Saw Dust? What to do?

[Chris(Glen)]

Just trying to figure out some ideas of what to do with the MASSIVE amount of sawdust I now have that I am processing firewood on a regular basis. What is everyone doing with it? Any way to make a profit of a possible waste product?

 

[TreePointer]

What is "massive?" Can you fill a 55 gallon drum?

 

[ShaneLogs]

If it is all hardwood, You can sell the chips and saw dust too farms and they use them for there animals for bedding and such. They won't except any soft wood chips or saw dust though because the soft wood dust is bad for there animals respiratory systems.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

If it is small chain saw chips see if anyone with horses needs it for bedding. Where I boarded my horse as a kid we paid extra for it. I had a pinto that was mostly white and it made a huge difference keeping him looking good. Total change out every few weeks, a few scoops quick clean each night, and add some when needed in between. If it is real fine and dusty, they will not want it.

 

[Streblerm]

I till into the garden. I use it for the isles between rows to keep weeds down.

 

[howard270]

I use it in the garden between and around plants to keep the weeds down. My dad used to use wheat hay and was wondering why he always had wheat coming up in the fall.

 

[zogger]

If it is all hardwood, You can sell the chips and saw dust too farms and they use them for there animals for bedding and such. They won't except any soft wood chips or saw dust though because the soft wood dust is bad for there animals respiratory systems.

That's funny, the horse stables I worked at used pine shavings, and here on this broiler farm we go through a coupla tractor trailer loads a month or so of pine shavings. The boss even has a shavings mill, so we could cut our own pine and process it (that WOULD have been me, some nice extra loot and chainsaw and equipment fun/work) and built a new barn for it, but the scrappers** stole the knife sharpeners and some other stuff (electric motors and so on) and ruined that project before it got started.

The two most commonly used wood bedding products are pine and cedar. I really don't know who, or for what animals, uses hardwood shavings for bedding.


RANT
***make me prez dictator for a day, and one of the first things I would do is an immediate outright ban on exporting scrap metals. Whatever legitimate money is being made with recycling metals is dwarfed by the mass thievery this nation is undergoing to supply the insatiable chinese scrap metal market. Reuse it, resmelt totally inside CONUS, no probs, for the export market and the inflated prices leading to all this stealing going on..not worth it, IMO, it is too much a for real national security issue, both from the crime issues and..why the heck again are we making a potential armed adversay stronger???? Why are we exporting manufacturing jobs there again?? Oh ya, so the wall street crooks and the Cxx titled corporate dweebs can "make more money".
/RANT

 

[zogger]

As to what to do with it, it makes nice mulch. Depending on what you have, I know for berry plants it is supernice.

 

[sb47]

I get 2 deferent kinds of chips, small chips from cross cutting and big chips from cutting with the grain when I split big 30” rounds down to a manageable size.
The small chips I use around the pond to keep soil from eroding and around trees to keep the grass down. What’s left I pile up and compost for the garden.

It’s not recommended using hardwood chips for livestock because they will eat it and it can make them sick.

There not much market for ward wood chips unless you have 18 wheeler loads of it.

I had a friend that saves me all his feed bags and I give bags of it away as a good natural fire starter.
I suppose I could sell it but I use it to sweeten the deal on firewood and give a bag or 2 when someone buys a cord of wood.

I wouldn’t use it for livestock, you could open yourself up to a law suite if someone’s animals eat it and get sick.

I suppose you could just give it away.

Dennis

 

[ShaneLogs]

Just pile it up in the yard, Behind the stacks where you can't see it and don't worry about them, LOL.

 

[half]

sawdust

natural sawdust makes good compost,if you treat it right. What about bagging it and selling it as dog bedding at a local flea market??

 

[dancan]

Just trying to figure out some ideas of what to do with the MASSIVE amount of sawdust I now have that I am processing firewood on a regular basis. What is everyone doing with it? Any way to make a profit of a possible waste product?

I take it the processor works good and your making a go of it .
Try to sell some dry stuff to trappers ? Expand , dry it , get some softwood sawdust and get a pellet mill , try the horse market and see if it will fly but if you check with Heffler's lumber you'll see what they're selling it for .
Or , plow it under and just be rid of another headache LOL .

 

[H 2 H]

LOL

I burn what i make around the house; one burn lasted 24/7 days :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Sagetown]

Just trying to figure out some ideas of what to do with the MASSIVE amount of sawdust I now have that I am processing firewood on a regular basis. What is everyone doing with it? Any way to make a profit of a possible waste product?

For Livestock Bedding

One needs to be careful about the type of sawdust, as some types (e.g. Black Walnut) are poisonous to horses; if ingested they can cause serious illnesses. Normally one uses sawdust from white softwoods, or cedar.

In areas where there is no demand for sawdust, sawmills give it away to save the cost of disposing of it.
In areas where there is demand for horse and livestock bedding the sawmills charge accordingly. Whatever that means.

 

[unclemoustache]

I'd try the pellet mill.


makewoodpellets - YouTube

 

[fubar2]

Makes decent floor dry for your shop to soak up oil spills and such.

 

[ShaneLogs]

Makes decent floor dry for your shop to soak up oil spills and such.

Yes that is true!

 

[discounthunter]

make your own fire starter sticks. basically you get/make a mold for the size and shape you want. fill with sawdust/shavings mix with some wax(parafin?)and kerosene,apply presure ,and pop out,voila fire starters you can sell or give to your customers.

 

[ShaneLogs]

make your own fire starter sticks. basically you get/make a mold for the size and shape you want. fill with sawdust/shavings mix with some wax(parafin?)and kerosene,apply presure ,and pop out,voila fire starters you can sell or give to your customers.

Hmm good idea there! I will have to try that!

 

[Eilrahc83]

make your own fire starter sticks. basically you get/make a mold for the size and shape you want. fill with sawdust/shavings mix with some wax(parafin?)and kerosene,apply presure ,and pop out,voila fire starters you can sell or give to your customers.

I do the same thing and they work way better than the store bought kind. It's a little time consuming but a simple enough task that my wife can handle. It will go a long way with your customers to give em a bag of firestarters and bundle of kindling with each cord purchased. Repeat and referral business should be the goal!