13 Things You Can Do With Sawdust

If there’s one thing I’ve produced more of than finished furniture over the past 50 years, it’s sawdust. And for most of us woodworkers, it just piles up, gets swept into a bag, and ends up in the trash. But sawdust is more useful than we often give it credit for.

Before I dive into the uses, it’s worth noting that not all sawdust is the same. What you sweep up in your shop is usually a mix of:

• Chips — coarser bits, like what you get from a router, planer, or jointer.
• Dust — the fine stuff that comes from your table saw, sanders, or band saw.
• Curls — (often called shavings) those beautiful, thin shavings that come from hand planing or sometimes from Forstner bits

Sometimes you can separate them if you have dedicated dust collection for different tools. Otherwise, you’ll likely have a mix. With that in mind, here are 13 real, practical ways to make the most of your sawdust.

1. Wood Filler

This is the most obvious one for woodworkers. I regularly save fine sawdust from specific woods—like walnut, teak, or oak—in labeled containers. To make filler, I run the sawdust through a cheap sieve to get rid of large chips, then either mix it with glue or press it into place with glue already applied. I prefer the second method: apply glue to the gap, rub in the sawdust with a finger, wipe the excess, let it dry, and sand it flush.

One important thing—don’t try to stain sawdust filler. The glue won’t take the stain like the dust will, so if you want it to match, start with sawdust from the same type of wood as the color you want to end up with. 

2. Fire Starters

I've been making these since I was a teenager heading out on camping trips. Pack sawdust into an ice cube tray and pour melted wax over it.

Old candles work perfectly fine for this. Let them harden, and you’ve got compact, slow-burning fire starters. They burn long enough to get your tinder going—just remember, they’re for starting the fire, not for igniting logs directly.

3. DIY Fireplace Logs

If you want to use up sawdust in bulk, this is a great method. Mix it 50/50 with shredded paper—newsprint works best—and just enough water to bind it all together. Stir until you’ve got a chunky paste, pour off any extra water, and pack it tightly into a mold. 

I use polyethylene containers because sawdust bricks won’t stick to them. Let it dry in the sun for a couple of days, and you’ve got a usable fire log.

4. Compost Material

Sawdust makes a great “brown material” in composting. It balances out the “greens” like kitchen scraps or grass clippings. You’ll want to build your pile in layers—green, brown, green, brown—keeping it moist and turning it now and then. It’ll eventually break down into rich soil. Just remember to keep your compost pile far from the house. It tends to smell while decomposing, but the worms and bacteria will do their job, making great fertilizer for your garden..

5. Mulch

For general landscaping use, sawdust—especially chips—works well as mulch. I put down a few inches of chips around trees, shrubs, and garden beds, then top it with commercial mulch to help keep it in place and improve appearance. Mulch helps retain soil moisture, insulates plant roots, and suppresses weed growth.

6. Weed Control

Wood chips layered in your garden beds help block sunlight and reduce weed growth. I use this trick in vegetable gardens, flower beds, and decorative borders. It’s a simple and effective way to recycle sawdust while saving time on weeding later.

7. Garden Paths and Slug Control

If you’ve got walking paths in your garden, a mix of sawdust chips and mulch creates a clean, weed-resistant path. Slugs also don’t like crawling over rough, dry material—so laying down chips can help keep them away from your plants. It’s not a guaranteed fix, but it’s one more natural line of defense.

8. Eco-Friendly Packaging

Curls from hand planing are beautiful and soft—perfect for packaging delicate items. I’ve used them to nestle gifts in a box, giving both a protective cushion and a rustic presentation. They absorb shock during shipping and look much nicer than plastic fillers or foam.

9. Animal Bedding

If you’ve got pets—rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs—or even larger animals like horses, sawdust and wood chips can be used as bedding. Chips work better than fine dust, which tends to fall through cage bottoms. I’ll often use whatever comes off the floor, curls and all, as long as it’s dry and clean.

10. Kitty Litter

It works the same way as animal bedding. Just scoop some sawdust into the litter box—it’s absorbent, it controls odor reasonably well, and it’s completely biodegradable. And no, your cat won’t complain. Mine never did.

11. Spill Absorption

Fine sawdust and chips are excellent for soaking up spills. Whether it’s oil in the garage or transmission fluid in the driveway, just toss a layer of sawdust over it. 

Once it’s absorbed the liquid, scoop it up and dispose of it. It’s a free alternative to commercial absorbent products, and it works just as well.

12. Drying Out Old Paint

You can’t legally toss liquid paint in the trash, but once it’s solid, it’s safe to throw out. To speed up the drying process, stir in as much sawdust as the can will hold. It absorbs the liquid and helps it harden faster, saving you from a long wait and a potential fine.

13. Ice Traction in Winter

If you live in a snowy region, sawdust can help prevent slips on icy driveways or sidewalks. It doesn’t melt ice like salt does, but it adds traction and absorbs water as the ice melts. Mix it with sand for even better grip. Just scatter it like you would any de-icer.

Final Thoughts

I still throw some of my sawdust away—but far less than I used to. Whether you're looking to recycle, save money, or just make better use of what’s already in your shop, these ideas are a great place to start.

And who knows—with enough of us doing it, maybe sawdust will finally get the respect it deserves.