# Saw dust logs



## moonie (Jun 18, 2010)

I was just wonding I plan a lot of oak and there is aways lots of saw dust so is there a way to trun it in to logs than throw it away?


----------



## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

Did you hear about Eco brick? http://ecobrick.net/
I use it in my wood stove when I run out of scrap. 
This is what it is ,compressed wood chips and saw dust.
The process is German, but I am not sure , except for using a press, how it is made. 
I do not know if they add an additive to keep the whole thing "glued" together.
The place where I buy mine, is a mill where they make all kind of molding out of oak only. 
Their price went up about 20% in one year, the told me that they cannot keep up with the demand


----------



## sprucegum (Dec 6, 2012)

I have no trouble getting rid of sawdust and shavings. It makes great bedding for farm animals and we live in a rural area. Bagged shavings at the farm supply are around $5/bag I see folks on craigs list selling contractor bags of shop shavings for from 3-5 dollars. I give mine to a friend who has a collection of various livestock and he gives me fresh eggs. Much simpler than making sawdust logs.


----------



## pendledad (Sep 5, 2012)

Work up a deal like sprucegum. Trading by products of our hobby for tangible goods is an awesome idea.

Those envi bricks and eco bricks aren't possible without a 50 ton press and a mold. They compress the sawdust under so much pressure that the wood fibers actually regrip themselves and hold the log shape…. crazy.


----------



## camps764 (Dec 9, 2011)

I think Spruce Gum just solved my problem as well!

FYI - I have heard through the grapevine that Walnut shavings are bad for animal bedding - particularly horses. Something about it making them go lame. Not sure how much truth there is to it or not - since I don't own horses. But something to consider I suppose.


----------



## IrreverentJack (Aug 13, 2010)

Making bricks or even pellets out of "waste" (saw dust, leaves, grass, paper etc.) to heat your house interests me too. The problem, aside from a lack of objective info, is the cost in equipment and energy to produce them. If you search Youtube you'll find all kinds of pellet or briquette makers for sale as well as homemade contraptions of varying practicality. This kind of stove might be the easiest to use. You could burn saw dust as well as scrap and fire wood. Matthias Wandel's Woodgears.com had good article on a sawdust/heat solution. -Jack


----------



## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Steve, I'd just be sure to clearly disclose whether your shavings/dust include walnut.


----------



## camps764 (Dec 9, 2011)

Definitely a good idea.

I think…if I remember right…which i probably don't…but walnut saw dust also works as a herbicide.


----------



## sprucegum (Dec 6, 2012)

I don't worry too much about my shavings being toxic as most of the wood I use is wood that is milled local and those mills are selling sawdust as bedding also. If there were a problem I think I would have heard about it by now, walnut does not grow here I have used a little for gunstocks but that does not make a very big pile.
One word of caution be sure to compost sawdust before you use it on your garden because the process of the wood decaying will tie up most of the nitrogen in the soil and your plants will be yellow and sickly looking.


----------



## IrreverentJack (Aug 13, 2010)

Walnuts, walnut roots, leaves and sawdust contain a substance called juglone. which is used as an herbicide. For a few years I produced $100 tomatoes until I discovered this. Some people are allergic to walnut saw dust some aren't. If you are sensitive, it can be very serious. I suspect it's the same with horses. Some owners say stepping on walnut sawdust will poison a horse, some say their horse eats walnut leaves with no problems. Everyone agrees it would really suck to give your sawdust away and have it kill a horse. -Jack


----------



## moonie (Jun 18, 2010)

Well all my saw dust is oak striaght from the sawmill no walnut here. I was thanking 4" steel pipe water and hyd jack and keep presser on it I got time.


----------



## sprucegum (Dec 6, 2012)

Let us know if it works.


----------



## runswithscissors (Nov 8, 2012)

I sometimes just stuff sawdust into an ordinary paper bag, and feed an already existing fire with it in my trash burner. Seems to burn fine, and even though the bag burns away, it keeps its shape pretty well and doesn't collapse and smother the fire.


----------



## rustynails (Jun 23, 2011)

I wonder if somthing like this would work if you put paper on the out side and saw dust on the inside?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv26VAWTsiE

Let me know if it works..

Richard


----------



## SebringDon (Feb 1, 2013)

Mine goes straight into the compost pile. It really seems to help keep the leaves churning. No walnut, though.


----------



## AandCstyle (Mar 21, 2012)

According to Wikipedia:

"The roots, nut husks, and leaves secrete a substance into the soil called juglone that is a respiratory inhibitor to some plants. A number of other plants (most notably white birch) are also poisoned by juglone, and should not be planted in close proximity to a black walnut. The plant can cause contact dermatitis in humans.[19] Horses are susceptible to laminitis from exposure to black walnut wood in bedding."

Relative to horses, it is more likely to be an issue if they have had their hooves trimmed recently.


----------



## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Art, Walnut shavings are a huge problem for horses regardless of when there feet were trimmed last. The jugulone is NOT the toxic principle for horses according to the latest research from U of Ga. They have not identified the toxin but that's academic. Horses should never be exposed to any level of walnut! I have treated many laminitis cases in the last 35 years and it is a devastating and expensive disease to deal with. I have also seen laminitis in horses penned under walnut trees with no shavings involved.


----------



## muddyboggy (Feb 2, 2013)

There have been cases of laminitis and colic in horses caused from the bedding containing sawdust from black walnut.


----------



## Edziu (Jan 17, 2010)

I wrote this article a while ago. http://lumberjocks.com/topics/26101 I still do it, It works really well for me.


----------



## joeyinsouthaustin (Sep 22, 2012)

I also researched this early in my wood working career. Her are some things I learned that haven't been mentioned yet. A "Fake" log is actually a candle. It is made from parafin (natural or petroleum based), sawdust, pressure and a retardant. Logs made with wax require less pressure than those made just with pressure. The retardant is anything from potash, to sand. You can make the logs without something to slow the burn, but if the proportions don't stay perfect it can flare up dangerously. (this is why store bought versions both state not to cut them up and burn, or to burn with real logs. Here is a quick article how to do it with out a retardant. This article will tell you a lot of stuff about the logs, you probably don't need to know unless you are as curious as I.

However try this for something different. ********************ake mushrooms can be grown in oak sawdust. I imagine your are not lacking in stuff to burn, but are you hungry. Also those mushrooms have a good price in the market place. Or it might lead you in the direction of someone who might want to buy your sawdust.

My bright ideas.


----------



## moonie (Jun 18, 2010)

thanks for all the good idels now I know which way to go.


----------



## robscastle (May 13, 2012)

I have bags of sawdust, some I compost and some go to a friend who has chooks, and is used directly in their pen.

My composting consists of a pit.

I use the indore principle to recycle everything. Sawdust can go directly into the garden but I limit it to about 20% to avoid any problems.

There is no reason why you could not mix it with flour and water and compress it in a 4" pipe then use it in a slow combustion stove. But you must not use treated timber sawdust as it will contain toxic chemicals and upon burning the fumes may be toxic in a confined area.


----------



## BJODay (Jan 29, 2013)

Has anybody tried packing shavings or sawdust into cardboard tubes?

How about a 2 foot long piece of 4" PVC, splint in half, hinged to fold open. Wet the sawdust pack it into the tube. Let it dry and open up the pipe. I think you would need something to glue it together. I would shy away from manufactured adhesives. Maybe a wheat paste would be safe for the chimney.

BJ


----------



## Gatorade (Oct 30, 2013)

I put my oak shavings in my garden keeps me from watering so much,no walnut.


----------



## Harry_Ch (Jan 27, 2011)

The easiest way to make sawdust into fire logs is as follows:
Place the sawdust/chips into a bucket and fill with water. Stir until you get a porrage-like mixture. Let the mixture soak for about three-five days. This will loosens the lignet in the wood, which acts as it's own glue.Stir once or twice a day.
While it is soaking, make a tube about 8-12 inches long and as big as you want. When it is compressed, the material will reduces by about 2/3s, so for once, size does matter. Drill small holes around sthe tube's side at different places to help drain the water when squeezed. One end needs a screw on cap, leave the other end open. Make a thick plate that will fit inside the tube and attached to a T-handle long enought for the tube. 
When ready, load the tube with the wet mixture and press down with the plunger. You do not need a lot of pressure, just enough to squeeze it all together. Have seen a liuttle kid make them. 
Once the majority of water drains, unscrew the end cap and push the log out. Set it aside and make the next one. If you want, you can wrap a sheet of paper around it. Depending on the weather, it should dry in a week or two. The logs will burn slow and steady. If you want a faster fire, add a dowel the lenght of the tube to the endcap and a hole in the plunger plate.


----------



## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

I was thinking along the line of a log splitter for a press. They can be built pretty easily. I have a 22 ton splitter. This of course is determined largely by the diameter of the cylinder used on it. The thing that makes logs splitters expensive can be the length of the cylinder stroke. For this you wouldn't need a long stroke. Just thinking. a hand press like used in a mechanic shop or machine shop would also work if you could get a large enough jack to operate it and make the frame strong enough….


----------



## moonie (Jun 18, 2010)

Thanks guys as for myself I was still working on it but Harry got some thing there.


----------

