Wood shavings are made by running a blade across the surface of a board or log, peeling off thin curls of material. You can do this with a simple hand plane on a single board or with a powered shaving machine that processes logs by the truckload. The method you choose depends entirely on how many shavings you need and what you plan to use them for.
Hand Plane: The Simplest Method
A hand plane is the most accessible tool for making wood shavings at home. You clamp or secure a board to a workbench, then push the plane along the grain. Each pass peels off a thin curl of wood. The thickness of each shaving depends on how far the blade extends below the sole of the plane.
For fine, wispy shavings, set the blade so it barely protrudes, and position the chip breaker (the small metal plate that sits on top of the blade) about 1/32 of an inch from the cutting edge. This setup forces the shaving to curl and break consistently, producing the classic ringlet shape. For thicker shavings suited to animal bedding or garden mulch, extend the blade further and back the chip breaker away from the edge. A few test passes on scrap wood will tell you if the depth is right.
The key to smooth, even shavings is a sharp blade. A dull plane tears the wood fibers instead of slicing them cleanly, producing ragged chunks rather than uniform curls. Sharpening takes only a few minutes with a whetstone, and it makes a dramatic difference in output quality. Softwoods like pine plane easily and produce large volumes of fluffy shavings quickly. Hardwoods like oak require more effort per pass but yield denser, longer-lasting shavings.
Drawknives and Spokeshaves
If you’re working with logs, branches, or irregular pieces rather than flat boards, a drawknife or spokeshave gives you more flexibility than a hand plane.
A drawknife is a wide blade with a handle on each end. You pull it toward your body while the workpiece is secured in a shaving horse or vise. Orientation matters: with the bevel facing down, the blade naturally rises out of the cut, which prevents you from gouging too deep. Flip it bevel-up and you can pare away very fine, controlled shavings, which is useful when you want consistent thin curls for crafts or packaging material.
A spokeshave works like a miniature hand plane and can be pushed or pulled. It leaves the same smooth finish as a hand plane, but its narrow sole makes it harder to keep steady on wide, flat surfaces. Where it excels is on curved or rounded pieces. It’s designed for fine shavings rather than aggressive material removal, so expect thinner output per stroke. Both tools take practice, but a drawknife will produce higher volumes of shavings faster if that’s your primary goal.
Power Tools for Larger Volumes
When you need shavings by the bag rather than the handful, power tools are the practical choice. A benchtop planer or thickness planer is the most common home workshop option. You feed a board into one end, and rotating blades shave the surface down to your desired thickness. The shavings collect in a dust port or pile up behind the machine. A single 6-foot pine board run through a planer multiple times can fill a large garbage bag with shavings in minutes.
For even larger quantities, dedicated wood shaving machines use a spinning drum fitted with multiple knives. Industrial models spin at around 4,500 RPM with six knives mounted on the drum, producing shavings between 1 and 5 millimeters thick. These machines can process whole logs or slabs and are designed for commercial bedding production. Smaller versions sized for farms or small businesses are available and connect to standard electrical outlets, though they still represent a significant investment compared to hand tools.
A less obvious option is a router or rotary tool with a flat-bottom bit, run across clamped boards. This method is slower and noisier than a planer, but if you already own the tool, it works in a pinch.
Shavings vs. Sawdust: Size Matters
Wood shavings and sawdust come from the same material but behave very differently. The distinction comes down to particle size. Sawdust is the fine powder produced by cutting through wood with a saw blade. Shavings are the larger curls produced by a blade skimming across the surface. In standardized testing, pine shavings typically have 65% or more of their particles larger than 6.3 millimeters, while sawdust concentrates below 1 to 2 millimeters.
This size difference has real consequences. Shavings allow air to circulate between the curls, which makes them better for animal bedding, composting, and moisture absorption. Sawdust packs tightly, holds moisture against surfaces, and produces significantly more dust when disturbed. If you’re making shavings for a chicken coop, horse stall, or garden path, aim for those larger, curly pieces rather than the fine stuff that collects in your table saw’s dust bag.
Choosing the Right Wood
Not all wood species are safe or suitable for every use. Pine and spruce are the most popular choices for animal bedding because they’re soft, absorbent, and widely available. Cedar shavings repel insects naturally, which makes them popular for dog beds and closet storage, though some animals are sensitive to the aromatic oils.
Black walnut is the one species you should actively avoid for animal use. Every part of the walnut tree contains a compound called juglone, which is toxic to horses and can cause laminitis, a painful and potentially crippling inflammation of the hoof tissue. Research published in the National Library of Medicine confirmed that juglone exposure caused laminitis signs in ponies and acute lung problems in horses given the compound intravenously. Even shavings mixed with a small percentage of black walnut can trigger a reaction. If you’re making shavings for livestock, know your wood source and avoid any walnut contamination.
For garden mulch, most untreated wood species work well. Avoid shavings from pressure-treated lumber, painted wood, or plywood, all of which contain chemicals you don’t want leaching into soil.
Tips for Better Output
- Work with the grain. Planing against the grain tears the fibers and produces ragged, splintery pieces instead of smooth curls. Look at the edge of your board to see which direction the grain runs, then plane “downhill.”
- Use dry wood. Green (freshly cut) wood produces heavier, wetter shavings that clump together and are prone to mold. Wood with a moisture content below 20% shaves more cleanly and dries faster if you’re stockpiling.
- Keep blades sharp. This applies to every method. Dull blades compress the wood fibers before cutting them, resulting in dust mixed in with your shavings and a rougher texture overall.
- Store shavings loosely. Packing shavings tightly into bags crushes the curls and reduces their absorbency. Store them in breathable containers or loosely filled bags in a dry area.