Root Cutter

It's not often that I need to take a tree stump out, but the normal way I've done this is to dig around the tree and use an axe to cut the roots before winching the stump out. Unfortunately, it can be hard to get a good swing at some of the deep roots. I've wanted to make a root cutter for a while now, and when I came across an old splitting axe with the profile I wanted, I took the chance to make one.

I'm aware there are other ways to remove a stump such as grinding or burning it out, but depending on the location this isnt always an option.

1. Old splitting axe
2. Pipe
3. M8 Bolt
4. Saw
5. Hammer
6. File
7. Gas Torch
8. Drill
9. Grinder
10. Pipe Cutters
11. M8 Tap

The first step is to remove the handle. I used a saw to cut off the handle, then drilled the remaining wood and knocked it out with a hammer and punch. This axe had a plastic liner which was surprisingly hard to get out, I ended up using a small gas torch to soften the plastic and then knock it out.

Before I tried to drill the hole, I checked if it was hard by using a file. If the file cuts the metal it's not hardened; if it skims over without biting in, then the steel has been hardened.

Sure enough, the back of the axe had been hardened. I submerged the rest of the axe head in water to protect the tempering and then heated the back of the axe head with some gas burners. I then allowed the axe to cool slowly to anneal (soften) the steel.

I clamped the axehead into place and drilled it out slowly. Even after annealing the steel, it was still pretty slow to drill such a large hole. I made sure to use a slow speed on the drill press and oil to keep it cool.

I used a flap disk on my grinder to clean all the rust off the axe head and give it a quick sharpen at the same time.

I didn't have a large enough drill bit for the size pipe I was going to use for the handle, so I ended up using a small grinding stone to grind out the hole a little bit larger.

To keep the handle on the axe I drilled another hole in the side of the head and then taped it to an M8 thread.

I then cut the pipe to the correct length and shaped the end so it would fit in correctly.

Lastly I used a short M8 bolt to lock the handle into place.

I found an old tow ball which I turned down on my lathe and pushed into the other end of the handle. This adds a little more weight and is comfortable to put your hand on.

This is an optional step that I added later.

It's a pretty simple tool, but it provides a decent amount of cutting power for tree roots.