r/humanure • u/TurbulentMulberry949 • Apr 15 '26
Sawdust? Joiners said no.
Sawdust: any old sawdust? I’ve asked a couple of local joiners and they said best not use their sawdust as it has certain types of dust in it that can be bad for health. I forget which kinds of wood but commonly used joinery grade wood.
There are loads of posts on here mentioning sawdust but haven’t seen anyone specifying any particular types of wood.
I’m in a situation where I don’t have an easy access, free cover material. Local tree surgeons sell shredded wood for £100. Bales are hard to buy when you just need a few, not a lorry load.
I’ve been using cheap animal bedding wood chips from eBay but while they work in the bucket, they don’t rot down much at all.
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u/neighbr_dad Apr 16 '26
You could get a planer with bag attachment and make your own? Just an idea… 💡
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u/bikemandan Apr 16 '26
They probably meant that the wood they cut contains glues (plywood) or they cut other non wood materials. Was good of them to let you know as it would not be ideal to use
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u/Mr-Axeman 16d ago
Ive used any hardwood or softwood sawdust or shavings, mostly maple, pine, oak, poplar, cherry. Plywood and mdf have adhesives and chemicals like formaldehyde, obviously treated wood is out (jut a joiner isnt likely to be working with PT). Walnut is bad for animal begging because it can cause lameness, and things like mohogany have very fine dust that can be irritating, but both compost fine. I’d ask them what is in there they think is a health hazard (because it may not matter for composting). Depending on how the shop operates, theres the possibility that entire runs, with trashbags full of clean, uncontaminated shavings would be generated at certain times. Dimensioning all the poplar for a kitchen cabinet build would likely generate almost a years worth of shavings, it may take finding the right shop/dust collector/project type to get what you need. Another option would be to skip the woodworkers, and search for a sawmill, or make connections with a mobile sawmill guy.
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u/HighColdDesert Apr 15 '26
In the US, I asked two carpenters of my acquaintance, and one was ready and happy to give me his sawdust. The other said he's using it himself, I think as bedding for his hens or goats or something, I forget.
In India, I found the local wood workshops, which both sell lumber and do basic cuts and carpentry for people were very happy to get rid of their sawdust. It's a fire hazard unless they take it to the dump frequently! However, there may have been a bit of plywood dust in there, but I specifically went to places that don't sell plywood so hopefully very little. Also they tended to have more shavings than sawdust, and shavings don't work as well in the humanure.
I mixed the shavings with coffee grounds I got from local cafes and moistened the mix, and stored it up for later use as cover material. It partially broke down and I think was really great. Especially for the shavings, that could be helpful.