> I just got done ripping the shear clamps for my Chessie 17 LT, and have a
> quick question:

> What is the difference between wood flour and the saw dust sitting on my
> basement floor? Can I save this and use it to thicken the epoxy for the
> fillets?

> Bill Jankowski

Wood flour and sawdust are the same product, but different size. If you have a plastic bag loosely filled with floorsweepings (sawdust) and you shake this up, the bigger pieces will separate from the smaller ones. use the smallest particles as wood flour. Actually, you might get quite a bit from sweeping your walls and ceilings. The finest sawdust gets airborne easily!

Coarser sawdust works just fine as a filler when making material for fillets, or for filling large gaps. Finer wood flour fits into those smaller gaps that a chip of sawdust would merely bridge.

You'll get finer wood dust from sanding operations than from sawing operations. If you have some sort of dust collection system on your sander, save the material that acumulates. I can recommend belt sanders as wonderful providers of wood flour.

Hope this helps.

Paul G. Jacobson