Disposing of Wood Turning Shavings / Chainsaw Chips ?

[Scott T Smith]

(Robo Hippy's chainsaw video reminded me of something I've been meaning to ask for a while...)

I find that roughing out a 12" x 5" bowl will generate about a wheelbarrow full of shavings, and that breaking down a log into 2 bowl blanks (removing the pith section) will generate almost another wheelbarrow full of shavings. (I currently break down logs in my workshop)

So what to do with all this stuff?

I live on 3 acres and have a fire pit, so we've been having a *lot* of bonfires from the shavings lately, but winter is coming and that might become more difficult. I'm also finding that if it rains on the shavings before I get around to burning them, I may as well not bother - though I've been using some liquid accelerant lately to get things going...

I also have a line of trees on the edge of the property and could probably dump a lot of shavings there, but I feel like I can generate waste a lot faster than it will decompose.

What do the rest of you do with your shavings?

Marty, I generate them by the dump truck load and compost them onto my pastures (although sometimes the dry pine shavings get set aside for the horse barns and chicken coop). In your situation I think that I would just mulch them into the tree line.

[Steve Hayes]

If it's the right wood like mesquite, cherry, apple and such it goes straight to the smoker.