I'm curious about what everyone does with their leftover wood shavings. I know some people just throw them away, but I've been trying to find productive uses for them. Besides cleaning up oil spills, using them as wood filler, and having them for chicken bedding, what are some other creative ideas? I mostly have pine shavings, and I separate the finer dust from the larger ones. Any suggestions?
3 Answers
Well, it really depends on the wood type. Pine is pretty much useless for anything fancy other than kindling, but hardwoods like oak or cherry can be soaked in whiskey and used for smoking meat, which gives a great flavor! Also, some woods have special uses in rituals or as mulch in gardens.
If you’re into gardening, wood shavings make great mulch and are perfect for composting! I always throw my shavings into the compost pile, especially the finer ones from my thickness planer; they break down nicely.
You can use the big shavings, like those from a hand plane, as packing material instead of relying on paper or Styrofoam. They're also excellent for starting fires, just toss them in with some kindling!