I had a tree (hickory) fall during our last storm. It had been dead for probably 8 years and was pretty well rotted, so it was of not much use for building anything and too much of a mess to split properly and use in the fireplace, so some buddies of mine and I had a nice bonfire Monday night. Cold December night in New Hampshire - clear skies and a great view of the meteor shower. Anyway, getting 2 tons of wet rotted wood lit is a bit of work to do, but guess what makes a better fuel than lighter fluid or Kerosene?.......Sawdust and shavings!!! Man does that stuff go UP! Trying to get the heat to spread to more of the pile, we threw some shavings over it and it nearly exploded like it was gasoline! (Don't worry - my buddies and I are firefighters and know our stuff about fire saftey!) But I post this as a reminder - If your shop is in the basement where you have a furnace, or in your garage or shed where yoou have a space heater, KEEP IT CLEAN!
Sawdust and shavings are EXTREMELY EXTREMELY FLAMABLE. One little spark is all it takes, and if you have a layer of dust on everything and some floating about in the air, it might as well be gas.
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