Just realized a trick for dealing with those super tight crotch unions on mature oaks

We had a big pin oak in a backyard in Cincinnati with a union so tight you couldn't get a finger in there, let alone a saw. The usual advice is to make a relief cut from the outside, but that felt risky with the target zone. On a whim, I used a cordless drill to make a pilot hole right at the base of the union, then used a small pruning saw blade to start the cut from the inside out. It gave me just enough of a kerf to get my bigger saw in safely. Took an extra 15 minutes, but it felt way more controlled. Anyone else have a different method for these nightmare-tight spots?

3 comments

3 Comments

jennifer_west2mo ago

Honestly, drilling in first makes me a bit nervous about hitting hidden metal. I've had better luck just tapping a really sharp, thin folding saw blade into the seam to get it started. It takes some wiggling, but you avoid putting a hole in a spot you can't see.

wendy_murphy162mo ago

I've had good luck with a utility knife blade for that same reason.

ivanb4118d agoTop Commenter

We had a silver maple with that same drill trick and it worked perfect - just used a 1/4 inch bit to keep it small. I always stop and check for fence staples or signs of old hardware before I drill though.