What do you do with chainsaw sawdust?

[Dan23]

Hey all,

I've put together a post on the uses for sawdust, but was wanting to know if anyone had other ideas?

I usually leave it behind wherever I'm working, but when I end up with a big pile outside the house then something needs to be done with it.

Do you all just dump it? Use it in the garden? For pets?

Keen to hear your thoughts.

 

[MagraAdam]

I think it's worth talking about the different types of sawdust. There is the fine actual dust, there's chips, then there's noodles.

I do most of my cutting in the bush as that's where the trees are and I don't have any machines to move them. But I do get some piles near the garage when in doing a bunch of smaller stuff or I managed to bring home long stuff and cut it all up there. These are what I'd call chips. They go on the garden or into the chicken coop.

I also do a ton of noodling (or as I previously called it, ripping, but I've been told that ripping is the same as milling) and boy does that make a lot of noodles. Nice long bits ripped out in line with the grain. I get massive piles of them and I use that to cover paths through the bush (the soil is mostly sand) and that helps stop erosion and deters weeds from growing there.

I generally don't get dust as I don't do any milling, which is where I understand you'll get the fine dust. I get some from my drop saw etc. But not enough to worry about.

 

[Dan23]

I think it's worth talking about the different types of sawdust. There is the fine actual dust, there's chips, then there's noodles.

I do most of my cutting in the bush as that's where the trees are and I don't have any machines to move them. But I do get some piles near the garage when in doing a bunch of smaller stuff or I managed to bring home long stuff and cut it all up there. These are what I'd call chips. They go on the garden or into the chicken coop.

I also do a ton of noodling (or as I previously called it, ripping, but I've been told that ripping is the same as milling) and boy does that make a lot of noodles. Nice long bits ripped out in line with the grain. I get massive piles of them and I use that to cover paths through the bush (the soil is mostly sand) and that helps stop erosion and deters weeds from growing there.

I generally don't get dust as I don't do any milling, which is where I understand you'll get the fine dust. I get some from my drop saw etc. But not enough to worry about.

Thanks for making that distinction, it's really helpful. I've always just called it 'sawdust' even when it's the noodles and chips.

I had heard it was bad for the garden etc because of the chain and bar oil, but then others have said it's all good. I've started putting it in the compost and in less important parts of the garden now.

 

[MagraAdam]

Thanks for making that distinction, it's really helpful. I've always just called it 'sawdust' even when it's the noodles and chips.

I had heard it was bad for the garden etc because of the chain and bar oil, but then others have said it's all good. I've started putting it in the compost and in less important parts of the garden now.

It probably depends on what oil you use, as some are better and decompose quicky without heavy metals in them. If you use old engine oil that's probably the worst of the choices for the garden, but I also paint fences etc with old diesel sump oil.. I really doubt such a small amount will hurt anyone. If you live in a metro area the pollution in the air is far worse for you.

I'm not a scientist.

 

[MagraAdam]

Oh, it's also worth noting that the fine dust will very rapidly lower your nitrogen levels in the garden until it decomposes. Thicker/bigger stuff at a much slower/lower impact rate.

 

[Dan23]

Oh, it's also worth noting that the fine dust will very rapidly lower your nitrogen levels in the garden until it decomposes. Thicker/bigger stuff at a much slower/lower impact rate.

Ok good to know. I add a lot of chicken poo to my garden which I think will help with that as well.

 

[MagraAdam]

Ok good to know. I add a lot of chicken poo to my garden which I think will help with that as well.

Yep, nice and high in nitrogen.

 

[ElevatorGuy]

The dust nothing, Noodles makes nice fire starter.

 

[Oldtoolsnewproblems]

Yeah, I plan on using my chips for mulch on anything that's not food, and will buy the green oil next time.
When I'm low on kindling in the middle of winter, noodles are quick and easy fire starters for sure! Easier than slogging thru the snow to find something

 

[Wow]

The dust nothing, Noodles makes nice fire starter.

Ok as I was reading this I was thinking about Exactly what you are saying.
Every year I cut firewood. Some has to be recut to proper length right here beside my house. I place a piece of Tarp on the ground and saw away. That residue is then placed into a 5 gallon plastic bucket. Diesel is dribbled over each layer. The bucket is filled and the lid placed on top. I flip the bucket on its side and even upside down once in a while to mix it well. My Kindling is cured approximately 10 inch hard wood split into sticks. When my wood heater is ready to be burning. The kindling is Pig penned like we used to build em. Then a scoop of my special saw dust put inside the pen and a layer of saw dust on top after the kindling is stacked. NOT a LOT of that sawdust. That stuff really burns fast and hot. Don't want to catch my living space on fire I let my kindling burn mostly down to chunks of glowing coals to be safe then I build my fire upon the hot coals. These hardwood chips and hardwood kindling burn cleaner and makes good coals. By NOT having a flamable liquid in a wood heater it's much safer. No flare up but lights readily. The inventor of Dinamighnet (spelled that way for a reason) used Sawdust to stabilize the nighthawk which was added to the bread sticks. Yep. Security speech. The net is bean spied on. Yo words looked at. How did Little ole me an my uncle Donald Duck get kicked off Face Book! Free speech flows only one way. So be careful what ya say unless you want a star showing up at your door wide blue lights. I can't imagine why all the residue from saw Mills isn't used as wood pellets. Mamma always said, boy you better lick dat spoon. Peanut butter ain't cheap. Don't you go wasting nuttin.

 

[iowagold]

Hey all,

I've put together a post on the uses for sawdust, but was wanting to know if anyone had other ideas?

I usually leave it behind wherever I'm working, but when I end up with a big pile outside the house then something needs to be done with it.

Do you all just dump it? Use it in the garden? For pets?

Keen to hear your thoughts.

one of the things that comes to mind is sweeping compound for industrial concrete floors.
they mix red trans fluid, a bit of sand with the saw dust...
we used it for years on the bare concrete floors in the service shop!

also you could make a pellet machine to make pellets for a pellet stove setup.

it all depends on the volume of the dust / material.
on a good weekend we could fill a dump trailer with just dust with 3 guys cutting up oak for the log splitter.

 

[MagraAdam]

one of the things that comes to mind is sweeping compound for industrial concrete floors.
they mix red trans fluid, a bit of sand with the saw dust...
we used it for years on the bare concrete floors in the service shop!

also you could make a pellet machine to make pellets for a pellet stove setup.

it all depends on the volume of the dust / material.
on a good weekend we could fill a dump trailer with just dust with 3 guys cutting up oak for the log splitter.

I forgot that the finer dust is great for cleaning up things like oil spills.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Put it in super sacks and sell it to horse ladies for $50 each.

 

[unclemoustache]

I have a Wood Mizer sawmill, and I generate a LOT of sawdust. There have been many threads started on the various forums about this one.

Pellets are not a feasible option - at least, not if you are trying to sell them. You just can't compete with the big boys, and the smaller pellet mills aren't worth the money you pay for them.

Sawdust (of any size) doesn't decompose quickly, but it can be mixed with manure, grass clippings, and other 'green' stuff to use for compost.

It's a decent weed barrier, but if you're doing it around plants or stuff you want to help, then it depletes the nitrogen and you need to make up for that somehow.

Farmers/ranchers can use that stuff for animal bedding. It's a good idea to keep your walnut sawdust separate from everything else. That's rather toxic to plants and animals.

I use some of it for putting over walking trails in the woods. Some for weed barriers around my little tree nursery (couple dozen trees) but I really should dump some fertilizer in with the trees every now and then to combat the nitrogen depletion.

Going to try and make some archery targets with it - make a box frame, cover it with carpet, and then fill with sawdust. We'll see how that works.

 

[Wow]

This may not be true BUT, I was taught how to make FREE fertilizer.
I'm told it's nitrogen rich. I've tried it and it seemed to work.
So here's how it's made. I gathered some plastic bottles. The top has to be big enough to p in without missing.
Put that in a private place and pp in it till it's 90% full. Then put a little dirt in it. Set it in a dark barn. Next year you have Liquid fertilizer. I've got some that's turned black. Once the bacteria does it's job there is hardly no odor. I got in the habit of pp in a jug and actually don't like using an indoor bathroom for that. I've noticed some bought fertilizer kinda smells like cow p.
Maybe someone who knows more can chime in. Opinions are a dime a dozen but surely there is someone else who has heard about this.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

I spread wood chips all around my properties to stop weed and erosion. When there are just too too much volume of chips and saw dust I spread it around on the road and my staging areas to reduce dust. Thanks

 

[HadleyPA]

Reading about the black walnut dust being toxic got me too thinking. I have heard that before as I know of a couple local sawmills that will not accept walnut logs because they sell their sawdust to horse farms and the horses can't be around the walnut dust. Now for my question. I have about 3 cord of hvbw css since January of 20 getting ready to be burnt this year. I normally put ashes on the garden in the winter but had never heard of walnut dust being hazardous to plants. Just wandered if the ashes from it would be the same, or is all toxicity gone after burning? I would think burning would remove all toxins and ashes would be fine but this got me to thinking about it. And yes, we also have chickens so the garden gets plenty of nitrogen from cleaning out the coop.

 

[HadleyPA]

Forgot to mention that the lawn mower takes care of the dust and chips from the saws. Unless I have a huge amount and then a shovel gives the excess a ride into the woods!

 

[tomalophicon]

My son plays with it with his Tonka trucks and excavator toys. Or if he's not around I chuck it in the compost bin.