[OP]
Member
does anyone have any good uses for sawdust?
i've used it for:
* mulching out weeds in the backyard
* given it away for rabbit cages
* made firestarters (melt wax, mix w. sawdust in egg cartons, use one to start fire, works really really well)
anything it shouldn't be used for?
*Walnut is BAD for horses, and will kill flowers/bushes if used for mulch
I don't like throwing stuff away, and like everyone here, i'm sure, i make tons of this stuff. ok, maybe not tons. but a lot.
Member
Soak up dripping fluids in a garage?
Member
Eric stole my answer.Originally Posted by Eric DeSilva
"Live like no one else, so later, you can LIVE LIKE NO ONE ELSE!"
- Dave Ramsey
Contributor
It can also go into compost piles. It balances the green stuff like grass trimmings. I bag it in 40 gal trash bags and give it to gardeners.
Member
Could you give the recipe for this. Any certain type of wax? Amount of wax, things like that.
Sounds like a neat idea for the fireplace and camping trips.
Member
As an old ex-scout leader, just use Gulf parafin available at most grocery stores. Just make sure that it is WOOD sawdust and not MDF dust. Also works with lint from the drier.
Member
Someone with livestock might be willing to take it off your hands. I know back home in Vermont the old time farmers complain about not being able to get shavings-sawdust from mills anymore. All that stuff is used to make pellets for stoves now, where as it used to be free bedding for the calves etc etc etc.
Just an off the wall thought....
Greg
Member
I'm not so sure about the Walnut being bad for plants.
I have used it in my veggie garden for years, and have HUGE tomatoes !! I empty my dust collection bag into a compost pile 2 times a year or so, and you should taste my tomatoes . . .. but it'll cost ya
MARK
Member
One of the ways I get rid of my shavings is to give it to a buddy who has a butcher shop and they use it in the smoker. (no ply or mdf)
As for the bedding for animals, we live on an acerage with horses, and the shavings are to fine for my wife to use in the stalls. I will spread them out in the pastures in the summer.
Member
Do the tomatoes taste like walnuts?
Bill
On the other hand, I still have five fingers.
[OP]
Member
interesting! i was told differently, and have never used it around plants i like/want to keep... i guess it's not true!
Member
One of my wife's hobbies is pottery. The craft center that she goes to takes all I produce. Evidently there is a kind of pottery called Raku. What they do is fill a steel garbage can with sawdust and newspaper. Then they take the pottery out of the kiln and put it into the sawdust while it is still red hot. It is pretty cool when the put the 1500 degree pottery into the sawdust - talk about a quick way to light a fire! Somehow the interaction with the sawdust makes a neat finish for the pottery. So, if you have any pottery studios around you they might be interested in taking some sawdust off your hands.
John
Member
Julie,
"Technically speaking", walnut sawdust is bad for your plants because walnuts and other members of the same family (butternut, hickory, etc.) produce a toxin in their leaves, roots and bark that's designed to kill off other vegetation around them. The toxin is called "juglone" and it's basically a way for walnuts to ensure they have less competition for light, nutrients, etc. The theory is that if you put fresh walnut shavings in your garden some of the toxin can leach down into your soil and kill your plants. However, not all plants are susceptible to it and theoretically the wood itself doesn't contain nearly as much of the toxin as the other parts of the tree. Last summer I put well over 10 cubic yards of free mulch in my rosebeds only to find out afterward that the stuff was laced with walnut leaves, wood and bark. So far none of my plants are showing any signs of distress, but we'll see what happens this spring. I guess that's what I get for being cheap. I've read that if you let the shavings compost slightly before adding them to the garden it reduces the chances for any problems.
Member
I've actually used oak sawdust in the smoker when I ran out of wood chips and was too, uh, busy to go get more. I moistened a few heaping handfuls with some beer, and threw a clump or two in when it needed it. Pretty good results.
Member
The 'Furniture Guys' used shavings to rub down furniture when cleaning the finish with Napha. IIRC, they liked it better than steel wool because it would remove the finish without scratching the wood underneath.
I think they also used it to wipe off stains, but it has been years since I saw their shows.
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