Weight of Sawdust from Several Southern Appalachian Wood Species

To increase sawdust utilization, basic information on weight-volume relationships is needed. The objective of this study was to determine the weight of sawdust from various Southern Appalachian wood species at different moisture contents and under three degrees of compaction. The species studied were red oak, white pine, shortleaf pine, and red maple. The sawdust came from a circular sawmill which debarks its logs and uses an inserted tooth saw with Hoe BF-9-9/32-inch teeth. Sawdust was collected by three different degrees of compaction: light, shaken, and packed. Packed represented tamping the sawdust firmly in a steel drum at regular intervals with a mall. The weight of sawdust per unit of volume changes greatly with degree of compaction at all moisture content levels. At the 10-percent moisture content level, a cubic foot of red oak sawdust weighs about 12 lbs when compacted lightly, 15 lbs. when compacted by shaking, and 17 lbs when densely packed. The relationship of sawdust, weight per unit volume and wood moisture content is presented in a chart and calculated sawdust weights in lbs./cu.ft. at selected moisture contents are tabulated.

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