# What to do with Shavings?



## jonjon737 (Jan 2, 2012)

I got a lathe for Christmas and have been turning all the scrap lumber I've got in the garage. Next thing you know I've got a ton of shavings. What do you more experienced guys do with your shavings? The only things I can think to do are to burn them or throw them away. Since I don't have a wood burning heater I'm stuck with the trash can route. Seems like a lot of waste. Any suggestions?


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

I just finished making some fire starters with some of my shavings from this afternoon. I fill a cardboard egg carton with shavings and pour melted wax over it. It burns for a pretty long time and gets the fire going well without any effort.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Do you know anyone with a worm farm? lol apparently a guy who lives near my shop raises worms. He walked over today to tell me he's been taking the bags of saw dust and shavings (from my DC) that I put out at the road to mix into his worm beds. 

It's a thought?

~tom. ...GEAUX TIGERS!... ...GEAUX SAINTS!......


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## Glidden (Dec 2, 2010)

I use it as packing to ship packages, you can pack it in plastic grocery bags to limit the mess on the other end, but it's also nice to warn the other party involved it is usually best to unpack outside. Otherwise I tend to throw away trashcans full every month or so but I know some people use shavings and dust to clean up water or oil off the shop floor.


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## jonjon737 (Jan 2, 2012)

Kenbo: We used to do something similar with dryer lint back in Boy Scouts. Wood shavings sound like an excellent alternative. 

firemedic: Worm farm? Quite a suggestion. (Geaux Bama btw)

Glidden: good suggestions, will definitely keep them in mind. I've got a leaky chainsaw I could make a nice bed of shavings for.


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

Mix it in the compost, spread in the flower beds, fire starters, press it into logs with a hydraulic press...


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## Murphy's Law (Dec 15, 2011)

All of my sawdust and shavings go into the chicken coop and then eventually all of it ends up on the compost pile.


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## SeanStuart (Nov 27, 2011)

Compost, but no ressure treated. Trashcan kiln!


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## Bonanza35 (Jan 20, 2011)

Mulch for the flower beds/garden/tree wells etc. At my place it goes anywhere there is mud.


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## jk pine (Nov 10, 2011)

If you live close to a farm, they'll be more than happy to take your shavings for bedding.


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

Getting rid of shaving is interesting for me. I don't need compost and don't really have a place to store it. If I put it in bags the garbage pick up won't take them because they weight to much. I can't take them to the local collection bin because they call it commercial waste. I have to take it 17 miles to the big dump. 
consequently I burn it in my back yard which is illegal. You have to get a burn permit and they are so damn picky, if they even think there is going to be wind they won't offer one, or of course if it's dry at all, doesn't matter if it rained at my house the day before. 
My neighbors all burn leaves and brush and I just do the same. So far no problems but I always assume I might get fined one of these days. I've been burning stuff forever and know that I can do it safely so I just proceed.


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## robert421960 (Dec 9, 2010)

i have been using mine fore mulch for yrs and give alot to my brother for that.
the fire logs walmart sells have some kind of wax like stuff in them and i think it would be grerat to make something like that.but i sure dont want the mess like some videos i have watched on making fire logs with water and shavings


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## Simon Gillespie (Jan 1, 2012)

My dad has a wood boiler so i just throw them in there every now and again when they build up but im shure that u could burn them in a foreplace. Or buy a steel bucket ( you can get them fairly cheap) and burn a small amount at a time.


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## bikeshooter (Nov 5, 2010)

This looks interesting. Has anyone tried a mix of newspaper pulp and sawdust?

http://www.instructables.com/id/Bio-fuel-briquettes-compress-paper-pulp-and-sawdu/


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## zacker (Mar 25, 2010)

i sweep up after every job abd put them into a cardboard box and pour it out into the dumpster at work... they take up almost no room at all. compost them but remember if you do, keep it away from the house, untreated wood will attract wood eating bugs like carpenter ants and termites. I never use it as mulch or anything thats close to the house. Plus, if need be I can haul them into our woods and dump them out...


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## Bob Willing (Jul 4, 2008)

I use to dump them in the woods but now I give them to a friend for his chicken coop and he gives me some eggs in return.


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## PPBART (Oct 7, 2011)

There's a house down the road a ways from my home with a hand-lettered sign in the yard that says: "SHAVINGS $6/Bag". I've often wondered what the shavings were, just never stopped to inquire. Maybe there's a market for them?


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## slicksqueegie (Feb 9, 2011)

*Make a Saw dust stove.*

My dads Physical Therapist is an avid Ice fisherman. He has been getting almost all of my shavings for the past year and a half for his saw dust burner (hobo stove).
He even cooks with it he says.


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## robert421960 (Dec 9, 2010)

slicksqueegie said:


> My dads Physical Therapist is an avid Ice fisherman. He has been getting almost all of my shavings for the past year and a half for his saw dust burner (hobo stove).
> He even cooks with it he says.
> 
> Sawdust Burning Stove.wmv - YouTube


now thats what im talking about :thumbsup:


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## mackem (May 20, 2007)

slicksqueegie said:


> My dads Physical Therapist is an avid Ice fisherman.


What's the largest piece of ice he's ever caught? :laughing:


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## MGP Roofing (Jul 10, 2010)

I use mine to mulch the garden. They're also great for reducing the mud around the house i recently moved to my place. Any pressure treated sawdust goes out with the garbage.


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## mickit (Oct 5, 2009)

jk pine said:


> If you live close to a farm, they'll be more than happy to take your shavings for bedding.


If you go this route, keep the walnut separate from the rest...It can cause health issues with horses. We sold trailer loads of the stuff to localhorse ranchers at the moulding plant...they would refuse anything that resembled walnut.


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## AliveByGrace (Jan 6, 2012)

Just reading all of these ideas gets my designer juices going… as in developing a method to remove the bulk of waste in a bowl, say a 24" one, as one solid piece prior to turning. Jobber drills, fiber optics, lasers and tooling, seem to hold promise here. Hmmmmm….. :nerd:


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

There's already a whole host of bowl coring systems on the market. Besides wont do a thing for spindle turning.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

I was thinking of gathering all my wood chips and making a mold of some sort and pouring liquid epoxy resin over it to make tables or what not. 
The only thing is that stuff isn't cheap.


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## AliveByGrace (Jan 6, 2012)

sawdustfactory said:


> There's already a whole host of bowl coring systems on the market. Besides wont do a thing for spindle turning.


Thanks for the heads-up… I'm not a turner, so wasn't aware.


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## fixer (Jul 24, 2011)

I burn mine in my wood stove that heats my shop:thumbsup:


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## EagleTa2 (Jan 2, 2012)

Dont know why I didnt mention this before...


SHAVING ANGELS ???

Throw all your shavings on your shop floor. Lay down in them to make a shaving angel while exclaiming... I love having a lathe, I love having a lathe. Please post pictures!:laughing:

Seriously... as long as the shavings are "clean" no other chips in them or anything... I grab a handful and burnish my project with them by holding them onto the spinning project just until they warm up. Dont want any burn marks - but burnishing gives the piece a nice sheen and a little richer tone.

Then I use them for a tinder bundle and amaze the kids that dad can start a fire outside without newspaper! I know...simple pleasures for simple minds 

Geo


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

EagleTa2 said:


> Dont know why I didnt mention this before...
> 
> SHAVING ANGELS ???
> 
> ...


Well since you have so much fun with sawdust, you can have mine :laughing:


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## Upstate (Nov 28, 2011)

Advertise for it on Craigslist like these folks

http://glensfalls.craigslist.org/zip/2762612745.html

I can only imagine why no one wants that gold mine


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## bmapple123 (Jan 29, 2012)

kind of an abstract idea here but hear me out. i saw a couple of guys replying to this post with pressing all your shaving into a brick of sorts. well why dont you press it into a cylinder or something with epoxy or wood glue to hod it all togther and turn it on the lathe, tuning it might be difficult but think of how cool it would like if you used like walnut and maple orsomething together it would almost give it a camo look. actually sitting here thinking about it i may try it after my next turning project


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## chrisgerman1983 (Jan 17, 2009)

this is more for sawdust but i am sure with some chips in the mix it would work well too? you can make a camp stove that is actually really efficient and clean burning! get a metal bucket and a pipe to put down the middle. then pack the sawdust around the pipe as tight as you can... with a block and a hammer then remove the pipe and you will have a bucket full of sawdust with a hole down the center, i forgot to add that there needs to be a hole in the bottom of the bucket where the pipe hits the bucket. light the middle on fire and it burns like a jet engine with little to no smoke! just set the bucket on a couple block to allow air to get into the hole on the bottom...


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## Cliff (Feb 5, 2012)

jonjon737 said:


> Any suggestions?


1.) Make a huge pile in your yard of the shavings and dump a few gallons of Liquid Oxygen on to the pile. 
Then stand back about 20 feet and toss a road flare onto the pile.
Have a really good explanation for the cops when they come with the fire marshal.

2.) Make a huge pile of them in a corner of your yard and toss on some Urea (almost pure nitrogen) stir it in cover with a tarp and keep adding shavings to the mix stirring occasionally to aerate. The shavings will consume nitrogen as they compost. In a few months or a year or so you'll have compost. Not nearly as much fun as the fireball from #1 

3.) most towns collect leaves as part of the services or have a municipal pile where you can deposit yours. You can take 'em 
there. Odds are you can also take compost from the bottom of the pile.


4.) Come to New Jersey and toss 'em out on the highway where we all toss our garbage and trash.


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## mijunkin (Jan 22, 2012)

I just toss them in our composter. But then again I don't turn a lot. If I did, I could see the shavings overwhelming the rest of the compost.


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## Mitch Cholewinski (Mar 11, 2007)

I use my shavings for mulch around the many shrubs I planted after laying a piece of plastic or tar paper down first Use the kind that lets moisture thru for the shrubs. We can't burn here so mulching is the way to go for me.I also put them in my vegetable garden to aerate the soil, but be advised, it takes nitrogen out of the soil, so be prepared to add some nitrogen to break the shavings down. Couple years your soil is fertile and loose. Good luck
mitch


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## brown down (Mar 2, 2010)

slicksqueegie said:


> My dads Physical Therapist is an avid Ice fisherman. He has been getting almost all of my shavings for the past year and a half for his saw dust burner (hobo stove).
> He even cooks with it he says.
> 
> Sawdust Burning Stove.wmv - YouTube


 now thats impressive.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

That's pretty nice. Looks like it works. Good idea.


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## zacker (Mar 25, 2010)

mickit said:


> If you go this route, keep the walnut separate from the rest...It can cause health issues with horses. We sold trailer loads of the stuff to localhorse ranchers at the moulding plant...they would refuse anything that resembled walnut.


 
yes...dogs too, I read somewhere that you shouldnt let animals chew the sticks from a walnut tree or the shells. We have a walnut and a dog whos fav toy is a good stick so we had to fence off the part of the yard withthe tree so he couldnt get to it...just in case.


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## zacker (Mar 25, 2010)

bmapple123 said:


> kind of an abstract idea here but hear me out. i saw a couple of guys replying to this post with pressing all your shaving into a brick of sorts. well why dont you press it into a cylinder or something with epoxy or wood glue to hod it all together and turn it on the lathe, tuning it might be difficult but think of how cool it would like if you used like walnut and maple or something together it would almost give it a camo look. actually sitting here thinking about it i may try it after my next turning project


 
I actually like this idea... I wonder if you can wet them, fill up something like a 6 inch long piece of 3 Inch pipe or tube then turn a piece of wood to fit perfectly in the 3" tube or pipe and compress them with alot of pressure like maybe using a big press oe even jacking up a car and lowering it onto the pipe / wood set up. leave it for a day or so, remove it and let it dry completely, then stick it into a seal-able, air tight can and pour something like a shellac into the can covering the blank then make a hole in the lid and attach a shop vac and suck all the air out causing the shellac to be sucked into the blank to harden it. Maybe? Like on those infomercials on TV for the vac sealer for food... ya know, the part where they show them with the chicken in the container and all the marinade being forced in it by the vac pressure.


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## chrisgerman1983 (Jan 17, 2009)

slicksqueegie said:


> My dads Physical Therapist is an avid Ice fisherman. He has been getting almost all of my shavings for the past year and a half for his saw dust burner (hobo stove).
> He even cooks with it he says.
> 
> Sawdust Burning Stove.wmv - YouTube


:thumbsup: This is what i meant.... i did it on a smaller scale though. I used a 5 gallon bucket. Guess i should read the whole thread before posting...


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## Cliff (Feb 5, 2012)

*Build instructions*

For a double drum sawdust stove
http://nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/rn/rn_ne208.pdf

I'd like to know more about his double flue arrangement: Why the un-dampened lower one? 

Plus he doesn't discuss the path of the exhaust gasses. From his drawing the gasses seem to go out the top of the hole in the sawdust column and around the burn barrel between it and the outer one but there is nothign in his PDF to indicate whether there are any baffles or other means to ensure that the gasses don't just take the path of least resistance and exit the flue by heading straight out the back to the flue

Chernov stoves are probably vastly superior but much more work to produce 

http://dnr.mo.gov/pubs/pub781.pdf
http://heatkit.com/research/2007/Alex/Test%20report01.pdf 
http://www.stovemaster.com/html_en/designsystem.html 
http://www.stove.ru/ ( google translate will deal with the Russian) 
http://www.homespunworks.com/heaters/flame/

Here is a serious build
http://heatkit.com/html/lopezs.htm 
They even used it to heat water to be radiant heat in the floor
Now THAT'S a Thermal Mass Heater. 


http://www.mha-net.org/docs/v8n2/wildac08f.htm
*Plans http://mha-net.org/html/bookstore-portfolio.htm*


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## Jonnz99 (Nov 19, 2014)

I use this commercial press, mixing shavings and newspaper about 50-50 in a 5 gallon bucket, and making fire logs. They work great, and burn a long time 

http://www.amazon.com/Northern-Tool...=1436079313&sr=8-2&keywords=paper+brick+maker


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## yuipcheng (Jul 15, 2018)

I use it to light up the charcoal for bbq.


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

Some woods are toxic to animals or plants. Put the shavings in a box, wrap the box in brown paper and tape it shut, put the box on the front seat of your car or truck, leave the window down at the mall and someone will steal it, saving you the headache of disposing of the shavings. It worked in NYC when the sanitation workers went on strike. It proved to be a great way to get rid of garbage.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

My father used to go to a nearby cabinet shop and get shavings from them. He then put these in 3 peach baskets in which he grew tomatoes.


He watered each day with a weak fertilizer solution. This is a form of hydroponic gardening. He grew large, very tasty tomatoes.


George


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Acrylic paints and washings are toxic in sewage treatment plants and in aquatic ecosystems. 
Dried acrylic paints are not. Just sort of plastic.

I have a garbage bag, 2/3 full of chips and shavings & sawdust from wood carvings.
I dump all my left over acrylic paints into the bag to soak into the chips and dry.
Quite the colorful lumpy thing after a couple of years.


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