Just play the background music for the stump until it kills itself.

Quick reminder, do not do this in the dry season, fire can travel down roots and keep smoldering for days/weeks and start a uncontrolled fire.

20 years later... "well, we've made some progress, and it's really starting to diminish the stump. The psych ward has allowed me to come back and record over the past 19 years, though I can't seem to get that music out of my head even though they've upped my medication."

You almost fooled us! You told us that the fire removed the stump, but the music actually did it!😆

That stump was a perfect fishing seat and helps hold the bank together.

Why not sit on the stump and fish all day and the next day and next year. And when you get tired of sitting on the stump, sit on the ground and lean against the stump and fish all day.

Alright you have convinced me. I'm renting a bobcat.

In Australia we do it like this: First cut the bottom and top out of an oil drum. Place over the stump leaving an air gap at the bottom using some timber or brick chocks and put your charcoal or wood inside. Pour in a bit of sump oil and light. When the fire is really hot place a sheet of galvanized roofing iron on top. The fire will soon go out but will continue to smolder as the drum creates a draft and contains and focuses the heat even if it starts to rain. Course it tends to make a heck of a lotta smoke but that keeps the mossies and blowies away as well as the Mrs if she starts wingin' 'bout the effect on the washing. After15 hours or so the stump and all the roots will burn out without having to relight it several times. No worries. Fair Dinkum mate.

The cuts you made demonstrate a fire-making technique known as the Swedish Torch/Candle. If you make the cuts wider, you can build the fire inside the stump without using diesel fuel. I wouldn't suggest to anyone that they go to bed and leave this burning in a strong wind. I burned a stump once and the fire spread through the dead roots, igniting leaves far from where I'd cleared.

Nice video. I remember my dad using an axe making the curtain an X shape and pouring gas on the stump in our back yard about 40 yrs ago. It was summer time I got to stay up late til 3-4 am on fire watch w/my cousin. We thought that was so great.pitched a tent in case we wanted to sleep. He hid the gas csn somewhere cause we were fire bugs as teenagers 12-13 yrs old. That stump was so huge and tree was so old it was hollow in places dad said as him n a buddy cut it down. Our stump was 5x larger than the one in video. Thunderstorm broke half of it down so dad finished it off. We used sticks as well to keep fire going all night. We fell asleep in lounge chairs after 4am. Dad took over at 5am and it burnt about 6-8 inches below ground level. He got to use more gas tho. We woke up at 3pm. We were kids it was summer break. We felt like we lost a summer day. Lol. I enjoyed your video very much my friend. Similarities from 40 yrs ago.

In the beginning of your video, when you're using your chainsaw to cut the plus symbol into the stump, you can see that the chainsaw is throwing a lot of fine sawdust. That's always your best indicator that your chain needs sharpening. When your chainsaw is sharp it will throw big chips if wood, but never sawdust. Good luck. I enjoyed your video.

My uncle Sonny used the exact same method on his farm to get rid of medium sized stomps back in the 50's when I was a kid. He did one additional thing after the stump was burning on its own. He would take a 55 gallon barrel punch a couple of holes into it then turn it over onto the stump. It allowed the stump to continue burning but slowed down the wind and contained the heat so there was no stump left in the morning.

This is brilliant. Burnt first stump (of ~100..) tonight using this method, and it worked out brilliantly. Blown away by the simplicity. We've tried every other technique (drilling, saltpeter, etc...) and this is by far the simplest and most cost effective. I could have cried when the stump was burning with next to no effort. You're my hero.

My grandpa used to drill a hole in the center, put a stick dynamite in it to blow stumps to smitherines🤪 or put a speaker next to stump and play your background music to destroy stump😵

I used your stump burning method last weekend. Burned two 20" dia pine tree stumps. Method worked great. There was a slight fall breeze for couple days. Thanks for posting this. God bless.

First of all, make sure the chainsaw blade is very sharp (yours obviously wasn't). After cutting the cross, measure the depth of the cut in the centre, and mark the chainsaw blade about two inches longer than this measurement. Now point the chainsaw straight down and cut straight down with the tip of the chainsaw until the mark on the blade is level with the top of the stump. You should leave the sawdust in there as this will soak up some of the diesel and will help the fire burn in the bottom of the stump. After the first soaking with diesel oil and standing for a day or two, put about the same amount on again and let that soak for a day. Now add a bit of gasoline to light the fire. The sawdust will burn and will make sure the stump is burning in the bottom as well as the top. It will burn down much faster that way. We did ours this way and it was pretty fast.

I don't even have a stump to get rid of, why did I sit and watch this all the way through? 🤣😂

I don't know if you will read this, but the easiest way I found to burn a stump out was Charcoal Briquettes. What I did was built a ring of bricks around the stump just slightly higher than the top of the stump, then dumped the already coals on top the stump and in a matter of hours it was burned down to the ground level. I added more Briquettes but I don't know that I really had to. I think the ring of bricks concentrated the heat. In the morning there were little steam fissures all over the yard where the roots were burning.

Got the idea from your video! Started a fire it worked great! Didnt put any fuel on it just burned it. It burned then soldered for 4 days and it went 1 foot below the ground. Kept near it with hose just in case. This was at least a 3 foot wide all around and 1.5 foot high stump. Cheap and affordable project. To rent a stump grinder is $150 at home depot didn't want to spend that. So I saved myself money! Thank you!

0:48 Cut horizontally as low as possible 1:15 Cut a plus sign into the stump. Make vertical cuts down to ground level 3:06 Blow out sawdust in vertical cuts, using aluminum arrow shaft, or a straw, PVC pipe, or hose 4:00 Pour 1/4 cup diesel fuel into vertical cuts, let it soak in 4:57 problems with just building a bonfire on it 5:21 Pour some gasoline on it to add flammability 5:47 Light with a match 6:23 Added wood coals from wood stove 8:28 "Not a great say to start a stump fire" 9:00 "More and more coals falling to the bottom" 10:45 "To sum up what we did" 11:00 blow out the bottom of the cuts with long tube straw 13:28 One hour 15 minutes in 13:50 "We're going to leave it for the night" !! 14:13 Blazing stump fire 15:35 Blows fire with long tube straw 16:45 "I'm having a bonfire, I'll check back in the morning". Leaves fire unattended 17:00 Morning. Fire is out 18:00 Restarts fire 19:40 One hour later. Flush with the ground 20:21 "Might be able to plow in a year or so" 20:27 Added chicken litter and garden soil to make it break down faster 21:10 Going to make a new video with a variance on this method

Forget all the critics - cheaply and effectively. You removed your stump without having to buy anything or rummage for a drum. In the meantime, toasting grilled cheese on that fire at night with a bottle of Jack sounds like a great way to spend a late evening. Personally, looking at that property, I'm likely to have left the stump as a "utility table" when you sit on the bank, or tie a line to it for the boat or something. ALSO, for critics, this video also served as a discussion of other methods of removing a stump, so don't be harsh. This was a good, honest video.

Thank you. Live on a farm, been removing stumps for years. Always up for new ideas and easier ideas being im getting older now lol

This video should be called “when your chainsaw is so dull it’s quicker to spend two days burning a stump than cutting it off flush and burying it.”

I can remember as a child watching my relatives get rid of stumps. They would dig about 2-3 feet down beside the stump (allow for a plow) and then put hot coals around the stump. Worked really well. Takes about one night to complete the burn. Disadvantage - hard work digging the hole. Then fill the hole up with dirt.

I can't get that whistling tune out of my head. I'm just gonna set myself on fire.

Why do most people think we need music playing in the background? I managed for a couple of minutes then went elsewhere for stump removal.

Three years, five months later the stump was removed with a crane

Next week: how to easily dig a 100 foot well with a tea spoon... 😆

Good job. I enjoy that you've included all the bits of this video, even the parts that didn't work out exactly how you wanted.

great tip and thanks for the video. TIP: most people would probably rather hear the naturally occurring sounds than some music track. thanks

Incredible video. One of the best displays of DYI I've ever seen. I have issues with various stumps, and I'll be trying this. Great job! Question....how long was the stump drying/sitting, before you burned it? I take it this wasn't a "green tree", freshly cut? Thanks.

Very interesting, you need a wind breaker, something like a removable freestanding wall to keep the wind away while it catches and keeps going.

I don’t even have trees but for some reason I was compelled to watch the whole thing. This weed is good

I don’t have a stump to burn so I just ordered one on Amazon.

That’s a clever and fun way to get rid of the stump. Thanks for sharing and you seems like a genuinely a nice person.

Thank you, I have never had to do away with a stump. I live in the city and I won't pay to much for anything as I stretch what little money there is in retirement. Thank you again, as I am old. in order to survive, I must be smart and do the best I can. God bless you!

Great evening project. Sitting around the fire and cooking some bratwurst would make this night great. Oh a beer would be a must.

I agree with Roderick. It was a perfect seat to fish from.

That was great, didn't realise it could be so quick, I have a few stumps to get rid of, so now I know, cheers.

Great video. Really nice guy and I could tell you enjoyed helping fellow DIYers. Thanks.

I would've mounted a swivel chair on the stomp and fished for years off of it.

Wow, so many negative comments on this video. I didn't think it was that bad! If I want professional level TV I will watch BBC. Thank you for your hard work making this and sharing it. :)

Ingenius! You know...almost every video I've seen that bad-mouths stump burning inevitably shows some guy who doesn't know how to create a good campfire. Your method creates a draft and chimney effect from multiple directions...which is smarter than just drilling some holes at the base of the stump. You also create 4 smaller quadrants, instead of one big cylindrical chunk. Most of all, you make the point that it requires a slow, steady burn for an extended period. Very helpful video. Thanks!

Couldn't make it to the end....that music.

That is the most annoyingly repetitive music!

The chainsaw noise was less irritating than the music.

Thank you for the time making this video. When equipment isn’t available this method is brilliant!! Cost efficient too. Sure gets the job done. Thx again. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

I could not help but notice the beautiful dog in the backdrop... Looks like a Great Pyrénées to me. I love those dogs.

Nice work. I have seen it done different way but other then using a chainsaw I will try it. Although I do have a stump that rotten out in the middle so that one should be pretty easy. Thank you for sharing

These ' How To Do Recordings ' are always helpful in finding the resolution to the on-going problem and or project to be done. Before these ' How To Do ' instructional videos... it was just a learning process for the so many in trying to find the easiest way to get it done without involving high costs or major machinery to get the job done. Nice ways for all of us out here when it is time to get the job done. Scott Lanson

Thanks, worked just like the video even better. I started in the morning and let it go and it got the roots. Left a big hole.

Thanks for this good info Neal!! I have one very low to the ground like maybe 3 inches hmmm

Suddenly you were being recommended to a video from 2017....... The algorithm works in mysterious ways.

Thank you for showing this technique. I think we got this, hopefully.

I’d say that chain is pretty dull already.

I usually dig the ground-dirt out around the stump so I can get my chain saw low and and get a low cut on the stump, that really helps in removal of the stump. If you burn it , there is much less to burn down .

I use Charcoal briquettes , They burn longer & hotter, but basically the same process. Works great!

"You don't need to build a big fire on top". Builds big fire on top.

This was a very honest video things kept not quite working but you showed the honest truth of what it take well done felt for the stump though

You got a sizeable property with stumps? I mean acres of property and 20 stumps? Rent a backhoe for a day with a narrow digging bucket. Dig them up out of the ground with deep digs on four sides of the stump. Takes 15 minutes or so per stump. 20 minutes for a big ol' stump (30+ inches diameter). The stumps come up with most of the roots, too. Throw all the stumps in a burn pile and you are done in one day. Your property looks fantastic, and your job is done.

2:09 when your sawdust looks like this your chain is dull and needs to be sharpened. When you stop getting big chunks then you need to sharpen your chain and it's always best to carry a file with you.

Awesome! I loved the way you showed us how to remove stumps with a little patience and time, very effectively! Thank-you Karen

What a great way to get rid of a stump, and so easy. Thankyou gazza.

Thanks for you video!! You helped me. Also try this!! Same concept as a bellows on a forge one you get the fire going, stand and 10-12 ft away with a leaf blower and you can really speed things up.

Used this method, and it does work and when you are done it is all gone, very clean cheap way to get out.

In many areas this can cause a forest fire so keep an eye on the process at all times, if there is a large root system the fire can pop up in other areas.

Was a practical and inexpensive method you demonstrated in the removal of a stump!!!

Loved your vedio. I cried when I seen you. You look exactly like my brother who passed away. God bless your family and thanks.

Great video! Much better method than drilling holes. I tried this on a 26” pine stump, other than having it grinder, which would have cost me 600 smackers. I’m burning it now while I’m writing this and it is working great. Blowing out with metal straw. Keep em coming!

Of all the methods I viewed on "Fool Tube", this one seemed to make the most sense, so I tried it, with the exception of using more sticks for fuel than what was presented. I got things started with a little diesel and let it smolder for a couple days. It was cheap, effective and trouble-free.

I will have to show my husband this! Thank you Jeremiah

Thank you for the instructional video. I have a tree stump to remove (lightening hit & split the tree); I will try your method. I would however like to make a suggestion. Please consider turning the music OFF when you are speaking. It would make it so much easier to hear and understand you. Since this is an "instructional" video, being able to hear and understand your information is important. I do not think this video needed any background music, but that is just my opinion. However, it definitely did not need music playing over you speaking -- that is just good common logic and basic courtesy. Thank you again for the video. Joy & good health to you & yours, (… Jan)

A word to the wise: While I was a chokerman in my youth, I set one on fire. Days later the hole was so deep I couldn't see the fire anymore. An old logger told me that the fire inside can smolder for months, and start to burn again later, thus creating a risk of a forest fire if it is in proximity to other trees or combustibles.

Good info! A friend recommended covering the top with charcoal also.

How old was this stump? I tried this on a pine stump that was sitting for about 8 years. It was half cork, but I dug that away down to hard wood. I had some horizontal roots making a shoulder at ground level. I never could get my fire to burn the substance of the stump very well. I kept feeding and feeding it sticks, then wood, and then small logs. I never got the shoulders down below the ground after 3 days of burning. It was a lot of work to keep that fire going. Perhaps my stump was too moist from age.

BBQ lighter fluid is safer & burns longer. Great video! I got 4 to get rid of. Big help! Thanks again!

It burns exactly as deep as the lowest air intake, and then self-extinguishes. To get all there is to burn, you dig on one side, then drill into the lowest coherent mass of the stump to get airflow to your middle cut. That way, you wake up to a hole full of ash and no underground stump remaining.

I found your video very satisfying. Thanks for taking the time to make it and share with us.

Great Job. How would a 2," ,Hole saw cut also down the middle section to go below the surface of the earth, into the roots sections below. Great Work. Shalom Eleichem

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Cut the stump to the ground level , drill holes in the remaining stump ,, put gasoline on it and torch the darn thing.

Good example of how to take a 3 minute educational video and turn it into 21 minutes

Silly question, but I live in NV, had a palm tree cut down, they left a sizeable stump, probably because the size of the roots...would have taken out,my foundation!! Lol, would this work on those? They hild so,much water, thats why I'm asking? Great video!! No nonsense just facts and video of showung!! Thank you, I'm subscribing!!

Hi Neal. I was wondering if you have any suggestions on how to get rid of Crepe Myrtle roots from a tree stump we had grinded out 2 years ago. The toots travel under our patio slab and out through yard. They are always sending up new trees. I've cut them, dug them up and tried to eliminate them to no avail. This is frustrating and I'm worn out from all the needles work. Any suggestions how to stop the spreading root system.

Always a good idea to start a fire during high winds. Just brilliant.

Update the title to: How to remove a stump in 3 days.

IF I HAD TO BURN IT, I WOULD HAVE PUT A WIND BARRIER AROUND IT, LIKE A BARREL WITH NO TOP OR BOTTTOM (METAL TUBE). :) BUT I WOULD MOST LIKELY LEAVE IT THERE AND USE IT AS A BAIT-CUTTING TABLE! :)

The good news is, if you are ever accused of the crime of arson, this video is solid evidence of your innocence. One trick I have done is to take your pry bar and spread the cracks open, then drop or drive a few rocks, short branch spikes, or wedges down in the cracks to keep them spread apart. If you have time, you can just periodically every week or so, keep spreading the cracks wider as the stump relaxes. Rocks and gravel will naturally drop deeper and deeper as it spreads. Then burn it when it's wide open like a flower. Or put dirt down in it so it holds rain water and just let it rot out.If you have wind like you had, you can use mud or branches or even big bricks or rocks to block off one crack so the wind comes in one crack and blows out the other two. Sort of like the rocket stove concept. You could have also dug some dirt out on the upwind side and made that cut really deep.Some of that saw dust in the cracks would have soaked up the fuel really nice and burned a lot longer to build up the heat necessary to keep that fire burning. The heat loss from the wind is what killed it. One other option, if practical for the given situation, is to use a propane torch. Stick the torch tip in the base of the cut on the upwind side and let it run for several minutes. Anchor the bottle in the dirt. You can also make a few more crosscuts at the top of the stump only. They don't have to go all the way down like the first two. You could also make a small bowl with the tip of the chainsaw or an axe. If you have one of those charcoal chimney starter cans, you can turn it upside down on the top of the stump so it will hold lit coals or contain kindling for a starter fire. This helps to prevent the wind from carrying away embers that could start a fire you don't want to start. And lastly, if you make a large diagonal cut, you can saw out a huge wedge, remove the wedge and cut a V in the leading edge of it. Replace the wedge back where it was but use rocks or small branches as slavers so there is an air gap around the wedge. You can put coals or fuel in the pocket you made with the V notch. It's funny how it's all so simple and brilliant ideas just seem to flow when someone is sitting behind a keyboard with their feet up sipping coffee.If you want to start a really good debate or a dynamic group project, just put about six men together and have one of them start building a fire. The expertise and knowledge will be overwhelming! Who knew there were so many fire experts everywhere, it's uncanny.And once the fire is built and everybody has downed 6 or 8 beers and high fiving each other, have somebody start to grill some steaks.I liked your video, despite what the majority of everybody on UKposts, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit is saying. - cheers!

Neat video..I have one that's about 3ft across in my yard...I hope it works as good as yours did...

My 2nd great grandfather wrote a book that in later editions became "The Australian Builders & Contractors Price Book", in that book I recall reading about pouring a solution of saltpeter into a hole drilled in the stump, wait a while for it soak through the roots, then light it up. After the initial blaze, it will keep smouldering through the roots because of the oxidiser you poured into it. It was a very detailed instruction, but I don't recall the quantities or wait time now as it was more than a half century ago. I think the 2 chainsaw cuts is way less effort as it's not so easy drilling into stumps.

Loved your video! THANK YOU!! You are great!!

Great Idea I have a friend who lost his foot in a cycle accident, tried this on him and he loved it.

Cool n informative video. Would have placed a cot n slept overnight by the "camp fire". Kudos for vid. New subscriber because of it. Looking forward to ur next one. Aloha from Hawaii

I did something very similar to some stumps on my property in Australia last year. Once it was burning nicely, I went off to do some other work. I came back a few hours later to find the stumps completely intact. My partner had seen the flames and put them out with a bucket of water. The stump's still there.

Just put a 50 galon oil drum with the bottom cut out (metal tube) over it after you have it started burning with some charcoal on top of the stump. It will burn like a rocket stove, well down below the ground level, quicker and hotter and help contain the fire to the stump

Thank you for convincing me to rent a stump grinder.

Have you considered placing an old open ended drum over the top when burning in windy conditions?

He actually left that fire burning unattended during high winds!! I can't believe what I'm watching.

why not cut is as low as possible to start... then burn it? maybe save a day that way?

This is great for the unemployed that have nothing better to do.

What was the purpose of getting rid of this stump? It's on the edge of a pond. Perfectly suited and cut to sit on during fishing season.