In article , Ian
Stirling writes
Lobster wrote:
There is an old tree stump in the garden which SWMBO has decreed shall
be removed. I'm not fussed about what happens below ground, it just
needs to be pretty well flush with the surface; so it's not worth the
expense of having it removed properly by pros, or hiring an mini digger
or something (although it would be a nice excuse; I've always wanted a
go with one...!)

Last time I needed to do this, with a small stump about 6" across, I
used a 25mm spade bit to honeycomb the stump, then pulverised the
remnants with an axe - it vanished quite quickly and easily. However,
this beast is about 18" diameter and 8-10" high, so might take some more
doing. I favour a similar approach, and am looking for a suitable
attachment for my SDS drill this time, basically to shift as much wood
as possible from the bulk before I attack it with an axe as before.

Obtain a spade, pick-axe and a reciprocating saw.
Using the first two, expose the roots, to cut with the third.
Depending on the sort of soil, a hosepipe used as water-jet may be of use.

This isn't that hard, once you get into it, and is good all-over excersize.

Or for a real bodge us an angle grinder but that can generate some real
smoke, but it works)
--
Tony Sayer