What to use to get chips for a specific purpose
The choice of wood for grinding directly depends on the subsequent use of the finished material. Therefore, we compiled a table in which we included:
- methods of application with links to relevant articles;
- requirements for the source material;
- grinding methods;
- the optimal size of the finished chips.
| Application | Type of source material | Optimal Breed | Condition of the original wood | Grinding method | Optimum size of chopped wood |
| Infusion of alcohol | Cut healthy trunks and branches, followed by removal of the bark | Oaky, fruity, depends on the type of alcohol and the desired effect | Freshly cut or aged for several months | Any | Any |
| Smoking | Cut healthy trunks and branches, scraps of untreated boards | Deciduous (depending on the smoked product) | Freshly cut or aged for several months | Any | Any |
| Heating | Cut trunks and branches, cutting boards, sawn and chopped firewood | Deciduous | Any | Any | Depends on the characteristics of the heater supply system |
| Wood concrete production | Cut healthy trunks and branches with subsequent removal of the bark, barked cuttings of boards | Coniferous (pine, spruce) | Laid 6–12 months | impact crusher | Length 10–40 mm, width 5–10 mm, thickness 0.5–2 mm. |
| Mulching is decorative | Any | Any | Any | Any | Any |
| Agrotechnical mulching | Any healthy | Any | Any | Any | Length 10–40 mm, width 5–10 mm, thickness 0.5–3 mm. |
What can be made from it
We have already talked about the different ways to use this type of wood waste in the article What can be made from wood chips.
Now we will talk about what type of chips is suitable or unsuitable for certain types of work and why:
- Jointing and milling waste - suitable for any application, therefore only breed and size are decisive.
- Waste from electric planers and jointers is versatile and therefore also suitable for any application.
- Waste from a hand mill - only suitable for the manufacture of various types of fuel.
- Waste from work with a hand planer and jointer - thin ones can be used to transport fragile items or get any kind of fuel, and large ones are suitable for smoking or crafts.
- Chipper processed product – suitable for any application.
- Wood wool - well suited for transporting fragile items and creating DSP.
Price
The cost of this product depends on:
- types of wood;
- volume;
- purity;
- the ratio of supply and demand.
An equally important factor is the volume, so the price per 1 kg when sold in bags will always be higher than when sold by trucks.
Another factor that affects the cost of the product is purity, that is, the absence of parts of the bark and leaves.
The ratio of supply and demand is very important, therefore, in cities and regions with a developed forestry and woodworking industry, the cost of shavings is always lower than where the supply of this product is minimal. We have prepared a table that includes the average cost of shavings in different cities of Russia:
We have prepared a table that includes the average cost of shavings in different cities of Russia:
| Town | Volume | Price in rubles | Minimum lot |
| Tyumen | Bag (50 l) | 40 | Bag |
| Krasnodar | Bag (50 l) | 100 | Bag |
| Moscow | 1 m3 | 1100 | 1 m3 |
| Moscow | Bag (240 l) | 379 | Bag |
| Tver | 1 m3 | 400 | Car |
| Saint Petersburg | Bag (14 kg) | 105 | Bag |
| Yekaterinburg | 1 m3 | 350 | Car |
Processing sawdust pallets
There are currently two basic options for the production of pallets:
- automated, using conveyors;
- assembly of pallets (pallets) manually;
Performing manual work when knocking down pallets based on pressed sawdust requires the use of specialized checkers or briquettes. It is they who become the basis for the future design.
When purchasing pallets, experts recommend giving preference to models made on automated lines. You can find out about pallet manufacturing, its dimensions, placement and materials in the following practical guide to choosing a pallet.
In such a situation, they maximally comply with the requirements of GOST in relation to:
- standard sizes (an article about pallet sizes);
- fastening technology, including automated execution, is guaranteed to allow, when driving a nail to connect individual elements, to sink its head;
The production of pallets based on the use of sawdust also implies a mandatory requirement for the use of a certain type of nails - driven nails. This also defines GOST.
The use of nails of this type becomes the provision of high-quality fastening in the body of an array of pressed sawdust due to the presence of specialized notches on the surface of the nail leg.
This makes the pallet as strong and reliable as possible, ensuring a high durability of its use.
The use of sawdust in the manufacture of pallets is an economical and environmentally friendly option for the manufacture of this type of warehouse equipment. As a rule, in such a situation, companies specializing in the production of sawdust pallets maintain close cooperation with sawmills. Such a tandem helps to make the most of all the waste that inevitably appears during wood processing.
When performing work in the field of pressing, two types of woodworking waste are most often used:
- chips;
- sawdust;
What wood chips are used in the manufacture of bars as the basis for pallets?
The order of application of the technological plate is determined by its parameters. It is the length that becomes the basis for the choice of wood chips for further pressing or its use as an alternative heat source in the operation of a CHP.
What sawdust is used in the manufacture of pallets?
The most successful type of sawdust for further pressing into briquettes is sawdust from needles and hardwoods. They are easy to process due to the structure of wood.
Products made from such sawdust are durable in operation due to reliability and, of course, the ability to withstand the negative effects of the environment, this type of pallet is minimally susceptible to decay and can be used both indoors and outdoors.
In particular, it is possible to use pallets for permanent storage of goods and cargo in open space.
Also in the production can be used materials such as:
- low-grade wood;
- grain waste;
- balance;
- sunflower husk;
- straw;
The manufacture of pallets from the listed materials is carried out using specialized equipment - a mini-granulator or a standard granulator.
In the production of finished material for the manufacture of these convenient and practical designs, it is optimal to use a mixture of materials of various types. The formation of single dies is carried out using a mini-press or a conventional press, depending on the scope of work.
What can fuel be made from?
To prepare chips, you can use only healthy wood of suitable species.
It is desirable that it be a large branch from the corresponding tree.
The board can be treated with antibiotics and other drugs that will negatively affect the taste and smell of the smoked product.
Chips from fresh wood can only be used as an additive to the main fuel, which is made from material that has aged for at least six months.
This is due to the fact that fermentation processes slowly occur in sawn or felled wood, so fresh material gives the smoked meat a very sharp, even unpleasant, taste and smell.
After that, the fuel can be used for smoking any products, however, it is advisable to pack it in linen bags and indicate on each type of wood.
If there are no branches of the required species, but there are ready-made boards, then you can use them. It should be taken into account that the boards can be treated with antibiotics and other substances that, when burned, will affect the smoked products.
It is worth using boards only if it is impossible to find wood of a suitable breed, including ready-made chips sold in stores.
Read more about the types of wood chips for smoking here.
Humus production
The transformation of sawdust into humus is a natural result of the work of various bacteria that break down cellulose into simple organic substances, as well as perform many other actions.
Therefore, the rate of obtaining humus, as well as its quality, directly depend on the conditions created for these bacteria.
In addition, the composition of the source material is very important - the processing of only one wood waste allows bacteria to make a good nutrient out of them, but does not supply the soil with substances and microelements necessary for plant growth.
The sawdust fertilizer production process starts under the following conditions:
- positive temperature and sufficient humidity;
- oxygen availability;
- the presence of a minimum number of bacteria.
For the vital activity of bifidobacteria, which break down cellulose into glucose and other substances, nitrogen is necessary, which they absorb from the air and the earth. The nitrogen contained in the air is not enough for the active activity of bacteria, so their activity is low.
You can increase it by adding:
- urea;
- land;
- dung or manure.
During the activity of bacteria, a lot of carbon dioxide is released, so the process of turning compost into humus should take place only in the open air.
In addition, bacteria that turn sawdust into humus release a lot of heat, so the process does not stop even at sub-zero temperatures.
However, when the temperature drops, the bacteria living in the outer layer of the compost heap slow down their work, so the decay process is less even.
But the high temperature inside the pile allows bacteria to convert the material in the outer layers of the pile as well.
In addition to processed cellulose and other organic matter, the compost should also contain inorganic substances, primarily calcium and phosphorus.
During the vital activity of bacteria, they mix with humus to the maximum and form compounds that are optimal for plant nutrition.
How to apply humus
In agriculture, humus, including sawdust, is used in various ways.
Completely prepared humus is scattered over the site and plowed up to mix with the ground. This method is most effective at the beginning or end of autumn.
During autumn and winter, humus and soil will mix, so that the plants will receive a more balanced diet. Ready-made humus can also be applied during spring plowing, but this method is less effective, because the soil will not have time to be saturated with humus and the plants will not receive a balanced diet.
You can also use compositions that have not had time to overheat.
If they are treated with agents that accelerate the growth of bacteria, then such compost can be applied after the collection of green manure, during autumn plowing.
During the winter, sawdust and other components will completely rot and mix with the soil.
Therefore, in the spring, the plants will receive the most balanced nutrition.
Fresh compost is applied to the soil only in three cases:
- its composition ensures rapid decay and is treated with drugs that accelerate the growth of bacteria;
- the field is left fallow;
- compost is used to heat planting material in pits and grooves.
In all other cases, fresh compost will reduce plant yields and may render the land unusable.
In gardens where the soil around the trees is not dug up or is dug up very rarely, ready-made humus is laid out around the trunk and watered abundantly.
The same method is used for fertilizing fields planted with currants, raspberries and other bushes.
How to grind wood at home
Wood chips can be made by hand or with the help of various mechanisms. For manual chopping, you will need a knife or an ax with which the wood is cut / chopped into chips of the desired size.
The disadvantage of this method is the extremely low productivity, as well as a rather high injury risk.
The only plus is the ability to give each chip the right size and shape. In addition, this method allows you to create chopped wood with a stable percentage of bark.
In the same way, you can make oak chips with your own hands - for example, for infusing drinks. Since it is required in a small amount, the manual method is quite suitable.
The second way is grinding with the help of any:
- wood chips;
- branch cutters;
- chipping machines;
- shredders;
- grinders.
More information about these devices, as well as the differences between them, can be found here:
- Additional equipment for chips.
- Machines for wood chips with their own hands.
- Chip cutter.
- Garden shredder.
Where to get at the minimum cost or for free
There are several ways to reduce the cost of purchasing chips:
- find a supplier with the lowest price;
- shift the delivery to the seller or manufacturer;
- find a chip manufacturer nearby and thereby reduce transport costs;
- often purchase wholesale lots;
- enter into long-term contracts.
Despite the fact that shavings are in demand, you can always find enterprises that, for various reasons, experience difficulties in marketing this type of waste.
Some are located far from processing plants, others have too little production to be of interest to large processors.
Still others have not yet managed to find permanent partners.
There are other reasons, so it is necessary to continue the search until the best option is found. And even after that, you should not abandon the search for new suppliers of chips or sawdust, because there is always a chance to find this product at a lower price, or even for free.
Another way to reduce the cost of shavings is to shift the transport costs onto the shoulders of the seller.
Woodworkers rarely make such concessions, so another way to reduce the cost of waste is to find a supplier nearby and thereby reduce transport costs.
Also, the cost is affected by the frequency of purchases and the volume of each batch of chips. After all, the more waste you take out at a time and the more often you come for them, the easier it is for the head of the enterprise to organize the logistics of storing and transporting this product.
Therefore, many business owners go to meet regular customers. who buy the product in bulk, and reduce the price of waste.
This applies to both ordinary shavings and wood wool, which is the result of processing unusable wood, and can also be completely free.
Long-term contracts are no less important, because they allow the management of the enterprise to determine in advance the optimal storage locations and the logistics of moving waste around the territory of the enterprise.
However, all these rules are applicable only where there is an excess of waste and there are difficulties with its disposal. If there is a great demand for shavings, then the management of the enterprise gives it to the one who offers a higher price.
