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| Forum topic by Jamie | posted 680 days ago | 4846 views | 0 times favorited | 45 replies | ![]() |
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680 days ago |
Topic tags/keywords: tip question resource I couldn’t find this topic posted anywhere, so I thought I would start it. I wanted to find out if anyone had found a clever way to use the wood chips and/or sawdust that we all accumulate in our shops. I’ll start… I use the wood shavings that I create with my planer as bedding for my blue-tick beagle ‘BeeBee’. She loves them to death. If she’s in the shop with me, you can always find her on a pile of shavings. I use some of the sawdust to make filler (but only when a project requires it, so it’s kinda made when necessary). The sawdust and shavings mostly end up in the trash.. It would be great if there was a way to use it… I once thought that I could use the shavings and sawdust as a sort of mulch around the outside of the house, but everyone I spoke to advised me not to use it near homes, since it could attract termites. I knew that…. I was just testing them… :) Anyone else? -- Jamie, Kentucky |
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680 days ago |
So far I’ve just tossed it. There are so many clever people here, though, that I’ll bet some great ideas surface. |
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680 days ago |
We recycle ours. Saw dust will rob the nitrogen from the surrounding soil, so we use urea pellets. A layer of saw dust, a layer of pellets. If you have a large compost pile mix the the dust/chips in with it. This will help break it down quicker. Just a little at a time. Hope this helps. -- Andy Stark |
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680 days ago |
A true Lumberjock uses sawdust to season his food. Who needs salt and pepper? Just use maple and walnut! -- JP, Shelbyville, KY |
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680 days ago |
Relic - Urea pellets? Where do you get those? I throw them in a “compost” pile but I know it’s not a very good one since the only green matter that goes in the pile is when I wait too long to mow the grass and I have to rake. If I’ve been working with plywood though, I just pitch the dust (glue contamination). We talked about it some here: http://lumberjocks.com/topics/290 -- Paul, Texas |
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680 days ago |
If you have any red cedar chips to mix with it, dosen’t take much and it will keep the critters like, flea’s, ticks and any other cooties out. I’ve seen red cedar shaving’s sold at a different variety of stores. One more thing, it will make ole rover smell more on the agreeable side. Semper Fi ! -- www.flickr.com/photos/egamarine/ |
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680 days ago |
We use a product from the local feed store called “urea ice melter”. You could use a high nitrogen based fertilizer as well. Remember the more you turn your compost the faster in breaks down. -- Andy Stark |
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680 days ago |
I just thought, if composting is a solution for you or your thinking about it, our sister site http://gardentenders.com/ might be helpful. -- Andy Stark |
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680 days ago |
I put just a tad in the garden every year with a load of manure I put some on top of landscaping fabric under some of the large trees but the bulk of it I lay down on a trail I am constantly expanding that goes through 14 acresof wetland forest. cheers |
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680 days ago |
i burn most of mine in my wood furnace. -- I buy tools so i can make more money,so ican buy more tools so I can work more, to make more money, so I can buy more tool, so I can work more |
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680 days ago |
I’ve heard of pressing the dust into wood pellets for a wood stove. I wish I had a stove and then a press for this… Currently, what I don’t breath or spread out to the rest of the house I collect on the floor and shop vac or sweep into a bin that goes straight out to the compost pile. Then my dog sleeps in it and brings it back into the house for us. One of those circle of life kind of things. -- He said wood...http://hickbyassociation.blogspot.com/ |
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680 days ago |
I have a garden area that I put about 2-3” of shaving and sawdust on and then rototill in. When I get around to actually planting a garden there I’ll take into account the nitrogen problem. My pile after planing some Goncalo-Alves, Holly and Mineral Popular -- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com † |
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680 days ago |
I mix mine with the lawn clippings and compost it behind the shop. I till it in occasionally and add composted cow manure to aid the nitrogen deficit. After it breaks down we use it as a top dressing around plants in the garden and add it to potting soil for Pam’s floral display pots. -- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade. |
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680 days ago |
I currently have a forced air propane heater in my shop, and I thought about getting rid of that for a wood (or pellet) stove. You can see the heater I have in my workshop pics. That would be an excellent idea for recycling (or at least getting rid of it)... Anyone interested in buying a fairly new forced air propane heater? :) -- Jamie, Kentucky |
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680 days ago |
Mine goes in my dad’s garden, along with the grass clippings and such. So far it has not hurt any of the plants, and he loves it so it works out great. -- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com |
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680 days ago |
Garden and compost piles are great, just remember or be aware that walnut can be very toxic to other plants. Not sure what is in it or why but it will kill some plants especially tomatoes. -- Joey, Magee, Ms http://woodnwaresms.com |
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680 days ago |
There’s always this “fire starter” topic that was discussed on lumberocks earlier… -- Rob (A) Waxahachie,TX |
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680 days ago |
I use some of my hardwood shavings in my side fire box meat smoker for added flavor. The rest I till into the garden or use them as ground cover for less hardy plants during the winter months. The wood flour from my sanders I put in small ziplock sandwich bags, label them as to wood type and save for project repairs or repairs to wood structures around the house. And lastly if my dog accidentally pees on my shop floor, I just sprinkle some sawdust over it, let it dry, sweep it up, and toss it out with the garbage. |
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679 days ago |
I use the shavings from my planer for our pet chickens. I use mostly spruce and poplar. You may want to look around your local are to see if there are any chicken owners who may be greatful for the bedding. -- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them |
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679 days ago |
#1. Don’t get rid of the propane heater. You already have it installed. #2. You can add wood or pellet heat. Use the propane on a minimum setting to keep the shop from freezing in case you don’t have wood or you go away for a few days. I use some saw dust in compost but not black walnut or pine. They have toxicity and acidic issues that are hostile to other plants and animals when breathed in. I bag and throw most of it away. I occasionally go through my old cans of paint, finish, and stain to throw away. By law in Montana you can’t throw those as a liquid in the landfill. But you can if they are dry. I pour the liquids into a bucket of saw dust until it is absorbed nicely and let it dry. Then I dispose of it. -- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com |
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676 days ago |
Since I work mostly with pine, the sawdust goes to a compost pile, usually with table scraps that will be used in gardening in a year or so. Sometimes, the sawdust goes into the trash if I’ve picked up non-organic material from the floor or if it’s mixed with plywood or treated lumber dust. Recently, my wife and daughter used some planer residue to make fire starters for our use. One consideration is to put it in a bag and ask if the local girl scout or boy scout or another youth organization in your area would use it for fire starters or other purposes. Dave Nagy -- Dave |
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676 days ago |
I leave mine near a low rent trailer park so they can use it as fuel to cook meth… Not really.. I bag it and give it to a friend that uses it for fuel in his wood burning stove. -- making sawdust.... |
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676 days ago |
Mine goes to my daughter. She has two horses and uses it for bedding then recycles it again in her garden. -- Bruce from Central New York |
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675 days ago |
It makes a great mulch but Black Walnut, dust or shavings will kill plants. -- Robert, mountainwoodcarving@netzero.net |
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675 days ago |
Composting is the best way to get rid of sawdust but it takes a long tiime for it fully breakdown to good organic material, as long as 5 years. Composting is dependant on air and moisture, if the center of your compost pile is dry or cold get out the pitch fork and mix it up. A mixture of green and brown (grass and leaves) along with table scraps (not meat) and a little sawdust (50% or less) makes great organic material. Ditto on the walnut toxicity. -- DocK, WV |
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674 days ago |
Eleven useful ways (and one not-so-useful way) to recycle sawdust: 1. Mulching out weeds in the backyard. and not so good, #12. “A number of years ago I went on a tour of Winnebago Industries in Forest City Iowa (in fact I went a few times while waiting for service on my RV). The tour included the cabinet shops where large amounts of Sawdust was produced most from MDF, particle board or plywood the same material any cabinet shop would produce. Their dust and scrap collection was impressive. Piles upon piles were left outside. It was explained that Pig Farmers would take all they could as Food for their pigs. I questioned the composition of the waste and was told that since the company was formed in the 50s, this was how they disposed of their sawdust.” -- life can always be weaved into a song. |
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674 days ago |
My dog lies in it while my grandson plows it and loads it into his Tonka trucks, and then the three of us end up tracking it thru the house…which gets the little woman screamin, and all that produces heat! I’ve also found out that if you give her a breath mint first, then you’ll have an air freshener too.
-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you! |
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674 days ago |
Why would you do anything with it? I suck it up and when the vacuum is full its time to throw it out and buy another one. Right?? -- CaptnA - "When someone hurts you, write it in the sand so the winds of forgiveness will scatter the memory... " |
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674 days ago |
I spread my shavings on paths up at my lake property, I don’t have to mow the paths. I have a hard time getting grass to grow under my Black walnut tree. This article explains it. -- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1 |
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578 days ago |
I just spoke with a guy who grows mushrooms. He was very excited about my sawdust pile, especially the Alder. He said the shavings from the planer and jointer are better than the dust from the saws, but apparently mushrooms love the stuff! Who knew? -- http://www.north40custom.com -- http://north40studios.etsy.com -- |
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578 days ago |
I just let it collect on the floor in my garage shop, then when I get yelled at for the umpteenth time by my better half, I break out the yard blower and force it out onto the driveway and then under the trees in my front yard. Some of it goes around other plantings as mulch…. no need to waste a natural thing. -- I love the smell of sawdust in the morning.... |
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578 days ago |
From what I know, if you don’t burn it, use it as bedding for pets or in paths, etc…... it should be pitched. I’m one of the “greenest” guys you’ll find, but wood shavings can cause big problems in the compost pile or as garden mulch. -- JJ...... I guess you could say I'm a 54 year old "juniorjock". — Make things with wood. |
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578 days ago |
A lot of stables can use sawdust for stable bedding, but be sure not to contaminate your offerings with walnut dust and shavings ….... bad news for horses. -- Earle Wright, Lenoir City, Tennessee |
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577 days ago |
Yeah, the guy I talked to confirmed that it shouldn’t be used for regular garden compost – the sawdust robs nitrogen from the soil – but apparently that’s not a problem for the ‘shrooms. -- http://www.north40custom.com -- http://north40studios.etsy.com -- |
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577 days ago |
yes, fresh sawdust does require more N to break down. it still is a viable use just remember to add extra N when using it fresh. Blue berries like fresh mulch. our problem at the Gnarly Wood Shoppe is black walnut as we have been using quite a bit lately. keeps everything down as a mulch because of a growth inhibitor that it secretes. -- cronk, oregon |
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205 days ago |
If you have potters in your area that have a kiln they love the sawdust (maybe wood chips too) for Raku pottery. They surround the pots with sawdust in the kiln and produce a beautiful irredescent glaze. |
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205 days ago |
compost, but not walnut or some of the other high oil woods.. they get used as firestarter. every year when i work up the veg garden i plow in a truck load of shavings.. holds water and adds worm food. after doing that for 20 years, the garden has great soil -- It's not a sickness, i can stop buying tools anytime. |
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204 days ago |
Currently, mine blows out the back window and goes into a compost pile. The stuff on the floor goes into the wood stove. It gives off alot of heat quick. |
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204 days ago |
I’m involved is Scouts, so I take a couple of handfulls along with some dyer lint and place in a small paper lunch sack and staple closed. -- At the end of my life...When I meet my Maker...Will I be seen as...a giver or a taker |
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204 days ago |
Depends, I have used some to fill with a little glue, roll it in a ball and fill a nail hole. I also burn the dust in My outdoor fireplace, Chips depends what kind Cherry I use in a smoker, oak and some others also. Nothing like a little cherry flavored steak. -- Measure once cut twice....oh wait....ooops. |
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204 days ago |
I find it dries up muddy spots in the yard pretty good. It turns the mud into carpet. -- "Safe woodworking isn't just about avoiding injury, it is also about avoiding extinction." CKG |
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14 days ago |
Just a little note- Red Maple, cherry and Walnut sawdust or chips can kill a horse. Just walking on or inhaling the dust or walnut can give your horse founder, so please don’t use that for bedding or trail material. Rabbits and other small caged animals can also die from it. Walnut, pecan, buttternut, and hickory all produce juglone, the chemical that kills animals and plants around those trees. Red Maple can kill a horse, too, so be warned. Just thought some who were using it as bedding might want to know this. |
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13 days ago |
I use the pine sawdust for horse stalls. Everything else I just dump over the hill. Good reminder juju about the various other sawdusts in relation to horses. -- Tony, Pliny,WV "Never do a wrong thing to make a friend or keep one."- Robert E. Lee |
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11 days ago |
My neighbor takes all I can give them for Cattle bedding. -- John Stoler Apple Creek Ohio |
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11 days ago |
ive been using it as mulch around shrubs and small trees for a few months now (trying it out). so far so good. -not in the garden mulch or compost, on account of the nitrogen imbalance. i figure as beds on shrubs it just sits on top and prevents weeds and doesnt interact too closely with the soil underneath. |
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11 days ago |
I use the larger shavings for starting fires in the woodstoves in the house and shop. Sometimes I’ll add a little to the compost pile. (Don’t use walnut shavings or dust for any plants. They don’t like it!). It also makes for good bedding for dog houses, and chicken coops, as others have pointed out already. This time of year I burn most that I generate. -- Build for the joy of it! |
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