Wood shavings are purposefully made and used as a secondary raw material for the production of veneers, fertilizers, fuels, as a filler for packaging and decorative material. Unlike sawdust and wood chips, this material is not a waste of the woodworking industry. Cutting waste is practically not used for the production of high-quality shavings, preference is given to the prepared source material - beams, boards, logs. In other cases, the associated results of wood processing and technological chips are used.
Differences from sawdust and wood chips
There are three types of shredded wood - shavings, wood chips and sawdust. The difference between them is not always obvious, therefore, in Russia GOSTs have been developed that draw a clear line and determine the differences between these materials. GOSTs are useful to the buyer when the technological process of manufacturing raw materials is not known. Sawdust is obtained by cutting wood, have a thickness of less than 1 mm, and a curl length of not more than 5 mm. Chips are chopping products with thick fragments. Wood shavings appear in the form of a long flat curl or needles, depending on the method of cutting the source material. Products are labeled according to GOST, since the price of different types of raw materials is different.
Types and characteristics of the material
Due to its qualities, chips have become widespread in many industries. The use of shavings in various fields is determined by its characteristics:
- environmental safety;
- light weight with a large volume and low moisture content;
- pleasant woody smell;
- low density;
- high strength when cutting along the fibers;
- low thermal conductivity;
- high burning temperature of individual wood species.
A shredded tree is classified according to several parameters and is divided into several types:
- in size - short, long and medium length;
- by tree species - oak, pine, beech, aspen, etc .;
- by the method of receipt - manual or on the machine.
Unlike wood chips and sawdust, the chips are dried, therefore, they contain the lowest moisture value and high calorific value. Additional parameters are the purity of the processing of chip material, the shape, density and strength of the curl.
Manual and industrial production
Chips are produced manually and mechanically, using special equipment. Manually the particles are cut with a knife, chisel or plane, but this type of manufacture is used only for the house and cottage, when the required volumes are small. When cutting, a fine fraction is formed with curled edges, the length of which depends on the selected tool.
Industrial production by hand is unacceptable, for this purpose machines for the production of wooden chips are intended. By purpose, there are chip and centrifugal machines that produce raw materials of various shapes. The latter produce needle shavings by dividing wood chips along the fibers for the manufacture of single-layer and multi-layer wood boards.
What is it used for?
With a lot of advantages, chips are used in industry, in summer cottages, in decorative work. Depending on the type, the raw materials are used:
- for the manufacture of fiberboard, chipboard, OSB and furniture veneer;
- as briquettes for solid fuel boilers;
- as a litter for cattle in animal husbandry, fertilizers on a seasonal dacha;
- for the production of heat-insulating and building materials;
- for packing fragile items;
- in distillation of alcohols;
- for decorative purposes in landscape design or in the manufacture of crafts.
Wood shavings are used in the cognac industry, giving alcohol a pleasant aroma and flavor when smoking meat and fish.
Chip building materials
Arbolite contains up to 80 - 90% of the organic material, which is fine shavings. The use of organics instead of chemical fillers reduces the cost of production of cement slabs. At the same time, wood concrete does not support combustion and has sufficient strength characteristics for the construction of buildings up to three floors high. Arbolite absorbs sound, while also acting as a sound insulating material.
Particleboard, fiberboard are used for interior decoration, have low strength, but are cheap. OSB boards are glued under pressure using waterproof resins; they are used for furniture parts, formwork during construction, as a basis for roofing light roofs and so on. Laminated chipboards, used for the manufacture of furniture elements, gained popularity.
Pressed chip heaters
Insulation from wood shavings is made in the form of blocks, plates, granules or is used in its pure form, in bulk. Suitable for insulation of walls, floors, roofs and ceilings and is common in private construction. A heater made of oak or larch has increased moisture resistance, unlike other species, and when mixed with chemical additives, its combustibility is reduced. Treatment with flame retardants and antiseptics can increase the service life of insulation materials from other types of wood.
Insulation from the chips, despite its cheapness, has disadvantages. This is the hygroscopicity of the material, susceptibility to decay. Insects and rodents start up in insulating blocks, and the material itself loses some of its properties over time. But until now, chip insulation is considered the most environmentally friendly material in its category.
Combustible material
Having high calorific value, coniferous wood shavings are used as fuel for heating boilers and fireplaces. The low cost and ease of manufacture, even at home, has made the use of fuel briquettes an alternative to wood, coal or diesel fuel.
When smoked, wood shavings act as a flavoring, giving meat and fish a special aroma and golden surface. Conifers are not used in smokehouses; fruit trees, oak and hornbeam are preferred.
Packaging and decorative material
Packaging materials are made of foam and wood shavings. The latter also carries a decorative role, since it looks attractive in a natural and colored form. The shavings for packing fragile items are narrow, long and thin, similar to matted straws. Other names for this filler are wood wool or hair. It is often used for gift wrapping of elite alcohol, New Year's sets, fruits and gingerbread, dishes.
Wooden shavings for packaging are combined with cardboard and wooden boxes of any shape, canvas bags, veneer tubes. Colored packing chips of different colors, which do not lose aromatic properties after processing, gained popularity. Using colored shavings, the stylistics of the gift is emphasized, it is used by companies to design original corporate sets. The environmental safety of the paint used allows the use of colored filler in the packaging of grocery gifts.
Decorative wood shavings are used for floristic purposes - when arranging bouquets and flower arrangements instead of sisal. In landscape design plays an important role in the design of the site, allowing you to simultaneously loosen the soil. Also, shavings are used to make various crafts, giving them their original shape and design.
Use of chips in the farm
In the summer cottage, shavings are used as fertilizer and for mulching the soil. In summer, a layer of chips retains moisture in the ground, preventing drying out, and mulching waste is used as fertilizer for plants. The remaining wood particles are disposed of naturally in the process of decay, forming a natural fertilizer.
Irreplaceable shavings in animal husbandry as bedding for livestock and poultry. The ability to absorb moisture allows you to keep rooms for animals dry and clean. For livestock purposes, shavings are made taking into account the size of the livestock and no resinous wood species are used.