What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[gtaus]

Grinding Down Tree Roots and Stumps

I ran my riding mower over a previously unknown above-grade tree root, bent the blade on that side, and broke the spindle. It was $50 for a new spindle and another $15 for a replacement blade. I will have to do all the labor on the repair myself. But our local shop wanted about $100. That is a lot of wasted time and money.

I don't want to make that same mistake again. So, I looked around on YouTube to find some DIY solutions to grinding down tree roots that are sticking up above the ground.

I found a number of people recommending the Harbor Freight Wood Carving Disc that sells for $16.99...

I put it on my wish list and then purchased it last week when I had a 30% off coupon. So, I actually paid $11.89 for the disc.

Yesterday, I took it out and tried it on my 20+ year old Ryobi 18v 4.5-inch angle grinder. It took me a few attempts to set it up correctly, mostly because I don't use my angle grinder very much. But after I had the guard set properly and got the hang of how to use the angle grinder with that carving wheel on it, I was able to chew through about 5 above-grade tree roots and 3 small stumps that I had around the property.

For the small jobs I needed it for, it worked great. It had no problem carving down the tree roots to grade-level. The biggest stump I had was about 10 inches round, maybe an inch above grade. I was able to chew that down to about 1 inch below grade level in less than 10 minutes and then covered the stump with topsoil. That is all I needed to do.

If you have lots of big tree stumps, then rent a stump grinder for about $150 for a half day usage locally. For the tree roots and small tree stumps that I needed to knock down below grade level, that HF carving disc saved me a lot of money. Plus, I now have a tool accessory that I can use for lots of my typical root and small stump jobs in the yard. I don't know how long that carving disc will last, but it has already more than paid for itself.

Here is a short YouTube video that I watched, cued to the review portion, of the HF carving disc...

I wish I knew about these carving discs before I broke my mower, but maybe this info will help someone else before they break a spindle and/or bend a blade like I did.

 

[Sally PB]

Thanks for the info, @gtaus.

I don't know if we'll need it, but good to know anyway. Plus, I've wondered about what the stump carvers use. They can't do everything with a chainsaw.

 

[gtaus]

I don't know if we'll need [a wood carving disc], but good to know anyway.

Yeah, I wish I knew about it before I hit that tree root and did all that damage to my riding mower. Live and learn. Hope to pass on some good info to others before they break something.

Also, could save you a lot of money for removing small tree stumps instead of having to rent a stump grinder. The big commercial stump grinders are great if you have large stumps, or many stumps, but probably not needed if you just have a few < 1-foot round stumps to take down below grade level.

Plus, I've wondered about what the stump carvers use. They can't do everything with a chainsaw.

There are many kinds of wood carving discs that are available. The one I bought is very aggressive and is not intended to leave a smooth finish. That's OK. I only wanted a carving disc that was able to chew through those exposed tree roots and/or small stumps. You just need to pick the right disc for the job.

Let me caution anyone who may read this post now or in the future, I would recommend staying away from the wood carving discs that use an actual chainsaw chain on the disc...

Those type of carving discs have been banned in many countries due to the number and severity of injuries caused when using them. They should probably be banned here as well. I'm not an expert, so let me link you to a professional who can tell you how bad those chainsaw discs can be...

 

[fuzzi]

In my yard I have a number of small stumps and roots that I have been working on using my reciprocating saw, but one defies all my attempts. I think it's a black walnut stump, which is extremely hard, so I gave up. I covered it with an upside down bucket so I wouldn't hit it while mowing. One day I moved the bucket and lo and behold, it's being chewed down by millipedes and crickets and worms! I put the bucket back on top.

 

[GlicksChicks]

The "Sustainable" things I do are:

• Gather my own eggs, not buy them
• Get egg cartons from neighbors, friends, and family so they are reused.
• Raise my own meat birds.
• Grow my own garden (Small right now, still learning how to help plants grow in Texas heat.)
• Make my own chicken broth from carcasses I cooked previously
• Keep the chicken fat for cooking
• Give my dog chicken organs and feet as part of their diet.
• Reuse wood that people are gettinf rid of. My chicken coop was completely free to make. Already had the screws and sourced the wood locally for free.
• Gather my own chicken bedding for the coop, since grass dies ALOT down here.
• Feed my chickens plants, fruits, vegetables, berries, as well as their normal scratch and chicken feed.
• I use well water.
• Solar panels for fans in the chicken coop as well as some for parts of the house.

Things I do normally:

• I use my normal hygiene items (Toothpaste, soap, etc.)
• I get dog food
• I still go to the store for the things I have not been able to make at home. (Flour, sugar, milk, etc.)
• A garbage truck takes the trash.
• Still use vehicles despite my constant desire to ride horses everywhere . (I don't have space for horses, very unfortunate.)

 

[SmiYa0126]

Thoroughly wash and cook up radish greens, they're a little bitter but great as a veggie.

If you have spoiled raw milk, dilute it and pour at base if trees I had two trees that were struggling and now they have rebounded.

I love the hack of planting in boxes. I did the same thing this year.

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

Anyone else use the bamboo shishkabob skewers as plant stakes? They’re cheap and when they break you can just bury them to biodegrade. I even found jumbo ones this year that are about the right length for my pea plants.

 

[No Coop No Problem]

Anyone else use the bamboo shishkabob skewers as plant stakes? They’re cheap and when they break you can just bury them to biodegrade. I even found jumbo ones this year that are about the right length for my pea plants.

Just grow real bamboo. It's an incredibly useful building material

 

[Sally PB]

Just grow real bamboo. It's an incredibly useful building material

Be careful if you do this. It can be come very invasive.
https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/landscaping-and-hardscaping/bamboo-plant

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

Just grow real bamboo. It's an incredibly useful building material

I suspect it wouldn’t be worth taking up container space for multiple years to then process into stakes when my end goal is peas and peppers. I don’t have that kind of space.