Uses for sawdust?

[buildintechie]

Anybody have suggested uses for sawdust I'm working on planing down the batch of wood I bought from Jack (saw4you) about a year and a half ago (i know...i know).

So, I'm producing tons of sawdust, anybody know what I can do with it, besides putting it in the yard waste bin for the city to pickup?

Thanks

 

[gfernandez]

Jeff,
What kind of wood are you planing? That would make a difference in how you can use it, depending on toxicity, etc.

 

[DWSmith]

Once the saw dust rots, it will make a wonderful compost. Using it to soon will let it leech minerals and nutrients out of the soil I believe.

Also, sawdust makes a wonderful kitty litter. Very absorbent and can be odor covering. It will also soak up paint, oil or other spills easily, quickly and completely. Once saw a person at Lowes try to contain a paint spill with sand. Made a mess! I went to the cutting area, got some saw dust, sprinkled it on the paint and wiped it all up in just a short time.

 

[Joe Scharle]

Walnut and many exotics are poisonous to horses. Many horse owners don't know that, but pine, poplar even oak are OK.

 

[caskey]

till it in the garden

 

[junquecol]

By producing "tons of shavings," exactly how much wood are you planing down?

 

[Steve_Honeycutt]

If you know someone who fires their own pottery, they can use it as a fuel source. It creates some interesting finishes on pottery.

Steve

 

[Vetteman9956]

I spread it in my wooded areas around the house to control weeds.

 

[tryingtokeepmyfingers]

I gave a nine year old two tops I turned on the lathe and I just the left over saw dust as packing matterial in the box..... so he has to dig in the box for his treasure.... not sure how it worked out since he has not opened it yet.... I did include a note saying open outside

 

[CDN_Maple]

Compost, gardens or some folks use it in their chicken coops. If its pine or oak, you might have someone willing to come take it off your hands (cedar is toxic).

 

[FredP]

Good idea!:eusa_clap I wooda put the note INSIDE the box.....:rotflm:

 

[KenOfCary]

My wife won't use anything but softwood shavings for horse bedding. As to compost be especially careful of Walnut. Walnut trees don't like competition so they poison the soil so other trees can't grow near them. Put Walnut shavings near another tree and you'll be replacing that tree.

- Ken.

 

[jnforness]

Anoother use is to take an empty egg carton and fill to the top with sawdust. Then pour melted wax over the sawdust to the top. When it cools, you have great fire starters! I use them camping. i get old used up candles, broken ones from the wife. Also, use the recycled paper egg cartons, as the styrofoam nes melt under the wax. And for heaven's sake, if you use a pot from the kitchen to melt the wax, make sure you clean it, put it back, and never admit to anything!

 

[buildintechie]

Haha....my wife totally just suggested this about 15 minutes ago!

~Jeff

 

[W Burton]

I usually give my sawdust away through Craigslist. I find that people raising chickens will take all the sawdust they can get. Sometimes I get a carton of eggs in return . . .

 

[Nativespec]

Oil spills. I like to keep some in my pockets for when we are out on the town or seeing family. I makes me feel at home.

 

[MikeH]

Oil spills. I like to keep some in my pockets for when we are out on the town or seeing family. I makes me feel at home.

Now that's funny!

 

[ehpoole]

Anoother use is to take an empty egg carton and fill to the top with sawdust. Then pour melted wax over the sawdust to the top. When it cools, you have great fire starters! I use them camping. i get old used up candles, broken ones from the wife. Also, use the recycled paper egg cartons, as the styrofoam nes melt under the wax. And for heaven's sake, if you use a pot from the kitchen to melt the wax, make sure you clean it, put it back, and never admit to anything!

Actually, when melting wax on a stove top you should really use two pots, a smaller pot or metal pitcher within a larger pot full of water. By using boiling water to melt the wax (instead of direct heat) there is considerably less risk of accidental ignition of the wax. Further, done this way you don't risk ruining a good pot and you can simply wipe clean and reuse the melting pot/pitcher for future wax pours (just dedicate it to this task).

It is easy to find decent pots for such at thrift shops dirt cheap, so no need to risk the good cookware.

 

[Charles Lent]

Contact Cathy Skipper. She can probably use all you've got to solve her problem.

Sorry Cathy, I couldn't resist.

Charley

 

[MikeH]

Here is a great way to use not only unuseable wood, but sawdust as well: http://www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur/