Stumpy Grinder

Ok, so it just happened! The only one the chap can find grows to only 1m tall! I'm pretty sure this is the dwarf version. Where can he buy a full size one from? I've googled it myself with no success. Best UK rare tree supplier? Cheers SG

He knows it wasn't me that ID'd it anyway! I reckon the next question from him will be "where can I get one from"??? SG

Nailed it! Thanks janey. Customer is well impressed as he'd tried 6 different nurseries and garden centres to no avail! Cheers SG

Can someone give me an idea as to what this one is please? I only ground the stump out and never saw the tree, but the customer would like to replace it with another and sent me some pictures! Thanks SG

I think you will need to keep the drill pressure even and the drill speed relatively low for this method to be effective. Not sure you could achieve either with that? SG

It's not mine Mick, I just stole it from Youtube! In fact, I don't even use Greenteeth! SG

Yes, but in conjunction with a pillar drill! The drill lowers the tooth down onto a rotating wheel which retains its circular profile whilst grinding a slightly concave face. See here for the basic principle:

I recently started using a Diamond Wheel in the bench grinder! https://www.abtec4abrasives.com/d1a1-150-mm-x-20-mm-x-3175-mm-diamond-abrasive-grinding-wheels-413-p.asp They are not cheap, but it has transformed the process of sharpening teeth to whole new level! No more horrible green dust and the wheel lasts up to 20 times as long! I've done hundreds now and I'm still on my first wheel. Not only that, it does them in a fraction of the time and they are sharper than new ones! SG

Working in a garden near an old airfield locally I managed to put the stump grinder through a load of live .50 Cal ammunition! Thankfully I must have missed the primers and it didn't go bang! I also found a hedgehog in a large shrub base - well the skin anyway, not sure where the rest went! Numerous pipes and the odd live armoured cable that should have been buried much lower than it was! SG

It's an interesting topic, as I'm sure as soon as the log leaves a kiln it must begin to absorb moisture again? Even the doors in my house change with humidity, so how long before a kiln dried log in somebodies wood store in their garden becomes nothing more than a 'log' again?

This made me chuckle!

Left handed Coopers Axe here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/antique-left-handed-coopers-axe/201598217467?hash=item2ef030acfb SG

Hope it works!

Yeah I get that and will delve no further! I am fortunate enough to be able to service, maintain and repair my own machinery even on site usually which saves a lot of 'down-time' and ultimately cost which undoubtedly increases with machine age. Reading between the lines, I suspect we may even share similar circumstances, but that you've been doing it a bit longer than I have. It would be interesting to have a chat one day. Regards, SG

Nick, Sorry to be nosey and I fully respect that your business figures are private, but I'm struggling to understand how a new machine such as this can ever be cost effective given the hours of use that you state? You've had the machine for about 4 months and clocked up only 170 hours which equates to 42.5hr/month = 510hr/yr. You say that the machine will pay for itself in months and earn you a viable living? I'm guessing this machine would cost about £40,000 new? Even over a whole year, £40,000 divided by 510 equates to over £78/hr. But that's just to cover the cost of the machine alone and doesn't include running costs, maintenance, new teeth, vehicle costs, personal income or tax! I appreciate that a used machine such as this will have a good resale value after 2 years, but probably only about 50% of initial value? That still means you need to make about £39/hr of machine running before you can even begin to think about all your other costs or making any money? The last used machine I bought paid for itself in less than 2 weeks and continues to earn the same money. I would clearly love to buy a new machine, but I just can't justify the cost. What am I missing here as I'm genuinely intrigued? SG

When you say profits are way up, you surely haven't covered the initial purchase cost of this machine or anywhere near it as yet? I'd be interested to know: 1. How much did it cost? 2. Based on what you've made and spent on running costs in 170 hours, how many hours will it take to cover the initial purchase cost? I'm very interested in a new machine, but it just seems like a horrendous amount of outlay to make back alongside daily running costs. SG

Well I hope it's good as I got a load only yesterday out of an old cemetery! Grinding out stumps amongst grave stones was a first for me though! This is a good little firewood guide here: https://www.flamingfires.co.uk/which-wood-burns-best.htm SG

It may be worth finding someone local who can help you on a regular basis, as it could gain you more work! I sub for numerous local lads that know what I can do and charge, and I trust them to quote on my behalf for an inclusive price. They are far more likely to get the work as most people want just one contractor and price for the whole job. It is also much cheaper to get me out at an hourly rate for small jobs rather than the cost of hiring a crappy small machine with blunt teeth for a whole day! Everyone's a winner! If you can't find someone local to help, then maybe there's a gap in the market to become that local specialist? SG

Yeah, I do travel a bit, but that's maybe a little too far away! You must be way up North? SG

Just re-read your original post - 82 ash stumps is a lot! I don't think you would even do that with a small machine without dying! That would take a good while even with a bigger machine! SG

That many small ash will take a long time with a small machine, and just grinding the tops off is actually harder than taking the lot out! Technique of grinding stumps is the key to success! Think of it like planning a plank of wood. Planing the side of the plank is easy as you are going along the grain, and even then it is generally easier in one direction than the other. However, planning the end grain or the plank is VERY difficult as you are cutting across the grain! To do a stump effectively, you need to come in from the side and effectively go right down through the root plate cutting along the grain. As you pass through the centre, the grain then begins to slope away from you and you will be cutting cross grain again. It is then more efficient to go around the other side and start again. The job you describe would probably take you a whole day with a small machine and it would be hard work! The same job would take me maybe an hour or two with a decent machine and I'd probably charge you less than a day of your wages! You get your day back and you aren't aching for the rest of the week! You also don't need to pay out thousands for a machine which you then have to store and you may never effectively make your money back on. Clearly I have a biased opinion, but that is the harsh reality of stump grinding and why specialists like myself are able to exist. Hire one and see how you get on before you commit to buying one. I can pretty much guarantee it will hurt your body and your pocket compared to subbing it out! Regards, SG

I think a lot of it depends upon you as a person. For instance, I know several tree surgeons that had a career in the forces before getting into it. They were obviously fairly fit and active lads. I think the bit most don't realise, is that you can't just change career overnight and suddenly become something you are not! You would undoubtedly have to work for someone else to start with as it takes years to build up experience. I've seen a lot of folk do resettlement courses when leaving the forces and suddenly decide to be a builder/electrician/plumber/arborist/etc.. They get a ticket and put an Advert in the local paper and expect the phone to ring but it doesn't! It takes years to build up a client database and most work comes from word of mouth recommendation. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. SG

I've seen adverts like this before and I don't really get it? Apart from the equipment which clearly has value, you are basically selling your trusted reputation to an unknown quantity? This could be any Muppet that has the cash to spare, although the most likely buyer would be a newbie that wouldn't have that much collateral or experience anyway. If you'd worked with someone for a period of time and trusted them enough to take over, then that's acceptable. But how can you pass on business to clients that trust you implicitly, to someone that you don't even know? I appreciate that you are leaving the country, but surely you must have some moral obligation to those that have got you where you are? Selling as a job lot is clearly the easy route for you, but if I was buying, I'd pay no more than the value of your equipment, which if you split, you will undoubtedly make more on anyway? Good luck anyway with your move and change. SG

It is indeed, but it will only allow you to select a square section of what may be a rectangle which then becomes round? Re-sizing the picture makes no difference. Rectangles are therefore cropped heavily at the sides as well as the corners. Not a major problem clearly, just an observation............

The new style Cover Photo 'porthole' distorted my logo so that it was unusable. I notice other have been distorted and some folk seem to have removed theirs? Surely a rectangular style would suit photos better? SG