Replies

1. 
   FrankRobie | May 12, 2002 02:54am | #1

   Here are a few suggestions. Find someone with a composting toilet, they use sawdust to counteract the nitrogen. Contact your local college to see if they have a pottery class that would like to do Racku firing (a japanese process which uses sawdust). If you don't have walnut shavings in it contact horse owners. the problem with walnut in this use is the horse's urine reacts with the walnut and causes hoof problems, to the extent that it might be fatal!

   Frank

1. 
   trialnut | May 12, 2002 04:13pm | #3

   If it's shavings (planer or jointer chips) then the horse people will likely take it, but if it's dust (tablesaw and finer) then I doubt they will as it will cause respitory problems.The Professional Termite, aka Woodbutcher Extrodinaire

2. 
   JVeillon | May 12, 2002 05:22am | #2

   Bob you will think this is funny but I put my shavings/sawdust  in clear trash bags and put it out by the curb and sure as shootin some one stops and puts it in their trunk.  Actually more women than men do.  I do the same with the leaves my chipper-vac picks up and shreds too and they want that too.

   John

3. 
   sschefer | May 13, 2002 09:06am | #4

   This discussion has been on the table a few times. Essentially, there are two things to do with it.

   1. Bag it and throw it out with your yard clippings. Or don't bag it and wash the neighbors cars on garbage pickup day, (you can tell I know from experience).

   2. Get in touch with your local Trex dealer. They will get you in touch with the manufacurer who will glady take all the sawdust and plastic bags you have.

   Seriously, most pet centers and farmers will not take the average Joe's sawdust because if it is not not pure and of the correct type they can cause more harm to the animals then good. A lot of composters wont take it unless it is of a type that readily decomposes and if you throw it in your garden they you just end up with sawdust in your garden because it takes for ever to break down.

   I say dump it. It is organic material that is going into landfill so it is really doing the same amount of good it would anyplace else.

   Steve - in Northern California

4. 
   cbwerner | May 14, 2002 12:20am | #5

   In the vein of "one man's trash is another's treasure", I've got a friend whose wife makes ceramics (mostly vegetables) in a kiln at home.  She craves sawdust as it enables her to put a "crackly" finish on some of her work (this may be the Raku thing mentioned earlier).  I don't know how it works, but maybe you know someone doing this or could make a call to a local artisans group.  I get a kick out of knowing my waste is put to a creative use.

5. 
   stancalow | May 14, 2002 04:59am | #6

   Bob It seems the problem is having a place to store it.  I've used sawdust to help absorb oil, gasoline, and soap spills, and pet urine.  Also used to solidfy paint in half used cans I wanted to get dispose of in trash.   Wood chips to neighbor with hamster.   Walnut - I met an old butcher once, who showed me his sauna-sized walk-in smoker.  He told me he used walnut sawdust from nearby sawmill to smoke his sausage and ham, along with oak chips.   I didn't know that you could use walnut for this purpose,  but it was good sausage.  Stan

1. 
   fdampier | May 15, 2002 09:27am | #7

   If you produce large quanities of it, either have your buddy bring his dump truck and haul it away on a rainy day  (don't try this dry) or rent a 30 yard dumpster and once you fill it full with construction debris dump yards and yards of it on top and shake the dumpster with a 10,000 pound fork lift. it will sift down and fill the crevises and holes that the other construction debris left and you can probaly remove 10 to 15 yards per dumpster.

     In addition if you want to kill all the grass with a natural herbicide spread black walnut shavings on the lawn,, by by grass or anything green!

1. 
   DMullins71 | May 16, 2002 01:02pm | #8

   This a a true story, my friend works for an undertaker. He asked if he could take some of my sawdust, as they used it to fill cavities in the bodies that had been embalmed before burial. They said as long as it was untreated they would take some of it off my hands as they need it.