folding pruning saw. It looks the DK, and is a rival to Silky and Felco. I haven’t tried it yet.

Oh, and wear a good thick leather glove, or better a gauntlet, on your other hand.

My weapons of choice:

ye olde billhook. Old forged steel so much nicer to use than modern stamped plate

Small axe for splitting 4-8″ cord

Cheap maul for throwing at naughty logs.

Chainsaws: two or three s/h Stihl MS21/23/230 ish
Because everyone needs somebody to hate and swear at.

One of these is bloody great for stripping branches and taking down small saplings. Pretty useful for lots of things, really.

Stoner, what do you do with all the brash? How easy is it to haul the cordwood out?

I cut the cord into 12′ lengths and carry them out on my shoulder. The heaviest are probably about 70 kg

The brash I have left for two years and this winter will decide whether to burn it or leave as habitat. Unfortunately the piles are huge and can encourage briar so I may be forced to burn then to maintain productive area.

Just bought a Fiskars axe…haven’t used it yet, but if it’s any good I’ll give an update.

We’ve just taken possession of a semi detached house with a hundred foot garden that needs clearing.

We’re going to fit a wood burner so will be collecting what I can for drying out for future burning.

A bit off topic but…how long should wood from fir trees be left to dry? I’m wondering if anything I collect won’t be ready till winter 2016.

One summer should do it, if you keep the rain off but let it catch some sun, like in an open-front wood store.

My bill hook is a Devon pattern and good for kindling, small coppice stuff, snedding.
Maul for log splitting is a cheapy with wood handle. Heads last forever, found one in a site that was last worked 25 years ago. Don’t get a fibre glass handled one, they rebound something funny.

Everyday saw is Husqy 357XP, 15″bar with 3/8″ chain. Gutsy.

Stoner – I’d go for burning up the brash if your site is prone to bramble or bracken as it will suppress and crush any coppice/new plantings and make management harder.

McHamish – split it to increase surface area and a breezy shed in the sun should see it ready in not too long. Too many variables to say when, but you’ll be able to feel when it’s ready. This way just helps speed the process. Our own experiments at work suggest a pile rather than neatly stacked gets better air flow.

the old oak handle on my ancient billhook (been using it since I was 10!!) has died, any suggestions as to a replacement handle??

Do what Stoner did, any decent chunk of hardwood would do, ash is nice and fine-grained, if you can find some and carve your own. Hedgers would just find something suitable in a copse or hedge and whittle one out if theirs broke.
The one in the photo just above is a nice bit of work, the copper ferrule sets it off quite nicely! 😉

One of these, if you fancy a Kukhri as a general brush cutter: http://www.bladesandbows.co.uk/cold-steel-magnum-kukri-machete-with-sheath-2157-p.asp
Or even cheaper, the classic brush/bush chopping machete: http://www.bladesandbows.co.uk/cold-steel-bolo-machete-2177-p.asp
£15, can’t really go wrong, and Cold Steel stuff is good quality.

timber – yes I will probably have to. The first trip to the coppicee this year once the leaves have fallen will probably be with a slug of old engine oil, some old rags and a lighter 😉

the copper ferrule sets it off quite nicely!

I think it’s cheap and nasty and a terrible idea…

Lots to suggestions to think about, keep them coming!

Did my first lot of clearing today with the brushcutter. There quite a few thick shrubs and saplings left which will need a saw to them.

I’ll have to borrow a few different tools to see which I like/can work with.

Once the garden is cleared. The real work begins!

Any tips for digging out stumps?

Balls! Short URLs don’t seem to be working

A Yorkshire bill hook

I think I heard my dad called that once.

Any tips for digging out stumps?

Cut the stump quite high to give you leverage later.

Buy, beg, borrow or steal a mattock* and a spade. Dig out a circle centred on the stump. The smaller blade of the mattock works like an axe to cut roots, after you’ve used the larger blade and the spade to make the hole. Rocking the stump will help show you where the roots run.

*not a pick-mattock.

+1 for silky saw. When I took down the huge yews outside my house it was all done by Silky saw, it saw a lot of use when I was gardening proffesionaly

If you’ve got a lot of stumps, hire a mini digger for the weekend. Much less effort.

Depending on the size of the stumps, a mini-digger won’t be much more use than a mattock.
A 5-ton took a good half hour to remove one 2’dia sitka stump, the 20-ton machine would do them in a couple of moves. Stumps have more grip than you would think.
We have a 2-ton in the yard which I wouldn’t even bother starting for stump removal. Could just about manange a hedge bank with it.
Equally, stump grinding is an expensive, time consuming process with negligible gains.
We have a site that we will need to level in the near future for a development. Can’t rip the stumps out because of archaeological constraints, so will cut the stumps down low and cover the site in spoil to seal off and level for an amenity area.

I’ve got to remove a load of firs from the garden…they’re a mess and block a lot of light.

We want to use the area for a veggie patch so I’m hoping to remove the stumps entirely.

My plan was to get the stumps to about 4ft, then dig around the stump to see if I can remove them through brute force.

The trees aren’t huge but one has a trunk about a foot in diameter.

How about using the stumps as corners for raised beds? Or legs for benches…

Hadn’t really thought about leaving them there and using them for something else.

Once I’ve cleared them and got them down to stumps I’ll have a think.

I’ll need to treat the soil with a load of manure as I understand fir trees can affect the soil they’re in.

Gransfors, if you buy from bricks and mortar then have a look at the grin and see it runs true down the handle. They take a great edge and will last a lifetime if you look after it.

Gransfors, if you buy from bricks and mortar

Is this a shop?

as in, if you are able to go into a real shop and fondle one, try and pick one with a straight grain down the length of the shaft. TBH gransfors stocks are carefully enough picked that I really wouldnt worry about the stock grain. No to mention even I wouldnt notice a difference if it werent straight.

They’re fine to buy online, although I got mine from a trade retailer at the tree/wood show at Cirencester a few years ago.

They’re fine to buy online, although I got mine from a trade retailer at the tree/wood show at Cirencester a few years ago.

Treefest at Westonbirt, by any chance? That’s where I bought mine, as well.