What do you do with shavings?

I use it in my composter and as mulch around the landscaping. It decomposes fairly quickly.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

Dido.

-- Depend on the rabbit's foot if you will, but remember it didn't work for the rabbit.

yep, it’s good in compost, as a mulch (away from the house)
you can even mix it with wax to make firestarters: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/3793

-- The opposite of war isn't peace. It's creation. -- Wood T's: http://www.printfection.com/snbcreative

I give my shavings to a friend who uses them in the family hamster cage.

-- Eric at http://adventuresinwoodworking.com

My brother-in-law takes my dust for compost, thats a win win situation.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

compost, wood burning stove fuel, to soak up oil spills, horse bedding, etc.

-- making sawdust....

walnut sawdust isn’t good for the gardens.. but the rest of my sawdust goes into the compost and onto gardens.
I just read that initially, sawdust draws the nitrogen out of the soil (not a good thing) but i’m guessing that once it starts decomposing the nitrogen gets put back in.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

If the sawdust is from a nut or fruit tree I use it in my smoker especially alder, cherry, walnut and pear it helps make the wife happier when I track sawdust through the house as to the others I use it in the garden as well but be careful you can burn your plants sensitive roots like MsDeebbie was saying. There are many sites that will tell you what wood is safe to smoke with and what is not. Like pine which is a nut producer but you wouldn’t want your food tasting like turpentine or then maybe you do, LOL.

-- RickM

Don’t your walnut shavings have paint on them Debbie?

-- Maplewood, MN

I use my shavings and sawdust in the garden too.

By the way, nice jointer you have. I have the same one except mine is not on wheels. That is one of my next projects.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

I share a building with a friend that makes springs. He uses most of my sawdust for oil cleanup. I take what he doesn’t use and use it in the garden. Besides compost you can use the saw dust as an ingredient in a lasagna bed.

Hmm…lasagna with shavings. Talk about your daily fiber requirements…

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

I spread the shavings on walking paths at my lake property, it helps keep the grass down.

-- Dick Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

With the prices of wood pellets and shavings rising up and up, there is no shortage of farmers (both commercial and hobby-type) willing to take these, and some even pay for them. I bag mine up in 50 gallon contractor bags (separating out the oak and discarding the walnut), and then make a call or 2 and they gone.

ooooouch.. they never forget !! lol
lol no, none of my painted walnut made it into the scrap pile. I’m going to save it forever!!

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

I use most shavings in the garden. You have to be careful of the shavings you might use as bedding for animals as some shavings are toxic. Any shavings that are not animal or garden safe become mulch around trees.

-- Genius is immediate, but talent takes time.

I make bags and bags of the stuff so i use it for my cats litter box.

-- John in Cranbrook http://www.extremebirdhouse.com ....http://community.webshots.com/user/cranbrook2

I just throw mine in a barrel behind my shop and burn it. I will start using it in some of the ways mentioned though, I think my wife will let me put around her plants.

-- Pyromedic602, free wood is always good wood

I use it on my fence perimeter and the walking path. I am starting to compost so I will be using it there also.

-- Artesano Taino

The ones I make from softwood and domistic hardwood are used as bedding for my daughters rabbits. Anything that I’m not sure would be healthy for them get bagged up and hauled to the landfill these are very few.

-- Frank Auge---Nichols NY----"My opinion is neither copyrighted nor trademarked, but it is price competitive."

Apple, mesquite, oak and hickory are all great to add to the coals when BBQ’ing! Maybe others too. The rest goes in the compost heap or scattered on the lawn.

Sugar maple shavings are excellent for smoking salmon and lake trout. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

-- Sawmill Lodge - http://sawmill-lodge.com

Piles and piles.

Mineral popular on the left. Holly in the middle and Goncalo Alves on the right.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Compost and on the flower beds.

-- Ron Central, CA

wow karson thats quite a sawdust pile. i just throw mine out. I’m not a full time woodworker though so i don’t have as much sawdust as everybody else. when i start making a lot though i will find something to do with them.

-- if you haven't already check out my blog http://lumberjocks.com/jocks/teenagewoodworker/blog/3961

I use it for the ice in the winter, it is great for walk ways and steps and land fill mulch in the summer.

-- "so much to learn and so little time"..

MsDebbie is right about saw dust leaching the nitrogen from the soil. I put either nitrogen or urea on my compost pile to speed up the composting. I don’t put it in the garden until it’s composted, that way you won’t burn the plants. Walnut is bad to use for plants or animals and white oak takes forever to compost.

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

Some goes to a guy that breeds dogs. He uses it for bedding. The walnut go to the auto shop for spills. What ever is left goes in the compost pile and left there for one year before it gets mixed into the garden.

Am I the only guy that bags it and puts it on the corner once a week ??

-- Paul

No. I’ve got so much, I sneak a can full out to the curb once a month.

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com