Been a busy few weeks. I hauled about 15 plus yards of pea gravel from my place and reworked the lawn edging. Now brought in 10 yards of dirt to fill areas.



I had a row of shrubs removed last year but darn things keep growing back. Found a saw blade made for angle grinder and have been cutting and grinding the stumps down. Then use my drill and bore as many holes as I can followed with a good spray of Roundup. Not sure it will kill the stumps and may need to get a product called Toron. I didn’t want to order it as I need to get this project completed as it has taken up way to much time.

The shrub/trees are thought to be Chinese Elms. They grow around 3 plus feet a year and setup quickly. Apparently that is why many landscapers use them to establish a yard quickly. Not easy to kill either!!

Be one more busy week and then hopefully get back to more enjoyable things, yard work is not my favourite thing.

Thanks for stopping by.

Pedro



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/20/2018 02:33AM by pedrog.

A Pedro,

What kinda mess have you gotten yourself into, my friend .... haha. Now you just need truckloads of two hundred pound rocks to build walls, and you too can have a back like mine! Haha

Ah ... the revenge of the killer shrubs. Know it well. Wish you’d have had somebody with a tractor to pull a brush hook. Of pull out the whole shrub, root and all. They are merciless. Like our Yaupon (type of holly). But don’t think Christmas - think Halloween Night. Haha. You cut it off and you just make it mad. It comes back as five bushes - and you can watch it grow. Whoooh!!!! I felt my hair stand up there ...

Hope it all gets done and is rewarding for all your hard work. I respectfully remind you to provide the adequate drainage channels for water away from your house and rain downspouts. Hope that gravel wasn’t part of your water drainage in places. Tamp in a nice swail and cut/buy some sod to tamp into that channel because the rain will erode it before you can get grass to become permanent. Just an old man tip. Don’t ask me how I know. Haha.

Good luck Pedro. It’s great to be young and strong! Right??? Haha

Gary

And wear some chain mail gloves with that horror show of an angle grinder. That thing doesn’t know a root from a femoral artery. Not judging. I’ve been there too. Hey .... ever made this: a limited depth cutting, shaving blade. You make a smooth disc about 10 gauge or 3/16” sheet mild steel stock. Then band saw a notch in the edge. Weld in a tool steel tooth (about 1/4” wide) leaning in the direction of travel. Grind to project ONLY about 3/16” to 1/4” at most above the disc diameter. Very slightly relieve the back of the tooth’s top and both edges so the tooth has a “set”. Then heat treat the tooth. Temper to a darkish straw color - just before light blue. If it goes blue, use it but it will just dull a little quicker. Or heat treat it again. Don’t burn it. It will heat up to critical temp quickly. Light red - Oil quench. Scuff bright - heat disc stock (not the tooth) and let the heat wick out to the tooth. Let it turn goldish color - back in the oil to cool.

Now; on the grinder in use, the blade RIDES on the smooth rim 99.999% of the time. BUT, each time the tooth comes around (several thousand times a minute), it takes out a controlled limited depth bite. Cuts amazingly smooth and fast. Can’t jam and pull itself into the cut. Can’t jerk the running tool from your hand. Another old man tip. Thumb’s Up and attached! Ha



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/20/2018 02:29PM by barnespneumatic.

Gary,

The gravel was used for landscaping and not close enough act a drainage for the house but will keep a watch for water drainage. It’s hard to get the roots as you miss one and the darn thing sprouts again! That is why I am using roundup on the stump and roots.

Interestingly enough, I had thought of making a disk like you suggested. The jamb blade works well and is only 4.5” diameter. The grinder stalls if blade jambs but it’s rare. I mostly make slits from the top and then cut off from the side. Will wear gloves and using eye protection.

Will see how far I get. Might be a bit late to get lawn seeded.

Thanks for the comments and tips!

Pedro

Hi Pedro.

I know you’re responsible. You’re experienced.

That’s exhausting work, no doubt. Sharing some of my experiences. So similar to what I did in Md.

Here, if you stand still you’ll end up in the top of a tree on the end of a vine. Haha.

Gary