We’ve all got a lot of sawdust laying around right? If you are like me, you probably get tons of sawdust as you work and end up throwing it away. Instead, here are some ideas on what to do with it. Keep in mind that is important to remove and clean out your workspace from sawdust as it can be a main driver in workshop fires.
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Use it the garden as mulch
Sawdust makes a great garden mulch! Wood is an amazing source of nutrients for the plants. Spread the sawdust on the top of your soil, do not mix it in. If you mix it in, it will temporarily leach more nitrogen from the soil.
One to two-inch shavings are perfect for the top layer. If you want to mix it into the soil, you can actually use any thickness of sawdust, but you will need to add some high-nitrogen fertilizer to prevent nutrient leaching.
Sawdust prevents weeds from appearing and regulates soil temperature.
Do not use any sawdust that has been treated with harsh chemicals.
Mopping up spills
Spilled something nasty on your workshop floor? Instead of using a rag, throw some sawdust on it. The sawdust will soak up your spill and after you can pick it up easily with your hands or a broom. This tip is also good for materials that can spontaneously combust. Just soak them in sawdust and spread it out until it all evaporates.
Drying hands
I always keep a bucket full of fine sawdust near my table. It’s an excellent tool to dry my hands.
Make homemade fire starters
Take some old candles that you’re no longer gonna use and melt them. Mix the wax with sawdust in a 50-50 ratio. Let it sit overnight.
Cut it up in the morning. The result will be extremely flammable waxy bricks of sawdust which are an excellent fire igniter.
Wood filler
Your gluing wood or edging your plywood and you put on too much glue? Just throw some fine sawdust on it and wipe with a rag. The sawdust will absorb a lot of the glue and will make it easier to clean.
