How To Use A Mattock To Remove Roots

While the name mattock may not ring whatever bells, yous have probably seen this tool either in use or in shows or movies where the characters are earthworks for gilded or other valuable items.

A mattock is oft called a Polaski in the United States.

This is considering the tool was created by Edward Polaski, a forest ranger at the turn of the 20^th century.

Today, the mattock is used effectually the globe mostly for digging and chopping. Information technology is a specialized tool that is more often than not used outdoors.

What is a Mattock?

A mattock is a tool that looks quite like to a pickaxe. It features a long handle made of either wood or fiberglass.

The head of the mattock may consist of an adze or horizontal bract on one side and a standard axe blade on the other.

Variations of the mattock which include the cutter mattock may accept a pick or narrow, pointed blade on one side with an adze on the other.

Although superficially similar to a pickaxe, the mattock is quite dissimilar.

The pickaxe normally consists of a long, narrow blade on ane stop with a brusque chisel-like bract on the other.

The mattock is really two types of axes, one horizontal and a shorter, vertical bract on each side.

What is a Mattock Used for?

The virtually common use for a mattock is associated with gardening and landscaping.

This is a tool designed to break upwardly and remove dirt from the ground.

The shorter, vertical blade is used to chop through the tree roots in the ground to break them up and then they can be removed.

The longer adze or horizontal blade is used to move soil, dig trenches, and remove dirt from the ground.

If you lot are using a pick mattock, then the selection portion is used to interruption up harder or densely packed soil, including rocks and stones.

The precipitous choice portion of this variation tin can bust upwardly earth and rocks far easier compared to a standard mattock.

If you lot are using a claw mattock, so the hook portion tin can be used to dig out weeds and cultivate the ground.

The claw is a handy tool for removing globe to aid plant a garden or remove weeds inside a garden.

How to Utilise a Mattock Tool Correctly?

Using a mattock requires using a special technique that maximizes the impact while protecting the knees and dorsum of the person using it.

Grip the middle of the handle with your dominant hand. And so, place your other mitt at the base.

While keeping your back direct, feet autonomously, and knees flexed, curve at the waist when pulling the mattock back.

Let the weight of the mattock be the main force that brings it to the ground.

Yous'll want to swing the mattock in an arc that starts at shoulder level and gain downward to the basis.

If you utilize short chops, that will save free energy so you can continue using the mattock without tiring.

The key is to protect your lower back, so you do non strain the muscles.

Repeat the motility until you accept sufficiently broken up the ground or achieved a specific objective.

For cutting through tree roots, flip the head around and employ the vertical blade, or adze and continue with the same striking motion.

If you need to interruption upward rocks or dislodge harder objects, a choice mattock is more often than not best.

How to Remove Tree Stumps Using a Mattock?

There is no question that the mattock is the least expensive and safest way to remove a tree stump.

However, it can also exist the most exhausting method, especially with larger stumps.

You can use a standard or choice mattock to remove a tree stump.

If the stump is fresh and soft, you tin motility to the next step.

However, if the stump is quondam and has hardened, you will need to break it up with the adze side of the mattock. This will remove much of the material from the stump.

Side by side, y'all volition need to break upwardly the roots that extend from the stump.

Strike the ground effectually the stump using the axe or a selection side of the mattock. This volition interruption through the hardened soil along with the roots.

You should keep going until you lot completely circle the stump.

Utilize the horizontal blade to scoop out the loose soil to betrayal the roots, then flip the mattock around to the axe side and chop.

Your goal is to remove enough soil to expose all the tree roots, then cut the roots abroad from the stump.

You should have the ball of the root left after yous are done. In one case completed, you may demand a digging bar to lift the root from the footing.

If the root brawl is large, then yous will need to circumvolve information technology with a chain and assail a tractor to pull the root ball out.

Choice Mattock vs. Cutter Mattock: What'due south the Deviation?

Although somewhat similar in appearance, there are differences betwixt the pick and cutter versions of the mattock.

A pick mattock has a pick on one side, a long, tapered cease that is designed to bust up hardened soil or breakthrough rocks.

Information technology looks quite similar to a pickaxe.

However, a pick mattock will more often than not accept a vertical axe bract on the other side while a pickaxe will have a short, chisel-like point on the other side.

A cutter mattock will have a long, vertical blade on one side.

This is all-time used for cutting upwards roots and stumps. The blade itself is slightly curved to match the downward swing by the user.

This allows the end to penetrate the roots and dig into larger amounts of soil that can exist removed.

Both versions are quite useful, merely the cutter mattock is by and large better for removing tree stumps.

Although the choice mattock tin can be handy if in that location is hardened soil or plenty of large rocks or stones surrounding the root of the tree.

Mattock vs. Pulaski vs. Pickaxe: What to Choose for Digging and Gardening?

Mattock is a sturdy grubbing tool, which is why information technology is also known as a grubbing ax, or a grubbing hoe.

When using the mattock tool, the thing to remember is that it's not an ideal tool for chopping downwardly trees or splitting firewood.

They are instead good at earthworks and slicing through tough roots. You lot should basically utilize them for heavy work on tougher grounds.

Unlike the Mattock tool, Pulaski is a double-ended firefighting tool used for fighting wildfires.

Y'all can consider it to be a firefighting axe with an adze.

The Pulaski axe is a meliorate tool when you need to chop wood, dig the holes in the soil, or for building fire breaks.

It'southward a blazon of normal gardening, that can be used for full general excavation.

The pickaxe on the other hand is practiced for busting stumps and breaking hard soil. You can also apply information technology for splitting wood, and for prying out brushes.

The pickaxe is however non the perfect tool for chopping.

When looking for a amend-suited tool for gardening, landscaping, or chopping exposed tree roots it's practiced to consider the specific job for which you need a tool.

Final thoughts

A mattock is quite a handy tool for everyday gardening, landscaping, and removing smaller tree stumps.

You lot tin also employ information technology on larger tree stumps if you have a chain and tractor or large vehicle handy to pull out the stump.

If however, you demand to choose a tool for fighting wildfires or to chop wood Pulaski is your option.

Hullo, I am Mark Garner a professional carpenter, woodworker, and DIY painter. I live in the modest city of Peoria, Arizona as a semi-retired woodworker. I take started this blog with a simple motive to help you with my wood feel in this sector. If you lot like to know more virtually what I dear doing and how it all got started, y'all can check more than about me here.

Source: https://woodthrive.com/mattock/

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