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Thread: Sawdust, shavings and waste - what do you do with it?

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Northern Michigan
    Posts
    4,973
    Quote Originally Posted by Cody Colston View Post
    Do you have to add a lot of nitrogen fertilizer to the garden when you put un-composted shavings/sawdust in it?
    I think I will begin stockpiling the sawdust from the mill and shavings from the woodshop for composting...except for the Cedar. It takes too long to break down into compost. My vegetable garden plot is very sandy and the soil could use some amending. I bought 16 yards of Black Gold compost last fall and tilled it in but that stuff is pricey.
    I'm not Bud, but yes. I do have a soil testing kit and keep an eye on it because it can become nitrogen deficient. I also add nitrogen to the compost pile to speed the breakdown of the sawdust in the pile.

    Larry, not Bud.........

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Cumberland, Maryland
    Posts
    358
    OK, so what's the deal with some folks keeping the walnut stuff separate?

  3. #18
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Tyler, Texas
    Posts
    2,041
    Quote Originally Posted by James Tibbetts View Post
    OK, so what's the deal with some folks keeping the walnut stuff separate?
    Walnut contains a natural herbicide called Juglone. It is concentrated mostly in the leaves and bark and does not affect all plants but I don't need to take any chances with my vegetables. Once it is composted, it's safe.

    Walnut can also be lethal to horses so don't use it for stall bedding.
    Cody


    Logmaster LM-1 sawmill, 30 hp Kioti tractor w/ FEL, Stihl 290 chainsaw, 300 bf cap. Solar Kiln

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Cumberland, Maryland
    Posts
    358
    Thanks Cody. Nice to learn something everyday!

  5. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Cody Colston View Post

    Walnut can also be lethal to horses so don't use it for stall bedding.
    What he said.
    I do things on a larger scale than most so please be understanding so I don't have to play my "Go Big Or Go Home" card.
    It's a Texas thing.

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Shohola, PA Pocono Mountains
    Posts
    1,336
    Quote Originally Posted by James Tibbetts View Post
    Thanks Cody. Nice to learn something everyday!
    Great Thread... Learned a few things...

    AL
    1 Laser, 4 CarveWrights, Star 912 Rotary, CLTT, Sublimation, FC7000 Vinyl, 911 Signs, Street Signs, Tourist Products and more.
    Home of the Fire Department "Epoxy Dome Accountability Tag and Accountability Boards".

  7. #22
    I primarily pine and I give all the slabs to my brother. he burns them or whatever. I don't care. they're out of the way

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Hampton, GA
    Posts
    118
    Quote Originally Posted by Cody Colston View Post
    Do you have to add a lot of nitrogen fertilizer to the garden when you put un-composted shavings/sawdust in it?
    I always have because Mother Earth News said you should. I also put it in the garden when I put fresh sawdust in the garden in the fall. Theory is that the organisms that chew on the sawdust deplete the nitrogen.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Doylestown, PA
    Posts
    7,551
    Wildlife/animal rescues can use planer chips & shavings as bedding. I don't know that they'd care for a lot of fine sawdust though.

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    Brownsburg, Indiana
    Posts
    1
    Years ago, when I was a Boy Scout, a local sawmill donated slabs to us. They were cut about 18" long. We loaded them on a truck and drove around looking for homes with chimneys. We sold them by the rick pretty cheap and still made a lot of money. Win/ win.

  11. #26
    I often do the same thing with my leftover pieces of sawdust. It's wonderful for starting a fire. I found this article online that explains several helpful ways to use leftover pieces of sawdust... https://housetipster.com/housetips/9...es-for-sawdust
    Instead of going to the store and having to spend money on weed killer or mulch, you can use sawdust. It's very effective and you avoid wasting your extra sawdust. Next time you finish a home improvement project and have leftover sawdust you should consider using it for chores around your home rather than immediately throwing it away.

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    cleveland,tn.
    Posts
    385
    I have erosion ditch areas that I put it in to slow down the water coming off the ridge ,it catches sticks and leaves and also acts like a filter keeping stuff out of the pond. and a place to keep fire starter and fire wood for people who want stuff for free stay outta of my wood stove pile.

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Vancouver Canada
    Posts
    716
    I'm not a gardener so my 2 pickup machines are a 1 HP Delta for the table saw, jointer & chop saw, and a dust deputy for the rest.
    We have weekly pickup for recyclables, garden waste, food scraps etc. The municipality takes it all and makes it into composted soil for re-use.
    It's where mine goes.
    Young enough to remember doing it;
    Old enough to wish I could do it again.

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