This is an old thread and I had rather revive it than start another.
Flush (low ground clearance cuts) are fresh on my mind because I've been busy with storm clean up and I've never seen anyone do what I'm doing. Not that im the best nor the only guy that knows just thought a different story might be interesting.
I do grind sometimes but on the farm getting stumps low enough for the Bush Hog is a common days work and often that the end of my efforts.
Before cutting the stump I clean around it. Cleaning my stumps includes removing some bark making a clean wood band.
I bought a cheap gas String Trimmer and used a Dremel tool to shape the trimmer head to perfectly (not exactly perfect ) fit the Diamond shape in a common 7 1/4 inch Carbide Circle saw blade. The diamond hole is there once the 5/8 round arbor hole is punched out. Those blades are cheap. This DIY tool needs to be tested while one is standing behind a protective wall , standing in a metal barrel or behind another barrier until you are CERTAIN that you can safely use it and not send the blade flying toward non i tended targets. I operate mine while wearing steel toe work boots and other safety gear.
Around the stump I use this tool to remove briers, vines, small saplings etc. for several feet all way around. Then I slowly saw a half or so inch deep all way around the stump as near the ground as possible. Remember this (saw on a stick) can kick back in circles. No one should be allowed within 100 feet or more. Next I cut another groove up about 4 inches from the first cut. Always cut through the bark all way around 3 or 4 inches apart so the bark can be removed. This sounds complicated but it's fast once you get the hang of it. Someday, if there's not one, they will sell a tool similar for exactly the same reason.
I carry a small 3x4 piece of poly tarp to kneel on and I get down on the tarp and use the hatchet to remove the bark around the stump between the parallel cuts. That leaves clean wood MOST TIMES. BUT I carry a grubbing hoe and clean up anything else that needs cleaning before the saw is cranked. THEN if there is anything that needs brushing off the stump I use a Regular string trimmer to sweep all wat around the stump.
IF there is wire in the woodyou will easily see it when the bark is removed. In fact the carbide saw cuts through the wire.
If there are nails or staples you should find them too. End Cutters normally remove staples and nails.
I start my Chainsaw on the Lowest side. Once the saw is deep enough a wooden wedge goes in. Normally I cut and move around in a clockwise direction. Remember the saw chain tip may hit wedges when you move around. At some point I try to reach all way across the stunp if the bar is long enough. When that happens more wedges go in. On the last part of the cut I add and or adjust my wedges to keep from hitting them and making sure the saw don't bind. when that cut is finished tapping wedges lifts the stump up and the saw slides easily free. You will end up, at times, with a high side of the stump which I sorta round off using my smaller lighter saw.
If your bar reaches only part way across the stump you may make a SPIRAL CUT. That's because the chain is not cutting equally on left and right cutters. Well most times. Sometimes a little spiral can be snapped off with wedges.
When I cut stumps I carry supplies on a trailer behind the John Deere. Not everyone has all these tools available at the stumps.
DYNAMITE:
As a Boy I blew a Lot of stumps. Explosives were cheap and easy to get. I was well trained by a WW2 explosives veteran. Explosives aint something to play with. Now days my guess is the SWAT team would be on top of me at the first big boom so no explosives here. Ill admit 4 sticks under a big stump shore is exciting. Smile. Took down dead trees too. Bore stuff light run. In that order. Lol.
BURNING STUMPS:
Sometimes, some stumps burn even the roots but NOT all, not always. For me burning isn't a good idea. Why?
My experience is that chared wood is very SLOW to Rot. Termites don't like to eat it and partially burned (rain storm, green wood, high humidity and other things like a Fire Ban) has caused my burned stumps to stop burning. Even the one I had built a water proof cover over had to be extinguished when day three, roots smouldering and the Parish enacted a Fire Ban. Made me sick.
So, I've discovered other things. Ants can help rot stumps. I've sawed a few grooves across the top, plunged then rocked, kinda dangerous but works. Then placed sugar in the cut on stump, laid metal or flag stone over the top and waited. About a year and its very weak.
Rotten stumps don't take long to grind. Sometimes remove the flagstone a year later and let the bush hog eat it up.
We've all got good ideas. I'm not saying mine is best but this is my story. Hope it's entertaining.
Blessings
