What to do with DC Shavings?

[tomsteve]

The use for weed control on fence lines is interesting; I have 600' of fence line, and if I could control that line, it would be a great help.  Never thought about using saw dust.

when i first bought a planer i lined my flower beds with the mass amount of cedar shavings/chips i had created. it was purdy! about 2 or so weeks later i picked up a woodworking mag that had an article about what to do with woodshavings. one thing it mentioned was they were horrible to use in flower beds as a compost/mulch type thing. they form a matt that doesnt allow air into the soil and all kinds of bad stuff starts growing.
took a walk outside and sure enough- them cedar shavings had compacted and some sort of goo was starting to grow underneath.

article said  that for that reason, they are great along fence lines. suffocates anything growing along the fence.

[fredhargis]

Some places (apparently, though not mine) take them for recycling. The warnings above are why I don't put them on the garden, though I will use them as mulch if I haven't been sawing anything bad (walnut, treated wood, plywood, etc.). My current solution, which I don't like, is to put them in a bag out with the trash. My neighbor has livestock and could probably use them, but my concerns with animal safety keep me from offering them to him. I know a few farmers around me actually buy sawdust from the local sawmills. It's used to bury any livestock that has dies or been culled from the herds. Within a few weeks all that's left is the very largest bones, the saw dust is then scattered across their fields. I noticed our highway department is doing the same thing with road kill. Instead of removing the animals, they simply cover them with wood chips. Of course, none of that is useful for the hobbyists woodworker....unless you have a livestock finishing operation.

[stav]

If you’re so inclined, you could start a side business making compressed saw dust logs for fires. Not sure what the market would be for something like that but it might pay for more tools or lumber.

[fredhargis]

If you’re so inclined, you could start a side business making compressed saw dust logs for fires. Not sure what the market would be for something like that but it might pay for more tools or lumber.

or pellets for pellet stoves.

[GeorgeV]

Let me say that I don't allow mine to accumulate and I am also using a Dust Deputy connected to my Shop-Vac. I dispose of the shavings in paper leaf bags that are picked up by our town with leaves, lawn debris and twigs to be recycled into compost weekly on yard waste day.

[WilliamHodge]

What do you do with your wood shaving from the dust collector?

I give mine to a farmer. He wants sawdust and shavings with no plastic, because he is raising meat. Plastic bits from countertops, plastic moldings, wood with paint and finish, etc. just end up as plastic particles that can get eaten or inhaled by animals. I only run solid wood, so the shavings are OK.

[Cian]

I just throw mine away, but will have to remember the tip about it being a herbicide for fence/boundary lines.

[danceswithticks]

There are several Youtube videos of sawdust stoves. I haven't tried one yet, but they look like a great way to heat a garage or workshop. The loading part looks like it would take a few minutes but then cheap heat is the payoff.