Sawdust, a problem or a resource?

I don’t make that much sawdust and I just throw it away. I suppose I should bag it. Somebody can use it.

-- --- It's the little tools that get you ---

If you live in a cold part of the world you could make a sawdust stove. It is basically an oil drum and some vents and you got yourself a lot of heat for the winter. There are videos on youtube if your interested.

-- If you can't fix it with a hammer, You've got an electrical problem.

I breathe it… probably should invest in DC at some point… Seriously, the stuff I don’t breathe I throw away :)

-- Steve, Michigan - "Every piece of work is a self portrait of the person who accomplished it - autograph your work with excellence!" - Author unknown

I have 5 acres so I walk down the hill & dispense of it down there. I probably look like Santa, only skinier while totin that bag on me back… lol I don’t believe sawdust should be used in flower beds, but, that’s my opinion. I do not know if it is good or bad, or both.

-- Roger from KY. Work/Play/Travel Safe. Kentuk55@bellsouth.net

Thanks for the suggestion Zindel, but something like that would create an insurance problem here in Norway, not to mention that it would be just plain illegal. Yes Steve, I breath a lot too mine too. After all these years I like it better than fresh air, at least that’s what my wife claims!

-- Mike, American in Norway

I’m fortunate that my Brother-in-law has a small organic farm and uses my sawdust/shavings for the animals. I bag it up and my Mother-in-law hauls it away. Otherwise I’d put it out on the curb with the leaves and branches.

-- John

Large shavings are good for paint and finish removal, also for burnishing wood. I use the big stuff for animal bedding and kitty litter. I also have a compost pile I put the little stuff in and the other when the animals are done with it. I have just swept it out the front door of the shop. Place in your drive way for traction from mud or snow. Use it for soaking up oil under your car. Make a path in your garden. Add to cement or mortar to lighten it up.
But be careful with plants and animals with black walnut its poisonous.

-- Superdav "No matter where you go - there you are." http://chiselandforge.com

my wife uses some of it in her compost gardens. I unfortunately use a lot of walnut which apparently is poisonous to other plants, so that gets bagged and out with the trash. It’s too bad; when I’m working on a project with rough sawn wood (which is the only wood I can buy up here) I’ll fill my 30 gallon DC bin every few days.

-- Rob, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

I dump it out back in the alders by the lake.
Hand plane shavings get used to start the weber kettle and the Big Green Egg.

Mike

-- http://www.heartofsackville.ca/

If it is very fine, I will sometimes save it. I have thought about getting little containers and having samples after each wood type I work on. Mixed with some wood glue, there is not a better filler and the wood color always matches.

David

-- There is little that is simple when it comes to making a simple box.

that’s a good point David C. I do have a few small baby food jars (you could use sandwich baggies), with sanding dusts of Maple, Oak, Walnut for the purpose you mention, and it works gr8 for filling in, and like you said, you get a good match

-- Roger from KY. Work/Play/Travel Safe. Kentuk55@bellsouth.net

I believe Wood Magazine listed some uses for sawdust. One was you add melted paraffin wax with saw dust that is in a muffin wrapper (Have no idea what the official name of this wrapper is) and voila, you have a fire starter for the fire place.

-- Joe from Western Ma.... Peace to all

If you mix it with Gorilla glue you can make some pretty interesting scupltures! I forget what the ratio is to get good results, it’s been a while since I have done that.

-- I'm not as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was.

I burn it in a regular wood stove. Works great as long as you are patient and add it a shovel full at a time so it doesn’t choke the fire. It adds heat to the shop and really reduces the dump runs. Between sawdust and scraps, I never need kindling. When I ran the Harbour Ferry fleet I had a lot of used engine oil. Mixed with sawdust that would bring a cold shop up to temperature nice and fast.

-- Paul M ..............If God wanted us to have fiberglass boats he would have given us fiberglass trees. http://prmdesigns.com/

I use it in the composting toilet, otherwise it goes in the compost or gets given away to people with chickens. Nothing gets wasted and sawdust is not waste! It’s a valuable resource.

Please don’t throw it away! For goodness sakes, compost it!
Those who throw it away probably turn around and pay to buy compost.

Otoh, if it is treated wood ( please say no) then this is toxic waste and should be disposed of appropriately.

-- If you can't joint it, bead it!