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Swiss candle tree stump.

Started by Ianab, October 14, 2018, 01:32:39 AM

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Ianab

Trying to get rid of some large pine stumps (without it costing anything of course ;))
A couple of cuts in a cross, then light a small fire on top. Once the resin that had bled to the surface caught, it was away. Not sure how much we will get rid of, but it's burning hot, and we can throw more wood in the hole tomorrow to keep it going as long as needed. 
Swiss candle tree stump. - YouTube
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

rlahaise

I'm interested in how well this works, I have been uprooting pine and fir trees (busting roots with a cripple then pushing the tree over) but anything over 12" is just too much for my tractor.. leaving stumps isn't a option as the goal is to have a hay field in what was second growth forest 2 years ago..

LeeB

Never heard of "busting roots with a cripple". Got a picture?
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

Ianab

I'll post some updates over the next few days. There is another stump that we didn't cut, just lit a burn pile on top, and kept feeding it. The middle of the stump is now below ground level, and we relit it after the rain at the weekend.

What amazed us was how the cross just started burning, all those flames on top are just from the stump, the kindling is long gone, and no accellerent needed. A big stump like that (about 3ft across) could probably do with a couple more cuts to make a star pattern and more surface area. 
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

brianJ

How dry the stumps?    Do you think this technique would work on green stumps?  on hardwood stumps?

LeeB

X2 on the hardwood stumps. I was wondering about honey locust. Cedar stumps burn out pretty good without the crisscross. 
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

lxskllr

I helped a friend with an apple stump. It had been dead a couple years, and was about as dry as it would get. We couldn't get it to burn, and ended up digging it out. Our technique may have needed tweaking, but I wasn't impressed with the results. We drilled a bunch of holes in it, soaked it in either lighter fluid or diesel(can't remember which), put charcoal briquets on top, and lit it up. Ended up with a charred stump that wasn't substantially different than before we started. I was skeptical from the start, and the results were about what I expected.

Ianab

These are pine stumps that have been down 6-12 months. Still basically green. I don't think drilling holes would work the same as they don't "draw" in air like the slots down the side of the log do. Looking down into the slots there are flames in the middle right down to the bottom, maybe 12" down.

Will go and check on progress this afternoon.
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

Ianab



Didn't get there yesterday, so the fire had gone out. Still gutted a fair whack of material out of the middle of the log. I put a couple more cuts in the site wall and we fired it up again. Left it with a good heat haze coming off it.  ;D
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

Mooseherder

A stump like that could take a week to burn down.  Cut them flush to the ground as possible.
I have a video of a stump I burnt down last year using charcoal, wood and a blower.   I used an old rim.  It isn't necessary but keeps the fire contained and can keep passers-by from reporting it.
You can see in the video where the rim sinks into the ground.  I got this one down 16 inches below grade and could have kept going but this took about a week.  I don't think I could have done it without the blower.  We have done several more since then using a charcoal chimney starter.  Dump the charcoal on the stump keeping the chimney starter upside down on top. Blow away the ash the next morning and put more charcoal in the crater to keep it burning.  Repeat as many times as you need.  
Stump Burning Challenge - YouTube

thecfarm

As with lxskllr,I had no luck either. But I had 3 stumps together,seem like it was a white maple. 30 years ago! I poured used motor oil on the stumps and kept a piece of old metal roofing to keep the water off.The stump was cut the year before that. Seem like I did this 3-4 months. The big day came and I piled some brush on it and off it went. No wheres. I thought for sure that would burn down. It was cut down as low as I could.
Maybe if I would of had a higher stump?? I saw that on youtube,high stump,and it worked.
When I had my land logged,I had them move it. That worked.
I have a red oak stump,3 years old,and a metal drum with holes on the bottom for draft. I want to put the barrel over the stump and put the wood in it. I think I saw that on here. I hope it don't take a cord of wood to burn out the stump.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Mooseherder

I have tried with a high stump and a grade level stump.  The higher stump adds a couple days to your burn.

Jeff

Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Ianab

Still smouldering. Probably needs to be left to go out so the ash can be turfed out, then fired up again. Plenty of scrap wood in the background. I'm busting the big pine logs up for firewood, and the brush needs to be burnt someplace, so may as well be on the stumps. 

Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

Ianab

Still burning.  :D Had some wind yesterday that seems to have cleaned out some of the ash from the hole. Everything around is still green enough that it's not a fire risk, so we are still throwing sticks into the hole. 

Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

yukon cornelius

I have had some success and fails with this. I drilled holes down from the top and soaked the holes with oil for several days. ERC stumps melted away. Dead red oak did fairly well. White oak stays and stays. I believe it is from the oil soaking abilities. I found the larger the holes and more of the holes the better. I prefer 1.5" holes. I also contain the fire with a rim and pile it with ERC scraps all day.
It seems I am a coarse thread bolt in a world of fine threaded nuts!

Making a living with a manual mill can be done!

Ianab

Well you need patience for this....

But the fire is below ground level now, and burnt out the ring in a couple of places. And we've cleared the surrounding area of stray limbs / pine cones and pretty much anything that will burn. 

Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

Ianab

Well, we got enough rain over the weekend to put a damper on the burn.  But not much left after 10 days of fire.  ;D



We still have brush to burn, so this (and a couple more stumps) will get fired up again once the weather clears. The brush needs to be burnt anyway, so may as well throw it in a stump and solve 2 problems at once. 
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

Mooseherder


Roxie

Say when

Ianab

Did another burn and there is only about 1 "tooth" still sticking up. Then we got into restricted fire season. 

Conclusion, yes it works, but you have to keep throwing stuff on (for a week or so), if you want a complete burn out of a big stump. 
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

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