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Plane shavings

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Steve Turner

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Nov 8, 2009, 11:26:03 AM11/8/09
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Do you guys do anything special with your old hand plane shavings (other than throwing them
away)? I collect 'em up in a bucket or box, then use them as kindling in my barbecue, or
sometimes for packing material, especially if it's a gift I've made in the woodworking shop.

--
"Our beer goes through thousands of quality Czechs every day."
(From a Shiner Bock billboard I saw in Austin some years ago)
To reply, eat the taco.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/

John Grossbohlin

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Nov 8, 2009, 12:14:27 PM11/8/09
to

"Steve Turner" <bbqb...@swtacobell.net> wrote in message
news:hd6rel$lto$1...@news.eternal-september.org...

I leave 'em on the floor for a while to polish the floor. Then it's off the
compost pile. The long shavings clog up the impeller on my dust collector so
I stopped sucking them up and use a broom instead...

John

nailsh...@aol.com

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Nov 8, 2009, 2:22:51 PM11/8/09
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With walnut shavings as with all juglans, I toss them. At the price
of walnut around here though, that usually isn't a problem.

If they are planer shavings, I save cherry, oak and maple for grilling
flavor or for a short barbecue. End pieces, small drops, etc. all go
into the BBQ pile as smoking wood.

It there is a lot of shavings, I use them for compost in my herb
garden, or with a bunch I try to get them on my tomatoes as compost.

If it is sawdust from the saw, I save as much as possible for
refinishing work. For the old fashioned method of using he sawdust as
a mild abrasive, cleaner, and liquid absorbent good sawdust from a saw
can't be beat.

Robert

Mark & Juanita

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Nov 8, 2009, 8:59:50 PM11/8/09
to
John Grossbohlin wrote:

You too? I've run into the same thing, the shavings are so thin they are
sucked through the cyclone and catch on the impeller inlet grid.

--

There is never a situation where having more rounds is a disadvantage

Rob Leatham

Jeff Gorman

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Nov 9, 2009, 3:41:26 AM11/9/09
to

"Steve Turner" <bbqb...@swtacobell.net> wrote

> Do you guys do anything special with your old hand plane shavings (other
> than throwing them away)?

There'a a fairly complete list of folk's ideas on my webiste at:

http://tinyurl.com/bwlxby

Have fun!

Jeff

--
Jeff Gorman, West Yorkshire, UK
email : Username is amgron
ISP is clara.co.uk
www.amgron.clara.net


diggerop

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Nov 9, 2009, 6:12:25 AM11/9/09
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"Steve Turner" <bbqb...@swtacobell.net> wrote in message
news:hd6rel$lto$1...@news.eternal-september.org...


My better half is an avid gardener and happily takes care of all the plane
shavings and sawdust that comes from my workshop. Most gets spread around as
mulch and gets treated with nitrogen, with some going into the compost bins
along with other materials for more rapid breakdown. ( She has a commercial
type mulching machine which shreds the ever increasing green wastes from her
gardens.) As a result, the level of our block is slowly being built up, -
in another ten years, we might be overlooking our neighbors from the garden.
; )

diggerop

Larry Jaques

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Nov 9, 2009, 11:25:44 AM11/9/09
to
On Mon, 9 Nov 2009 08:41:26 -0000, the infamous "Jeff Gorman"
<seet...@below.net> scrawled the following:

>
>"Steve Turner" <bbqb...@swtacobell.net> wrote
>
>> Do you guys do anything special with your old hand plane shavings (other
>> than throwing them away)?
>
>There'a a fairly complete list of folk's ideas on my webiste at:
>
>http://tinyurl.com/bwlxby
>
>Have fun!

Good one, Jeff. Frank Klausz calls 'em "Hungarian paper towels."

--------------------------------------------
Proud (occasional) maker of Hungarian Paper Towels
======================================================

Phisherman

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Nov 9, 2009, 3:58:44 PM11/9/09
to
On Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:26:03 -0600, Steve Turner
<bbqb...@swtacobell.net> wrote:

>Do you guys do anything special with your old hand plane shavings (other than throwing them
>away)? I collect 'em up in a bucket or box, then use them as kindling in my barbecue, or
>sometimes for packing material, especially if it's a gift I've made in the woodworking shop.


Some go to the compost pile after sitting on the ground for 6 months.
Aged, it makes perfect blueberry bush mulch. I've used to cover
muddy areas in the backyard or isles in the garden. I've got a few
extra-large hickory trees and use the dead branches for BBQs.

John Grossbohlin

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Nov 10, 2009, 10:34:59 PM11/10/09
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark & Juanita" <nos...@hadenough.com>
Newsgroups: rec.woodworking
Sent: Sunday, November 08, 2009 8:59 PM
Subject: Re: Plane shavings


> John Grossbohlin wrote:
>
>>
>> "Steve Turner" <bbqb...@swtacobell.net> wrote in message
>> news:hd6rel$lto$1...@news.eternal-september.org...

>>> Do you guys do anything special with your old hand plane shavings (other
>>> than throwing them away)? I collect 'em up in a bucket or box, then use
>>> them as kindling in my barbecue, or sometimes for packing material,
>>> especially if it's a gift I've made in the woodworking shop.
>>>

>>> --
>>> "Our beer goes through thousands of quality Czechs every day."
>>> (From a Shiner Bock billboard I saw in Austin some years ago)
>>> To reply, eat the taco.
>>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/
>>

>> I leave 'em on the floor for a while to polish the floor. Then it's off
>> the compost pile. The long shavings clog up the impeller on my dust
>> collector
>
> You too? I've run into the same thing, the shavings are so thin they are
> sucked through the cyclone and catch on the impeller inlet grid.

Yup.... It took me a while to figure out why my dust collector wasn't
sucking well any more... thought I had a clog in the spiral pipe somewhere
and ran snakes through with no affect. I finally pulled the inlet off the
impeller housing and it was snarled up like a rat's nest. I didn't expect
anything to get past the collection barrel so it didn't occur to me to look
there until last. ;~)

John

Puckdropper at dot

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Nov 11, 2009, 2:41:36 AM11/11/09
to
"John Grossbohlin" <grossbo...@nospam.earthlink.net> wrote in
news:T8WdnZcPoKp5rWfX...@earthlink.com:

>
> Yup.... It took me a while to figure out why my dust collector wasn't
> sucking well any more... thought I had a clog in the spiral pipe
> somewhere and ran snakes through with no affect. I finally pulled the
> inlet off the impeller housing and it was snarled up like a rat's
> nest. I didn't expect anything to get past the collection barrel so it
> didn't occur to me to look there until last. ;~)
>
> John
>

What kind of snakes do you use to unclog your pipes? Did it take them long
to respond to the flute?

"Not only is the rattler in the corner for small rodent control, he also
keeps my dust collection clear!"

Puckdropper
--
It could be a cartoon, couldn't it?

John Grossbohlin

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Nov 11, 2009, 6:30:29 PM11/11/09
to

"Puckdropper" <puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com> wrote in message
news:00763f78$0$23820$c3e...@news.astraweb.com...

> "John Grossbohlin" <grossbo...@nospam.earthlink.net> wrote in
> news:T8WdnZcPoKp5rWfX...@earthlink.com:
>
>>
>> Yup.... It took me a while to figure out why my dust collector wasn't
>> sucking well any more... thought I had a clog in the spiral pipe
>> somewhere and ran snakes through with no affect. I finally pulled the
>> inlet off the impeller housing and it was snarled up like a rat's
>> nest. I didn't expect anything to get past the collection barrel so it
>> didn't occur to me to look there until last. ;~)
>>
>> John
>>
>
> What kind of snakes do you use to unclog your pipes? Did it take them
> long
> to respond to the flute?

50' manual drain snake... generally obey's hand commands but sometimes takes
it's own path. No flute needed. ;~)

John


Mark & Juanita

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Nov 12, 2009, 1:12:21 AM11/12/09
to
John Grossbohlin wrote:

We must have the same shop and follow the same troubleshooting
methods. :-( Now, whenever the system starts behaving poorly, I go to the
impeller inlet first.

diggerop

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Nov 12, 2009, 6:38:21 AM11/12/09
to
"Mark & Juanita" <nos...@hadenough.com> wrote in message
news:aNadncCnGrjYOmbX...@supernews.com...


Me too. My DC also had a grate across the inlet protecting the impeller,
which was where my blockages occurred. - even with planer chips on occasion.
I cut that out and its been trouble free ever since. I probably should make
a collector drop bin and situate it in the line before the impeller to take
out the heavier stuff. (Should won't necessarily eventuate in will) It
would prolong the life of the impeller significantly.

diggerop

Larry Jaques

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Nov 12, 2009, 2:01:35 PM11/12/09
to
On Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:12:21 -0700, the infamous Mark & Juanita
<nos...@hadenough.com> scrawled the following:

I'd stick some fiberglass screening over the impeller intake/collector
outlet so it didn't happen again. At the first sign of problem, I'd
empty the snaky shavings out of the collector and continue on.

What'll you do? ;)

--
You know, in about 40 years, we'll have literally thousands of
OLD LADIES running around with TATTOOS, and Rap Music will be
the Golden Oldies. Now that's SCARY! --Maxine

Mark & Juanita

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Nov 12, 2009, 10:58:05 PM11/12/09
to
diggerop wrote:

> "Mark & Juanita" <nos...@hadenough.com> wrote in message
> news:aNadncCnGrjYOmbX...@supernews.com...
>> John Grossbohlin wrote:

... snip


>>>>>
>>>>> I leave 'em on the floor for a while to polish the floor. Then it's
>>>>> off the compost pile. The long shavings clog up the impeller on my
>>>>> dust collector
>>>>
>>>> You too? I've run into the same thing, the shavings are so thin they
>>>> are
>>>> sucked through the cyclone and catch on the impeller inlet grid.
>>>
>>> Yup.... It took me a while to figure out why my dust collector wasn't
>>> sucking well any more... thought I had a clog in the spiral pipe
>>> somewhere
>>> and ran snakes through with no affect. I finally pulled the inlet off
>>> the impeller housing and it was snarled up like a rat's nest. I didn't
>>> expect anything to get past the collection barrel so it didn't occur to
>>> me to look there until last. ;~)
>>>
>>> John
>>
>> We must have the same shop and follow the same troubleshooting
>> methods. :-( Now, whenever the system starts behaving poorly, I go to
>> the
>> impeller inlet first.
>>
>
>
> Me too. My DC also had a grate across the inlet protecting the impeller,
> which was where my blockages occurred. - even with planer chips on
> occasion. I cut that out and its been trouble free ever since. I probably
> should make a collector drop bin and situate it in the line before the
> impeller to take
> out the heavier stuff.

I've got a cyclone, the plane shavings are light enough that they don't
fall out into the cyclone, but get carried directly to the dust collector.
Get the right length and orientation and they plug up the grate like you
said.

> (Should won't necessarily eventuate in will) It
> would prolong the life of the impeller significantly.
>
> diggerop

--

Mark & Juanita

unread,
Nov 12, 2009, 11:00:25 PM11/12/09
to
Larry Jaques wrote:

... snip


>
> I'd stick some fiberglass screening over the impeller intake/collector
> outlet so it didn't happen again. At the first sign of problem, I'd
> empty the snaky shavings out of the collector and continue on.
>
> What'll you do? ;)
>

First sign of trouble, I go directly to the impeller inlet. Not sure what
the fiberglass screening would do for me, I'm not seeing it.

> --
> You know, in about 40 years, we'll have literally thousands of
> OLD LADIES running around with TATTOOS, and Rap Music will be
> the Golden Oldies. Now that's SCARY! --Maxine

Oh my, now that's a visual I'm not sure I needed. Sagging tattoos and
wrinkly rappers. Blecch!

John Grossbohlin

unread,
Nov 13, 2009, 9:21:56 AM11/13/09
to

"Mark & Juanita" <nos...@hadenough.com> wrote in message
news:vMqdnVAvD5HTRGHX...@supernews.com...

Yup, the plane shavings just float in the airstream... The longer and
thicker the shavings the less of a problem this seems to be. However, to
borrow a phrase from Steve Knight, "light fluffy shavings" sail right
through and get snarled on the impeller. Maybe I need to do a proper
sharpening on the impeller blades so they get chopped up.... that ragged
grinder edge just seems to snag the shavings instead of slice them up. Now
there's a new thread for sure... sharpening impeller blades! Look for it!
LOL

Chips of low density woods like air dried white pine, from very light cuts
on the jointer or thickness planer, tend to float through my cyclone barrel
too and end up in the filter bag.


J. Clarke

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Nov 13, 2009, 9:43:31 AM11/13/09
to

Do you have a real cyclone or just one of those barrel thingies? I've never
had shaving of any kind or even much dust go into the filters on my cyclone.

Larry Jaques

unread,
Nov 13, 2009, 4:24:53 PM11/13/09
to
On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:00:25 -0700, the infamous Mark & Juanita
<nos...@hadenough.com> scrawled the following:

>Larry Jaques wrote:


>
>... snip
>>
>> I'd stick some fiberglass screening over the impeller intake/collector
>> outlet so it didn't happen again. At the first sign of problem, I'd
>> empty the snaky shavings out of the collector and continue on.
>>
>> What'll you do? ;)
>>
>
> First sign of trouble, I go directly to the impeller inlet. Not sure what
>the fiberglass screening would do for me, I'm not seeing it.

Screen the outlet from the cyclone. It'll keep the 1-molecule-thick
shavings in the can, not in your impeller.


>> You know, in about 40 years, we'll have literally thousands of
>> OLD LADIES running around with TATTOOS, and Rap Music will be
>> the Golden Oldies. Now that's SCARY! --Maxine
>
> Oh my, now that's a visual I'm not sure I needed. Sagging tattoos and
>wrinkly rappers. Blecch!

Like she said, SCARY!

Mark & Juanita

unread,
Nov 14, 2009, 12:34:47 AM11/14/09
to
J. Clarke wrote:

> John Grossbohlin wrote:
>> "Mark & Juanita" <nos...@hadenough.com> wrote in message
>> news:vMqdnVAvD5HTRGHX...@supernews.com...
>>> diggerop wrote:
>>>
>>>> "Mark & Juanita" <nos...@hadenough.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:aNadncCnGrjYOmbX...@supernews.com...
>>>>> John Grossbohlin wrote:
>>> ... snip

... snip


>>>>
>>>> Me too. My DC also had a grate across the inlet protecting the
>>>> impeller, which was where my blockages occurred. - even with planer
>>>> chips on occasion. I cut that out and its been trouble free ever
>>>> since. I probably should make a collector drop bin and situate it
>>>> in the line before the impeller to take
>>>> out the heavier stuff.
>>>
>>> I've got a cyclone, the plane shavings are light enough that they
>>> don't fall out into the cyclone, but get carried directly to the
>>> dust collector. Get the right length and orientation and they plug
>>> up the grate like you said.
>>
>> Yup, the plane shavings just float in the airstream... The longer and
>> thicker the shavings the less of a problem this seems to be. However,
>> to borrow a phrase from Steve Knight, "light fluffy shavings" sail
>> right through and get snarled on the impeller. Maybe I need to do a
>> proper sharpening on the impeller blades so they get chopped up....
>> that ragged grinder edge just seems to snag the shavings instead of
>> slice them up. Now there's a new thread for sure... sharpening
>> impeller blades! Look for it! LOL

Mine don't get to the impeller, they get stuck on the grate into the
impeller making the DC lose suction.

>>
>> Chips of low density woods like air dried white pine, from very light
>> cuts on the jointer or thickness planer, tend to float through my
>> cyclone barrel too and end up in the filter bag.
>
> Do you have a real cyclone or just one of those barrel thingies? I've
> never had shaving of any kind or even much dust go into the filters on my
> cyclone.

Oops, sorry about that, I had forgotten about *real* cyclones. No, I have
one of the trash-can plastic cover things. It gets most planer, jointer
and table saw waste. Only the really lightweight stuff gets into the dust
bags.

Mark & Juanita

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Nov 14, 2009, 12:37:01 AM11/14/09
to
Larry Jaques wrote:

> On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:00:25 -0700, the infamous Mark & Juanita
> <nos...@hadenough.com> scrawled the following:
>
>>Larry Jaques wrote:
>>
>>... snip
>>>
>>> I'd stick some fiberglass screening over the impeller intake/collector
>>> outlet so it didn't happen again. At the first sign of problem, I'd
>>> empty the snaky shavings out of the collector and continue on.
>>>
>>> What'll you do? ;)
>>>
>>
>> First sign of trouble, I go directly to the impeller inlet. Not sure
>> what
>>the fiberglass screening would do for me, I'm not seeing it.
>
> Screen the outlet from the cyclone. It'll keep the 1-molecule-thick
> shavings in the can, not in your impeller.
>

Ah, got it. I've got a grate going into the impeller, pretty course
spacing, but I've never had the impeller plug, all the bad stuff catches on
the grate. That's when I see the suction drop to unusable. First time it
happened, I thought the DC was going bad.

Larry Jaques

unread,
Nov 14, 2009, 8:37:15 AM11/14/09
to
On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:37:01 -0700, the infamous Mark & Juanita
<nos...@hadenough.com> scrawled the following:

>Larry Jaques wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:00:25 -0700, the infamous Mark & Juanita
>> <nos...@hadenough.com> scrawled the following:
>>
>>>Larry Jaques wrote:
>>>
>>>... snip
>>>>
>>>> I'd stick some fiberglass screening over the impeller intake/collector
>>>> outlet so it didn't happen again. At the first sign of problem, I'd
>>>> empty the snaky shavings out of the collector and continue on.
>>>>
>>>> What'll you do? ;)
>>>>
>>>
>>> First sign of trouble, I go directly to the impeller inlet. Not sure
>>> what
>>>the fiberglass screening would do for me, I'm not seeing it.
>>
>> Screen the outlet from the cyclone. It'll keep the 1-molecule-thick
>> shavings in the can, not in your impeller.
>>
>
> Ah, got it. I've got a grate going into the impeller, pretty course

Uh, y'mean "coarse"? </English Teacher>


>spacing, but I've never had the impeller plug, all the bad stuff catches on
>the grate. That's when I see the suction drop to unusable. First time it
>happened, I thought the DC was going bad.

Scary feeling, isn't it? Now you just roll the trashcan up to the DC
can and remove the big stuff, huh?


--
When we are planning for posterity,
we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary.
-- Thomas Paine

Mark & Juanita

unread,
Nov 14, 2009, 9:28:48 PM11/14/09
to
Larry Jaques wrote:

> On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:37:01 -0700, the infamous Mark & Juanita
> <nos...@hadenough.com> scrawled the following:
>
>>Larry Jaques wrote:
>>
>>> On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:00:25 -0700, the infamous Mark & Juanita
>>> <nos...@hadenough.com> scrawled the following:
>>>
>>>>Larry Jaques wrote:
>>>>
>>>>... snip
>>>>>
>>>>> I'd stick some fiberglass screening over the impeller intake/collector
>>>>> outlet so it didn't happen again. At the first sign of problem, I'd
>>>>> empty the snaky shavings out of the collector and continue on.
>>>>>
>>>>> What'll you do? ;)
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> First sign of trouble, I go directly to the impeller inlet. Not sure
>>>> what
>>>>the fiberglass screening would do for me, I'm not seeing it.
>>>
>>> Screen the outlet from the cyclone. It'll keep the 1-molecule-thick
>>> shavings in the can, not in your impeller.
>>>
>>
>> Ah, got it. I've got a grate going into the impeller, pretty course
>
> Uh, y'mean "coarse"? </English Teacher>
>

Yeah, dat's what I meant. [Pretty surprised I didn't catch that before
hitting send]

>
>>spacing, but I've never had the impeller plug, all the bad stuff catches
>>on
>>the grate. That's when I see the suction drop to unusable. First time it
>>happened, I thought the DC was going bad.
>
> Scary feeling, isn't it? Now you just roll the trashcan up to the DC
> can and remove the big stuff, huh?
>

Doesn't even take the trash can -- I'll bet the blockages don't even
weight 5 oz. Just a few long, light plane shavings covering the [coarse]
impeller grate blocking 90% of the air going through.

>
> --
> When we are planning for posterity,
> we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary.
> -- Thomas Paine

--

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