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Disposing of Shavings

Doug Olsen

Doug Olsen

Joined
Dec 2, 2011
Messages
66
Likes
10
Location
San Leandro, CA
If you are not using your shavings for mulch, how do you dispose of them? The yard waste recycle bin? Enquiring minds want to know :)

Thanks, Doug
 
All the shavings go to the landfill with the rest of the garbage.

Finish turning doesn't create big piles of shavings......but, roughing out bowls sure does! I usually fill the garbage bin with shavings to it's capacity when that is possible, but usually there is room for more.......

......If there is more shavings than the bin can handle, there will be room for the rest, the following week.

I seldom rough-out more than one or two bowls in any given week.

ooc
 
Not in the garbage or landfill. I just pile the shavings on the slab outside the door and they disappear like magic. ---The wife is a gardener.

Charlie
 
Don't put shavings close to your house. Rain will bounce off the shavings and stain you siding, my buddy's wife did it and now there's little gray spots all over
the lower 2 row's of his siding.
 
There are two public schools in my town that have large compost tubs for all of the plant-based food scraps and meal discards. They are always willing to take the shavings off my hands.

My other route is my city's yard waste recycle bin.
 
Charlie M.

Hope you don't place Walnut shavings in the compose that your wife uses. It will kill the plants that it is put atound. :(

Gary
 
Charlie M.

Hope you don't place Walnut shavings in the compose that your wife uses. It will kill the plants that it is put atound. :( I feed mine the the big green trash can.

Gary
 
When I've been roughing a lot of blanks, I bag up all the shavings I can't use in the yard and take them to our local commercial composer. They like getting clean shavings, and allow you to dump them for free. They don't need to process them at all...
 
There are a couple of ceramic artists and studios here in Las Vegas. I bag up a lot of mine and give it to them to use in Raku firing and some other alternative firing methods. They love the wood shavings and dust. Wood shavings and straw are traditional materials used in this firing method. I usually just give them all that I have and tell them to pick something from one of the firings for payment.
 
Give them to people who keep livestock, with some restriction. If you're lucky, you get some back after they muck out the barn or the coop. Poop is the key to good wood composting, as it contains the excess nitrogen needed to do the job.

Nasty acid stuff like walnut or oak leachate helps control grass under the electric fence even after the wind has done its thing.
 
Burn them. I can't get the garbage people to pick them up unless I put them in very small bags. They say they weight too much although there guestimate of weight and mine vary hugely.
I can't take them to the local garbage area because they consider it industrial waste and want to charge me.
If I take them to the landfill it's 17 miles away. I don't have a garden and have too many shavings to use for fill on small holes in the yard.
We are supposed to get a burn permit but every time you call it's either too dry or too windy so I just gave up and burn them whenever I want. My neighbors all burn their leaves without calling either. I guess some day I may get a fine but I've been doing it now for 6 years with not problem.
I also do some flat work so I have a lot of scrap as well as the shavings so it wouldn't make good mulch anyway.
 
Can't burn huh?

john lucas said:
Burn them. I can't get the garbage people to pick them up unless I put them in very small bags. They say they weight too much although there guestimate of weight and mine vary hugely.
I can't take them to the local garbage area because they consider it industrial waste and want to charge me.
If I take them to the landfill it's 17 miles away. I don't have a garden and have too many shavings to use for fill on small holes in the yard.
We are supposed to get a burn permit but every time you call it's either too dry or too windy so I just gave up and burn them whenever I want. My neighbors all burn their leaves without calling either. I guess some day I may get a fine but I've been doing it now for 6 years with not problem.
I also do some flat work so I have a lot of scrap as well as the shavings so it wouldn't make good mulch anyway.
Click to expand...

I have the same problem with burning but my neighbors suck and called in on me.I bought a large charcoal grill and burn in it when the firemarshal came back he just shook his head and walked away.
 
Mark I'm having trouble lately with my dog rolling in the ashes. I think her skin itches and she thinks it might make her feel better. I looked out one day and thought I had a fire going with smoke rising like a huge cloud. A few seconds later the dog comes out of it smiling like crazy. She wasn't so happy when I gave her a bath.
Anyway I'm thinking about making a sort of fire pit with cinder blocks around. It will help contain the fire, keep wind from blowing it too much and maybe keep the dog out.
 
I also give a lot of mine to my wife's pottery friends for Raku firing. They have told me they got their best results ever. One even gave me a piece of pottery as a thanks. I don't give walnut or exotics though. Domestic hardwoods work well and seem to be safe. I put the rest down back in my yard waste pile to break down.
 
gary rock said:
Charlie M.

Hope you don't place Walnut shavings in the compose that your wife uses. It will kill the plants that it is put atound. :( I feed mine the the big green trash can.

Gary
Click to expand...

Fortunately the shavings are 95% mesquite. The remainder is things like pecan or pine.

Charlie M
 
if you give your shavings away to any people for animals, make sure that you do not have any walnut shaving in the bag that goes to horses, The walnut is very toxic for horses and it will kill the horses
 
Chickens Love Shavings

Find a friend or friend-to-be who raises chickens. They are talented compost mixers and provide large quantities of amelioration even for walnut waste. Chicken growers tend to either have a use for the resulting mixture or know someone who does. I bag my shavings daily in heavy-duty 40 gallon bags. The chicken people pick up the filled bags before they bother me.
 
I give all my shavings (including walnut) to my neighbor. He places them along trails in the woods behind his property. They do a great job of keeping the trail clear of weeds, and helping control dust.

The only down side, is when I use the trails, I occasionally spot scraps of sandpaper that I had dropped :)
 
Grafted carpathian trees

Bill Boehme said:
Wet or dry has nothing to do with the toxicity. See THIS INFORMATION from Ohio State University.
Click to expand...

I have 2 fairly large carpathian (one by deck is 14" in diameter and growing a burl I have kept my eye on!!!!) other BY GARDEN that is only 8 " in diameter, plus some 3 others that are 2" in diameter. How do you tell it is grafted to the Black walnut root, which is the culprit? ROB-are you out there??? Gretch
 
Grafted or not grafted carpathian walnut

Bill Boehme said:
Wet or dry has nothing to do with the toxicity. See THIS INFORMATION from Ohio State University.
Click to expand...

In the article, it said that some toxicity occurs if Carpathian is grafted to bk walnut.
I have a 15" diameter carpathian near the deck, another BY THE GARDEN that is 6-7" in diameter. It died once and resprouted from the bottom. I have 3 other 2" young carpathians about 50-60 feet from the gardens.
Question= How do you know it is grafted?????? (Rob , are you out there???). I also have several bk walnut trees. One that has just matured to have nuts is 50" from one garden. Others are in the horse pasture. 13-14" diameter. The horses don't chew the bark, nor "root in the ground" to get the roots, so I assume the horses and gardens are safe from the black walnuts. I have concerns for the carpathians near the garden, Gretch
 
I like the idea of a charcoal grill or Big Green Egg. Do you know anyone with a fireplace? I had thought of a small wood stove in the shop but don't have the room for it.
 
Gretch Flo said:
Question= How do you know it is grafted?????? (Rob , are you out there???). I also have several bk walnut trees. One that has just matured to have nuts is 50" from one garden. Others are in the horse pasture. 13-14" diameter. The horses don't chew the bark, nor "root in the ground" to get the roots, so I assume the horses and gardens are safe from the black walnuts. I have concerns for the carpathians near the garden, Gretch
Click to expand...

You look down at ground level. You'll see a distinct bulge and a change in bark texture. Unless you planted them too deep initially. Out in California, they love the contrast between the black rootstock and the Circassian. Premium stuff when it's cut right.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hQElX9EEQoI/TTvPaTKpWsI/AAAAAAAACDw/aR9cXwLTXtw/s640/DSC02998.JPG

Odds favor a graft. Even in England they graft to black roots for healthy trees.

The husks are loaded with juglone, so the horses may founder if you don't keep the ground pretty clear.
 
John Torchick said:
I like the idea of a charcoal grill or Big Green Egg. Do you know anyone with a fireplace? I had thought of a small wood stove in the shop but don't have the room for it.
Click to expand...

Yes and everyone wants it but nobody ever comes to take it. Plus my shop is not big enough to keep a bunch of scraps. Grill works great and I can make lunch while i"m cleaning up. :cool2:
 
Bill Boehme said:
Wet or dry has nothing to do with the toxicity. See THIS INFORMATION from Ohio State University.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this Bill. From the following however it would appear that the effect is diminished fairly soon by air, water & bacteria. A hobby farmer gets some of my shavings. To be safe I will burn my Butternut shavings. Ron.

Walnut leaves can be composted because the toxin breaks down when exposed to air, water and bacteria. The toxic effect can be degraded in two to four weeks. In soil, breakdown may take up to two months. Black walnut leaves may be composted separately, and the finished compost tested for toxicity by planting tomato seedlings in it. Sawdust mulch, fresh sawdust or chips from street tree prunings from black walnut are not suggested for plants sensitive to juglone, such as blueberry or other plants that are sensitive to juglone. However, composting of bark for a minimum of six months provides a safe mulch even for plants sensitive to juglone.
 
To paraphrase from Ed Zern: Other methods of f̶i̶s̶h̶ shavings disposal are (1) stuffing them in a corner mailbox when nobody is looking, (2) hiding them under potted palms, (3) checking them at the Union Depot and throwing away the check, (4) hurling them from fast-moving cars on lonely roads late at night, (5) mailing them to the Curator of the Museum of Natural History, requesting an identification of the species and giving a phoney name and return address, and (6) baiting walrus-traps with them.

None of these methods is satisfactory. (1) is probably illegal, (2), (3), (4), and (5) are in lousy taste, and (6) brings up the problem of walrus-disposal. Walrus-disposal makes f̶i̶s̶h̶ shavings-disposal seem like child's play.


In reality, I compost mine, including walnut, for about 6 months, turning occasionally. No dead plants so far..................
 
Our waste collection service provides a tall wheeled bin for yard clippings which are eventually turned into mulch by the company.

I deposit my shavings in this bin each week and off it goes for processing.

Regards,
Doug Olsen
 
Anyone worried about the toxicity of walnut is welcome to send me the material and I will be happy to dispose of it, as long as you send it before it becomes shavings. I'm especially interested in 4" spindle blanks. :D
 
I have done a lot of bowls these past few months and I just put the shavings into clear plastic bags for the mid week compostable material. As long as its in a clear bag they will pick it up rip open the bags and dump it out. I would generate a couple of bags per week. My boss told me next time I get some pecan to give them to him for bedding for his pet boa.
 
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