What to do with Wood shavings?

[Mike Olson]

I have a whole wheel barrel full of ~ 1.5" wide shavings from construction lumber. My wife thinks I should do something with them but I can only think of 2 things.

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1. Bracelets "wife won't try for fear of slivers"
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2. Fire

Any other ideas?

Thanks,
Mike

[Sean Hughto]

If you use those charcoal chimneys to get your fire started, I've found these shavings are far better than newspaper to put in the bottom and light. They light better and burn hotter and longer than the paper - which means the charcocal is ready faster. Keep them in a paper grocery bag with your charcoal - at a couple handfuls at a time, you've got a summer's worth there.

[Jeff L Miller]

I like to use the shavings to burnish a just planed or smoothed surface. Just grab a handfull of shavings and rub the furface as if you were trying to polish it. It's better than sandpaper and gives a sheen that is difficult to replicate with anything else. Turners have used this trick for eons.

Jeff

[Chris Griggs]

Time for a new pet!!!

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[Mark Roderick]

Compost heap. Throw it on a pile with yard clippings, kitchen waste (not meats), leaves from last autumn, anything organic. I find it very satisfying to watch all that stuff turn into rich soil.

[Ted Calver]

I have a 4' wide shavings barrier at the edge of my property to help control weeds and ticks.

[Bryan Schwerer]

If you use those charcoal chimneys to get your fire started, I've found these shavings are far better than newspaper to put in the bottom and light. They light better and burn hotter and longer than the paper - which means the charcocal is ready faster. Keep them in a paper grocery bag with your charcoal - at a couple handfuls at a time, you've got a summer's worth there.
+1 Those shavings burn really hot and fast

[Jim Koepke]

Mine are used for many things.

Starting fires in the wood stove and outdoor burning.
Nest material for our chickens.
Some get composted after that, but wood has a tendency to pull nitrogen out of the pile.
They are good for wiping glue off of things.
Like others mine are used to burnish turnings and other wood surfaces.
One of my daughters is a day care teacher and she uses them with paper bags for the kids to make "fangango" puppets. Keep them loose in a box as they don't work as well when crushed. I save the round pieces from drilling with auger bits for eyes.
You might find a pet store that would take them bagged up for people who want them for bedding for hamsters and such.
They are also good for packing material when shipping things.

jtk

[daniel lane]

I like to use the shavings to burnish a just planed or smoothed surface. Just grab a handfull of shavings and rub the furface as if you were trying to polish it. It's better than sandpaper and gives a sheen that is difficult to replicate with anything else. Turners have used this trick for eons.

Jeff

This is one of those unfortunate times where I was reading the thread backwards, so I got to this right after Chris' post about a new pet - and spit coffee all over the monitor. Thanks! :D

Oh yeah, I was going to say, I simply put mine in the greenwaste recycling can for the city to pick up. Nothing fancy, but I feel better than throwing them away.



daniel

[Chris Griggs]

This is one of those unfortunate times where I was reading the thread backwards, so I got to this right after Chris' post about a new pet - and spit coffee all over the monitor. Thanks! :D
daniel

Ha! I didn't catch that til you pointed it out. What a perfect typo!

[Rob Fisher]

I compost some shavings, though not a ton. Too many in a residential sized composter and you will slow down or stop the composting action. A wheel barrow full all at once is probably too much, maybe spread over a month or two it would be ok. The rest I put in yard waste bags which my township picks up and turns in to mulch.

[Zach England]

Chicken bedding, then to the compost.

[Jerry Thompson]

Real Woodwokers put milk and sugar on 'em.:)

[Trevor Walsh]

I compost (non walnut), burn, use for smoking (if oak/maple etc/), or give to neighbors with chickens.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Ooh - didn't think of chickens - I'll have to ask the folks down the street.

I usually take mine to the yard waste section at the solid waste district, or to the city generating station where they get burned with other wood waste and yard waste. So not only do I save electrons by working by hand, I make a few!

[Maurice Ungaro]

Despite what some believe, wood shavings, and wood dust, for that matter, are not ideal for composting. The wood sucks too much nitrogen out of the compost heap in order to break it down, thereby prolonging the process. It is good for mulching plant beds, however.

[john davey]

II have a cat that lives in my basement shop. She loves the things. She sleeps in them, plays in them and then unfortunately will crap in them. So I sweep them up before that third option happens....

[Ted Pitera]

I use them for burnishing and especially for rubbing out a surface with a finish remover on it. Seems to pick that stuff up well.

We've chipped up a lot of deadfalls and downed trees for mulch this year so I guess I could toss shavings in with mulch. However, my cat, like Mr. Davey's, sees them as toys and toilet articles.

Excelsior,
Ted

[Floyd Mah]

Market it on Craigslist as a particle board kit, just throw in your own glue.

[Federico Mena Quintero]

There are a couple of leaky windows in our home, and when it rains sideways there is always a puddle that extends through the tiled floor's grout. After mopping up, I just throw some wood shavings over the wet area - dries up perfectly in no time.

Also, the other day I got a book wet by accident. I opened up the pages like a fan and put some wood shavings between them. Dried up pretty well; with some pressure, the book will be flat again.

(Basically, any time when I wish silica gel were easy to clean up if thrown around, I turn to wood shavings... has worked marvelously every time.)

[Harold Burrell]

Real Woodworkers put milk and sugar on 'em.:)

Really??? I mean, why would you need sugar???

OK...perhaps for pine. But I find maple shavings to be plenty sweet on their own. :p

[Larry Fox]

How about sweeping them up and throw them in the garbage. Did just that last night with a bunch of jatoba and cherry shavings. It works great as a disposal method and takes about 45 seconds.

[Mike Olson]

Why didn't I think of the Chickens. My wife has a friend with chickens I'll have to check if she wants them. Thanks for the input. I guess otherwise they will be going out with the yard waste.

[Chris Studley]

I sweep and fill a trash can, when full I bring to the dump. My town has a section for yard waste, leaves, branches. downed trees etc.

Hey, The shavings used to be trees or branches...:)

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

How about sweeping them up and throw them in the garbage. Did just that last night with a bunch of jatoba and cherry shavings. It works great as a disposal method and takes about 45 seconds.

Our waste hauler charges by the cubic yard, and we only have so many cans to fill - anything more and we get hefty overages. The dump takes it for free with the yard waste, and it's on the way to work. When I hauled my own garbage to the dump, anything I could keep out of the waste bins meant less to pay for when dumping. When we got more proactive about recycling and compost, we started saving enough to make it worth it. Depends on your garbage situation, though, I guess. I'm never as good as I should be about squashing those shavings down, so they end up taking a lot of room in the cans!

[Zach England]

I have no problem composting them when mixed with chicken manure, but it takes over a year, and sometimes two.

[Maurice Ungaro]

I have no problem composting them when mixed with chicken manure, but it takes over a year, and sometimes two.
Zach, as you've found out, it works....it just talks a lot longer!

[Charles Goodnight]

Despite what some believe, wood shavings, and wood dust, for that matter, are not ideal for composting. The wood sucks too much nitrogen out of the compost heap in order to break it down, thereby prolonging the process. It is good for mulching plant beds, however.

That is why whenever possible I pee on my compost pile. It works best if your back yard is fairly private.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Spoken like a Vermonter! I used to have a spot like that in Georgia.....then I got married.

[Don Orr]

I use some for fire starter, but most of my nice clean hardwood chips and shavings go to my pottery friends that do Raku firing. They say they get great results with them. I keep any exotics and Walnut out and dump them down back in the yard waste pile.

[john brenton]

They used to use shavings to fill upholstered seats.

[Zach England]

I use some for fire starter, but most of my nice clean hardwood chips and shavings go to my pottery friends that do Raku firing. They say they get great results with them. I keep any exotics and Walnut out and dump them down back in the yard waste pile.

They are also good for saggar firing. I'm a potter (probably my number one craft) and while I am not into the alternative firing, I have friends who are and they will usually take a load.

[James Owen]

Brilliant!!!
I got a good laugh from that!

[Mike Olson]

So I started a little bonfire last night and let me tell you... Putting two big hand fulls of those curls onto the bonfire was like tossing gasoline on there. Flames shot up high but quickly died down and threw ash high up into the air.

I burned all I had and the kids thought it was funny watching me toss and run.

[David Posey]

We used them for ribbons for last year's Christmas presents.

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These are not in situ, but you get the idea. They are both from pine, but the dark one is stained with iron oxide.

[bob blakeborough]

You all want to be inspired and blown away??? Check out what this guy does with shavings...

http://thedesigninspiration.com/articles/awesome-wood-sculptures-by-sergey-bobkov/

[Jack Curtis]

You all want to be inspired and blown away??? Check out what this guy does with shavings...

http://thedesigninspiration.com/articles/awesome-wood-sculptures-by-sergey-bobkov/

Wow!, the knowledge about nature his art displays!