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[VAN DELL JORDAN <vdjor AT yahoo.com>]

--- On Mon, 10/27/08, Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com> wrote:

> 
> I am pondering homemade insulation. Sawdust is abundant and
> cheap. It  
> would seem good if it were very dry and if it were
> contained within a  
> fire-resistant wall structure. Would also need tight vapor
> barrier to  
> keep it dry and perfect caulking to keep bugs out.
> 

Sawdust was the insulation used in ice houses.  My granduncle told me about 
harvesting ice and putting it in sawdust in the ice house, the foundation was 
still there when I was a kid.  They used the ice in a homemade ice box, and 
of course ice cream freezers.  My brother still has the ice box it was made 
with tongue and grove beadboard and the inside was lined with sheet zinc.
I've wondered about saving Styrofoam maybe grinding into pellets and using 
that for insulation?
Van Dell