Where does all our sawdust go? 5 uses for sawdust that you haven’t thought of

[@blake86303]

When I was a kid the janitor in school used sawdust to clean up the barf when a kid got sick.

[@paulcochran1721]

And it usually had a pink or red dye in it with a disinfectant smell!

[@blake86303]

@@paulcochran1721 lol yup

[@garyjohnson6640]

@@paulcochran1721 It was green where I went to school. I’d forgotten all about it until until you mentioned it 😂.

[@michaelc.3812]

😂😂😂

[@jennyjansen754]

Plain old sawdust when I was in school.

[@patriksimion]

Hello from Sweden in Europe. You haven't thought of making wood pellets out of the sawdust? It's sort of popular for heating over here for singel family houses.

[@noGRAV1TY]

Similarly, in Poland, briquettes are made of sawdust, it quickly gives a lot of heat and there is almost no smoke.

[@gregoryrollins59]

There's a video here on KZbin about this guy who is making fire logs out of sawdust, and I've seen the pellets. In nw Washington state. Plus, I remember growing up country western restaurants putting it on the floor. Peace and Ahev

[@Sailor-Dave]

I used to work for a company that imported briquetting machines from Italy for use in the metals-recycling business. They also made pelletizer machines that produced compressed sawdust pellets for home heating use. It's supposed to burn with very little smoke or ash, and be very efficient, and it's very popular in Europe.

[@gregoryrollins59]

@laus9953 there are still some in AZ as well. Plus, smokin with mesquite chips is delicious. You know, food is an absolute need, or we die. So put your heart into it and enjoy and thank a farmer.

[@o0o-jd-o0o95]

Here in the United states we do make wood pellets out of sawdust. here in California we sell a lot of wood pellet stoves.. I used to deliver pallets of pellets for a hardware store when I worked there

[@mikequick6941]

Like some others have said, a pellet mill. That would be a great addition to you firewood sales.

[@jeffreyallen3777]

I wonder if you ever heard of these.I had a freind whose father built a mill and made a lot of money sawing hemlock and shipping it to southern new england where there was a huge demand becuse of it's insect resistance, I asked what they did with the sawdust they generated and he recited various end uses but he said years ago, (like 75,he was an older guy), they would sell some of it to be be burned to heat the old farmhouses with what were called "sawdust burner" furnaces. He acturally took me into his deceased mothers old farmhouse cellar and low and behold there were small rooms still filled to the ceiling with sawdust that never got burned because she passed away. The actual furnace was still installed and I was amazed at the ingenious simplicity of the operation which emplyoed no motors and relied on draft alone to draw sawdust into the burn chamber and simple convection to deliver the heat to various rooms in the house through a system of large hot air pipes. The furnace was fed by a big upright sqareish funnel that terminated at the burn chamber which generated enough draft to continuously suck sawdust into the fire as long as the funnel was kept full of sawdust. It heated a big old farmhouse in the middle of aMaine winter for many years. His elderly mother kept it going herself as she could keep filling with fairly light buckets of sawdust. I asked him why the fire didn't climb up the funnel and he said the draft so so intense while operating that the fire couldn't move in that direction, as with the pellet stoves that are sold today. Still I don't think it would receive the Good Housekeepin seal of approval today. I looked for scorch marks on the ceiling of the cellar above the funnel, which had no cover,and I couldn't find any. I don't know how common they were but I did speak to some other people in the area that remember having older relatives that used them and one guy could remember at least one having started a fire.

[@oldie4210]

Long ago in the fifties in a permanent logging camp, we used the dried sawdust for wall insulation as it would stop the drafts, it would settle as one could see the frost lines on the inside , we used it in maclaren stoves coverted to burn sawdust with a big hopper on the side, used it in our ice rooms in the root cellars, mixed with cow dung for the fields,

[@B30pt87]

"frost lines on the inside"... Whew, that sounds like a tough job! My dad was a logger in the fifties, but in California. I don't think he logged in the winter.

[@tomsommer54]

@@B30pt87 winter is the time to log.

[@kevinbutler2565]

My Dad used to put it in a smallish trash can, maybe 10 gal. dump gasoline in, mix it around till it was completely wet, then cover, worked great in soaking up oil. The gas would dissolve the oil, and the sawdust would soak up the oil, worked great. This was back in the 50's. Gas was cheap back then.

[@phillipmullis7904]

Sawdust makes a great insulator. In the “old days” they would cover ice they cut from the lakes and ponds with sawdust and the ice would last through the summer.

[@wihamaki]

Believe they were experimenting with making ships/barges made of the stuff during WW2 where shipping losses were high.

[@x-man5056]

@@wihamaki Ice ships and Cement ships.🤔

[@charlesmiddleton3247]

You all at LCLY are doing such a wonderful job in making a wholesome family operated business with great content and a friendly atmosphere.for us viewers. Great job as usual!

[@urbanlumberjack]

Sawdust helps make the most amazing compost! It holds moisture, breaks down quickly, and makes for a really airy texture. Also great for the chickens and goats!

[@richardseifried7574]

Amazing compost??

[@tomsommer54]

It sure does. I mix it with grass clipping. I’m growing tomatoes and other vegetables in it right now in raised beds. It is airy and breaks down fast. I have a sawmill so I have an endless supply .

[@robertpearson8798]

In the old days it was used to pack ice blocks in ice houses as insulation. My great uncle used to cut his own ice from the lake and pack it in sawdust from his own steam powered sawmill.

[@markwhite6782]

We've used it for animal bedding and tilling into the garden. Stuff is great!

[@saltrock9642]

I learn things from every video y’all produce. Thanks.

[@kd5you1]

One use I was thinking about is particle board. One of the most common uses of particle boards is speaker boxes, and many home and car stereo speakers are made of particle board.

[@B30pt87]

Also- Dustcrete! It's like aircrete, only denser, due to using sawdust instead of air bubbles. I've heard that the bigger stuff (like chainsaw sawdust) works better than the really fine stuff.

[@randallchapman5742]

My Dad told me that they used to put sawdust in the hollers (it was West Virginia) and bury big chunks of ice (from creeks and ponds) in it. The sawdust would insulate the ice from the air and they would have ice up til August. This was before freezers became common.

[@VintageCarHistory]

Some 20 years ago when I owned a furniture manufacturing company, we also had lots of sawdust from our routers, planers and lathes. We sold ours to Ralston Purina- the, 'vegetable protein' ingredient on your dog and cat food is sawdust.

[@tubefluid]

Even the sawdust from plywood and particle board?!! That would be poison!

[@VintageCarHistory]

@@tubefluid We did not use ply's or particles- only solid wood. Also, we did not use walnut- as that can also be poisonous.

[@thomasjarosz7406]

Lumber Capital Log Yard, Very refreshing to see a Family Run Business. The very first time a saw a video{last Week} I couldn't believe you were located in Pennsylvania. Been everywhere in Pa , but never your town. God Bless

[@rmcguire-pg6io]

I grew up in southern Oregon and they compressed it into small 10~12 inch logs for heating as firewood or smaller pellets for stoves. The pharmaceutical companies also extract DSMO from the sawdust for use in patches that let medications pass through the skin.

[@YT512llc]

My blueberry bushes are like bonsai dwarfs. Now I know how to better care for them and get them growing bigger. Awesome sawdust tip!

[@richardsevack]

Here the Racoons get them before we do.

[@producerk8247]

Coffee grounds are great too!

[@johncarter1137]

For anyone who produces sawdust in enclosed areas. Be aware that the dust can be explosive if introduced into the air from being disturbed. Emerald, thank you for the blueberry tip, I just planted some.

[@mikewatson4644]

We live about 10 miles away from a sugar factory. The dust in a silo exploded. I heard the explosion at my house!! My wife said it was probably just thunder, but I said no. We drove into town to see. From 5 miles away we could see all the emergency lights. Sadly, 1 person died.

[@toddt6542]

I've seen several comments but also wanted to reiterate that if you got a pellet mill, you could most certainly have another salable product with sawdust pellets for heating. Also, in some cases depending on the species, you could have pellets for grilling as well. Unfortunately for me, most of my sawdust is contaminated by other things you wouldn't want to be burned as my dust collection captures a bit of everything...but I've always wanted to use it for heating/cooking (along with the homemade charcoal).

[@benjamincresswell3713]

Hey Em, very informative video. I personally use saw dust for oil dry in my garage. Of course I spill antifreeze, fuel, brake fluid and blobs of grease from an overzealous grease job and saw dust works great as an absorbent. BUT, I was wondering about using it for HEAT. If it was dry enough to burn, it could be augured from a hopper onto a burning chamber, and maybe a lot like a pellet or corn burning stove, it could be semi automatically fed to run over a large period of time. Thank you for another great video. ben/ michigan

[@k.c.sunshine1934]

I've heard that hardwood sawdust is good for growing certain types of mushrooms.

[@robertward553]

Great ideas from you and the peanut gallery, I'll add one more, put it in your garden between planting rows to cut weed growth and helps keep the mud at bay. Plus when it's time to plow the garden it helps with soil compaction and compost. Love you guys as usual.

[@ScottBrown-fm5ix]

Wood burning pellet in the west they burn lots the mill is not that expensive . But it's material ,and you got lots

[@wayneday3916]

Question have you ever tried to make firewood logs out of the sawdust?

[@FaithlessDeviant]

here in denmark we usually use it for our own heating or selling to a company specialising in collecting it and/or probably use/sell it for wood pellets. Pellets are still quite popular for stocker units in households outside the central heating areas.

[@jamarie1972]

We have a flooring company on the other side of our county in Southwest England, they use different sawdust for flooring sheets chips- dust. Great video as always well done Emerald and Jade plus Bossman and Bosswoman.

[@anthonyricard7458]

Great info Enerald! Lots of good uses. Have a great evening. TTFN

[@stephenkennedy7931]

I get a bale of it and work it into my garden a week or so before I plant, it loosens the soil up I have also put it onto the soil after the plant starts to retain moisture in the soil.

[@michaelc.3812]

I’m only two minutes in, and I’m thrilled you are doing this. There are so many great uses for sawdust and it’s great you are highlighting this important topic. But I’m an engineer, and this kind of discussion makes me happy. I’m a geek, I guess…

[@stillme4084]

You're one hundo percent professional. Great videos. Be well.

[@heronimousbrapson863]

In Vancouver, British Columbia, it was once used as a cheap heating fuel, being delivered in bulk by truck to peoples' homes. Unfortunately, the smokiness contributed to very bad fogs, and the presence of all that dry sawdust in storage constituted a significant fire hazard. Sawdust-burning furnaces had been outlawed by the 1960's.

[@paulc.4211]

Thanks for the video it was informative , I have observed Jade shoveling up sawdust from the mill and seeing u dump it in a pile so now we know that there is a market for it.

[@rupe53]

Saw dust is also used for making pressboard, which is the weaker version of particle board.

[@garbo8962]

While working at a large slaughter house years ago they would wash & disinfect floor of chill box on Friday night then apply clean saw down every Monday morning to prevent falling after walking on small bits of fat & blood on floors. Would take the saw dust from chill box to stock yard pens to keep floors dry from steers & cows pee. They use super fine saw dust to make either TNT or dynamite.

[@rockinguitar101]

You always teach us something new Emerald, keep up the great video's.

[@oldcharlie5533]

It is also used for making wood pellets for heating..

[@WoodWorkTherapy]

We use sawdust from the shop for mulch and then add a nitrogen-based plant chemical to it after it is laid down. It really does do wonders. Did not know about the blueberries thing though. Good to know. Thanks for sharing all that. :)

[@burtronomaniac]

My favorite use is to use it to make a video hosted by an absolutely gorgeous redhead !!!!!!!

[@tlangton]

Hey Emerald! Somebody told me you can make pellets with it for wood burning furnaces? Don’t know if that’s true? Good info today, Thanks.

[@markespich8574]

Yes,it’s true.Europe buys tons of it for heat and run power plants.

[@dennishinkle5010]

I saw a DIY video where they actually mixed it with some kind of glue and pressed it into boards and something that resembled plywood and use it for a countertop. I put it in the chicken coop. Great video ladies thank you.👍♥️♥️

[@ridgerunner80]

Around home the mills send their sawdust to pellet and charcoal manufacturers, some of the larger chips go to pulp mills

[@dallas3124]

There is a company in Scotland that goes to all the saw mills and collects the various sawdust and turns it into chipboard for use in the construction industry and also it can be made into pellets for log fires as previously stated in another comment

[@geraldharvill4699]

I worked in the newspaper production field for over 35 years. Prior to 1990 most newspapers switched to Soy based inks, renewable and non toxic. The pigments used for color is what could be some what toxic. Depending on the color. The saw dust can be mixed with wax to make fire starter or pressed to make make wood pellets for grills and smokers.

[@edwardmarks885]

Emerald i live in newfoundland canada everybody here are allowed to have chickens in there gardens people use sawdust in the chicken coops on the floor and nest boxes , in dairy cattle and pig barns, i grow potatoes ,turnips ,cabbage and carrots so i till a lot of sawdust in the ground with my tiller

[@johnmhuberty71]

My dad always wants my sawdust to use as oil dry on his garage floor. Another use is as wood flour, which is very fine and can be mixed with epoxy to thicken it, e.g., for fillets to strengthen joints between bulkheads and the hull, etc. in wooden boat building.

[@o0o-jd-o0o95]

That's not a bad idea it's kinda like mixing aggregate and concrete

[@nancyb9404]

We used to get sawdust from a big mill by the truck load. We used it as bedding for our dairy cows. We had a large space in our barn to store it. Us kids job was to go load up the wheelbarrow and bring it down to the cow stable. Brings back memories.

[@quigleyclampett6132]

I use sawdust from my mill for oil spills on concrete and it sucks it up. Cedar shaving put in bags a put in closets to give a good smell. Good video!

[@johnfogg7858]

Just saw you in Woodworker's Journal! CONGRATS!!!!

[@ron827]

Back in the 50s, sawdust was added to the rubber when making snow tires. It improved the grip on ice but they were not very durable.

[@woodrowsmith3400]

In the '60's, too. Dad used to get recaps in town that had little 3/4" x 1 1/2" knobbies set on a diagonal. I never...ever...got stuck when those tires were in the truck!

[@rolandtinker734]

Nicely done Have a great day everyone ❤📹👍😉

[@wendyfletcher8348]

We learn so much from your channel!

[@chriscross9083]

I use Saw Dust in my Wood Glue mix in with plan Elmer-Glue and with Cedar Saw Dust people use it in their compost toilet just 1/2 cup after your done or more depending if it was Toco night before.

[@JT_70]

I’ve also used the Elmer’s and sawdust for wood filler. When I recently made some from sawdust from clear white pine, it dried rock hard and was dark colored. It was even hard to sand. I’ve never had it turn dark before.

[@brendancull8316]

Just up the road from the last place I worked was a joiners, they would produce bricks of saw dust for fires. Also I recently seen on you tube was dustcrete, where you replace sand with sawdust when making concrete, it seemed to work very well.

[@TomRubicon5949]

About the blueberries/soil: adding coffee to your watering can does wonders for the nitrogen balance. Just a 10-1 ratio is already pretty good. I have a coffee machine that grinds beans and rinses itself every time I turn it on. That "coffee water" is perfect for my indoor plants!

[@jamesmckay9966]

emerald saw dust mixed withe proper amount of diesel fuel makes an excellent sweeping compound for concrete floors to cleam TO REDUCE dust. i worked at the MPLS HONEYWELL PLAMT AND WE USED A COMMERCIAL BRAND FOR CLEANING ALL OF OUR FLOORS IN THE PLANT. IT COULD EASILY BE MADE AND SOLD IN 5 GALLON OR LARGER CONTAINERS.

[@mikerubynfs]

I used to work for a furniture manufacturer, we burnt our sawdust and chips in a boiler to heat the factory and process equipment, scrap wood went through a chipper. We had to make sure our storage hopper was full before Winter started to make sure we made it through. Any excess went in a trailer that a local farmer used to heat his greenhouses. Yes if we had an oil leak we used sawdust, there was always some near the machines.

[@andrewhammill6148]

I mix sawdust into my compost bin as a brown matter ingredient. I wouldn't place it directly in my gardens though. As you stated, it needs nitrogen to break down, which in turn depletes the soil in your beds, which in turn causes poor growth for your plants. Having to add additional nitrogen sources to counteract the effect of the sawdust seems counterproductive to me. The blueberry thing was interesting though.

[@loucinci3922]

Who knew? Good info. Love the details. Thanks for sharing

[@countrywoodproducts]

I have plans to make a sawdust fire log machine using a log splitter. Just have to get the right log splitter for the job. I also want to get a pellet press and make pellet fuel to help recycle sawdust better.

[@carolmitchell49]

Great video content. Your audio and video is the best. Professional !

[@joehill8014]

Sawdust, I love it.

[@fin4795]

Probably already been said but I’m not reading 250+ comments…. You mentioned camping fire starting……a 4oz individual bag would be great for that; packaged by the pound, for trekking, camping or bbq. Also, if you ‘dry’ your timber, why not use stables muck plus your dust (blended by coarseness) and create a product for nurseries, using the same, or residual, heat. Compressed sawdust with a binder makes a great log for a fire pit. Well compressed, it will give a lot of heat, for a reasonable time with little ash. Good for a long balmy night in the garden with a few late-night chilled drinks!

[@misterdubity3073]

Energy: I knew of a place manufacturing cabinets; they had a dust collection system that fed by vacuum to a furnace that burned it to heat the building. I do not think they made electricity from it, just heat.

[@robertgomola6819]

Spread the sweep damp sawdust on my concrete barn floor when it gets dirty. Really keeps the fine dust powder from becoming airborne - and cleans as well as sweeps out the dirt.

[@frankpukanich2078]

Jade, I like the idea that you can use the sawdust for the water puddles at the mill yard.

[@independentthinker8930]

Have you thought of mixing with melted wax, press into a "log" and sell as a quick start fire log

[@robertbean7770]

OR a pellet mill to make pellets for wood stoves, your existing market.

[@GregPalmer2]

You are the number one lumber jack😊😊

[@trevortoop5166]

Our school janitors used to have a stash of sawdust on the side to pour on barf. Once you did that you'd just sweep it up in a clump. Sure beats being down on your hands and knees wringing out a cloth in a bucket.

[@toddepperson7465]

Stalls for cleaning at dairy farms and horses 🐎. Spread our at entrance and exits at log yards to keep mud some what down. Track mud in the road and some states write citations.

[@harryz450f4]

We fill a bucket with saw dust and add a little paraffin. then we sweep our workshops painted floors. It picks up all the fine dust and leaves the paint shiny.

[@karlruhl5888]

Add used motor oil or used cooking oil with the sawdust to make briquettes, especially for wood burning stoves, boilers and fireplaces.

[@buckinfirewood]

Thanks been locking for something to market the excess saw dust from the two processors we have

[@vinnie1889]

Wow I didn’t know…. thank you though. ❤️ Love seeing you and the information you provide. Can’t wait for another day of you 🌹

[@eligibbs8822]

I would use in in my garbage cans to absorb the moisture to keep down the funk and prevent maggots.

[@Deploracle]

Lately we discovered processed chicken products (patties, tenders, nuggets) have a bit of sawdust in them.

[@Mr1fish2fish]

Very interesting. I had never thought of any of those uses.

[@shawncarroll5255]

Just as a heads up, from somebody who grows with over 40 blueberries, mostly northern highbush but also some southern highbush and rabbiteyes. I am in the Ohio river basin. We have clay. Lots of clay. Blueberries don't like clay. Being a masochist, and as my children ADORE them, I planted them in heavily amended soil. As I used up my compost, I ended up having to purchase some, and $9 a cubic yard for a eight cubic yard truck load ( the truck doubled the price) and I was fine. Except my rabbiteyes slowely died, of iron deficiency, which is caused by pH that is too high. The problem is not just the pH, but the buffering. Calcium is the enemy of low pH. I talked to our local State Ag Agent, and he figured out pretty quickly what I did wrong. They had the same problem with wood chipped mulched oak trees. You see the wood of many hardwoods is high in Calcium. Not that high, but for plants that like acidic soil, not the pH 6.0 that most gardeners consider acidic, but a pH as low as 4.0. Understand, pH is a logarithmic scale, so 4.0 is 100 time more acidic than 6.0. I found a reference to the issue in a paper making article, as the source of the wood pulp determines the available calcium. It turns out conifers tend to have lower calcium residue in their wood chips compared to hardwoods. I've limited my wood chip compost to mostly pine, and save any I get for my blueberries. All my other plants love wood chip compost, and honestly I suspect if you have normal soil it won't be a problem. I have clay with a higher calcium/buffering content, so be careful. It will take some extra work, but with some research you can find blueberries more tolerant of clay. This research is over 10 years old, and even then did not include the cutting edge newest cultivars. Duke (early, reliable crop) is mostly tolerant of clay, but the stand-outs were Reka (tart and early, great for baking, muffins to die for), and Elliot (late, with the berries ripening in three groups, great taste and keeps well in the fridge).

[@anthonyfowler8634]

Mix it with lime etc. for a building product packing it down like packed earth or hemp crete.

[@jonathanwaddington965]

Tree nurseries pack rotted sawdust around root balls for winter storage.

[@chotuusian4127]

Good work and looking lovely

[@artpatronforever]

Oak sawdust is used for mushroom growing media

[@neonotcultured]

for some reason I love the feeling of sandust between my finger tips

[@troytaylor6857]

I love watching your channel you and jade are two beautiful hard working young ladies and your lil brother is impressive on that wood splitter. Where is ur other sister Stacey? She was on couple times then gone. I love watching ur dad on vid he is funny he reminds me of myself not up wit all th tech stuff out but can tear a dozer or saw down fix it no problem but computer totally lost, keep up th great videos looking forward to see what you and jade get into this summer 😊

[@TRYtoHELPyou]

this was a great one thanks for sharing!

[@edwardmarks885]

Emerald i canada you can buy fire log made from sawdust in canadian tire stores and wood pellets for wood stoves

[@keegantimber8571]

Good job Em and Jade! 👍👍👍

[@richardsevack]

Yup Love sawdust... Used to be more plentifull Then half the mills closed....👍😉🇨🇦

[@robertbeltowski2819]

Can I make my own wood pellets? You can make your own wood pellets using a wide range of wood waste. It includes wood shavings, sawdust, wood logs, and wood chips. You will require about 8 to 10 logs or 4 to 5 buckets of sawdust to make a medium batch of wood pellets. Such raw material is readily available in a local sawmill or lumber yard.

[@michaelc.3812]

Pellets for smoking food or heating homes is a great use!!! Per our friend from Sweden.

[@Duke00x]

It can also be compressed into pellets for pellet stoves.

[@stephenwilliams4118]

Well I certainly learned a lot about sawdust and it's various uses today. I don't use wood pellets but I believe a lot of people use pellets to fire their wood stoves. Is there not a company that manufactures pellets near you that would buy the sawdust, just a thought.

[@vinnyfalcone]

Pellets and cat litter. I use a wood based cat litter called Okocat.

[@davidkettell6236]

i used to but it has got too expensive now as we have about five cat litters and 20 cats,going back to good old clay.

[@greenfire6924]

Some other uses for sawdust and wood shavings: Pine shavings for freeze protection of water pipes and valves in below and above ground freeze boxes. Insects (Black Widows) and rodents tend to stay away because of the pine oil. Dust suppression at Incident Base (aka: Fire Camp) in areas of heavy foot traffic. Many of the mobile food catering companies on contract with the US Forest Service and similar agencies spread sawdust over the dirt under and around the tables and chairs within their mobile dining setups. Sawdust itself is a bit dusty of course but that dust is much more tolerable than dirt dust. Course wood chips can be used in place of gravel on dirt driveways. Inferior to gravel but may be an option for some Lastly, I've heard of sawdust being used on some barroom floors. I have no firsthand knowledge of this and can't image why.🤔

[@goatfather5711]

Sawdust is potentially free energy. Is there no way to compress the sawdust and mix it with a binding solution and make blocks for firewood?

[@wihamaki]

They also make wood flour which is used for a lot of different purposes.

[@KarasCyborg]

How about making some TNT? Sometimes it's easier to blow a tree out of the ground than to try and safely chop it down, especially if there is a chance of it sending flyers spinning through the air. Best to attack from a safe distance. I've seen some people making wood crete, by mixing sawdust and cement to make blocks for building. I've see other people using flour as glue, and making compressed fire logs (with a compressed earth block machine) for burning. Sort of like MDF, but burnable. Pine needles are also good for blueberry acidic ph.

[@jimmieburleigh9549]

Yall should get the set up to make compressed fire logs and fire starter.

[@Alexhulk]

Instructive !

[@rickayers3150]

Great stuff Em. Thanks