Sawdust - What can you do that isn't a Presto log?

[John P Clark]

I "pay" to have my sawdust removed once a month to a local composter - she is glad to get it, and I pay $30 per trailer load to get rid of it - she dose supply me with compost when I ask for some - See if you have a local compost company, I know I pay but I would pay to put it in my dumpster and haul to a landfill

[Mark Bolton]

What is your dumpster fee per week? Ours is about $100 a month for a 4 yard tipped weekly. We are lucky here in that we are on a will-call so if things are slow or were not filling the dumpster if it isnt tipped we dont pay. There is no rental fee for the container. Just the fee every time its tipped.

[Steve Demuth]

The amount of toxin in walnut shavings may be low enough to not bother some things, but I wouldn't count on it being zero.

"Black walnuts produce a chemical called juglone, which occurs naturally in all parts of the tree, especially in the buds, nut hulls, and roots. The leaves and stems contain smaller quantities of juglone, which is leached into the soil after they fall. The highest concentration of juglone occurs in the soil directly under the tree’s canopy, but highly sensitive plants may exhibit toxicity symptoms beyond the canopy drip line. Because decaying roots can release juglone, toxicity may occur for several years after a tree has been removed."

From Morton arboretum website

I am not going to argue that Black Walnut sawdust is not toxic to horses. There seems to be pretty strong consensus among horse vets that it is, causing edema of the lower legs and even laminitis. I'm no horse farmer, so don't have any relevant experience.

What I do know is that if the sawedust is toxic, it's not because of juglone. There is little to no juglone in Black Walnut heartwood. It's found in the nut husks, the leaves, and most heavily in the actively growing root zone. Wood experts agree on this, and I've demonstrated it myself: juglone is fairly long lived, taking several years to break down at soil temperature and moisture. I've got more walnut trees in the acres around our house than any other species. I've killed tomato plants reliably with a walnut leave mulch, by mixing leaves or husks into the soil I plant in, and just by planting tomatoes under or within root reach distance of a walnut tree. Mulching them with sawdust or having the sawdust in the soil doesn't phase them.

[johnny means]

It's worthless. Alchemist will turn lead to gold before anyone comes up with a way to monetize sawdust. I do know of a shop that pelletizes their waste and heats the ship with the pellets during the winter months. The owner calculates that he still takes a loss, but like the idea of doing the "green" thing.

[Christopher Giles]

I used to have a machine shop take some of mine every month. He preferred using the chips to soak up the errant oil and coolant on his floor.

[Mark Gibney]

My sawdust has a lot of plywood, particle board and MDF dust.
I do not want to compost this stuff, I dump it.

[Erik Loza]

It's worthless. Alchemist will turn lead to gold before anyone comes up with a way to monetize sawdust...

Not so sure about this. Briquetting machinery is it's own industry: https://www.ruf-briquetter.com/...

Wood pellet stoves, fire logs, etc.

Erik

[Mark Bolton]

Not so sure about this. Briquetting machinery is it's own industry: https://www.ruf-briquetter.com/...

Wood pellet stoves, fire logs, etc.

Erik

How many small shops that you know of are profitably briquetteing their chips and marketing them for a profit on mass directly to the consumer? I'd guess the answer is zero. Major producers of chips with a local option dump their chips to a secondary who then labels them appropriately to their retailers.

I've never heard of a single sub-5million dollar shop, profitably briquetteing or pelletizing, labeling, bagging, and selling direct to consumer (only way it's profitable).

[james manutes]

At my last shop in Ohio , I had a co-worker who raced cars for years . He wanted all my saw-dust for his stove . We worked for a big Foodservice Co. , and could save the " tubes" from the shrink wrapping machines . 18" long - about 4" across , very , very strong . He had an old cement drum mixer , and would blend old motor oil w/ sawdust . He would also soak the tubes in oil ,but not so long they lost all their strength . A race shop is going to have an press or two , and he would plug one end w/ wood and fill it in 3 lifts / 3 presses and plug it w/ wood . That was 80 - 90% of his heat for the race shop . Drink a few beer's , spend time w/ friends . I miss it , really .

[William Hodge]

Because I don't cut plastic or sheet goods, an organic meat farmer will take my sawdust and shavings. I blow it into a trailer with a 4' x 4' x 8' box on it. The price is zero. If he's too busy, an organic dairy farmer will take it. Summer can be hard. I don't burn anything, and the animals are in the pasture fertilizing the hay fields. I have a long term compost pile for the occasional load of sawdust.

In the winter I start the masonry heater twice a day with a five gallon bucket of sawdust. Being a masonry heater, the stuff burns fast and clean. I figure it's 1800 gallons a winter. This won't work in a wood stove.

The material from vacuuming the floor can have nails and paint in it. That goes in a dumpster.

[Steve Demuth]

In the winter I start the masonry heater twice a day with a five gallon bucket of sawdust. Being a masonry heater, the stuff burns fast and clean. I figure it's 1800 gallons a winter. This won't work in a wood stove.

I don't know why you'd say it will not work in a wood stove. I burn buckets of sawdust in a steel and cast iron shop woodstove during the winter. Granted that I have to start the fire with shavings and solid wood, but once it's reasonably hot, stuff bags of sawdust, or just shoveling the stuff in, works fine.

[William Hodge]

You're right, if you know how to run a wood stove, it will work.

[Erik Loza]

How many small shops that you know of are profitably briquetteing their chips and marketing them for a profit on mass directly to the consumer? I'd guess the answer is zero. Major producers of chips with a local option dump their chips to a secondary who then labels them appropriately to their retailers.

I've never heard of a single sub-5million dollar shop, profitably briquetteing or pelletizing, labeling, bagging, and selling direct to consumer (only way it's profitable).

Well, it seems to be a major industry in Europe. Those are RUF machines are definitely not cheap. But you're right: Small shops here in the States probably don't see the need.

Erik