How to use all of this sawdust?

[beenthere]

I'd get a PTO pellet mill and convert the sawdust to wood pellets.

Me thinks you have no idea what you are suggesting. But if you tried it, as many many others have done, you would quickly change your mind.

 

[beenthere]

Use mostly redwood chips…

is there a rate for redwood?

If by redwood chips, you mean coastal redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), then the chips would deteriorate as slow or slower than the red cedar.

 

[beenthere]

And horses, too.

Horses can get laminitis from walnut chips..

 

[beenthere]

Sawdust is a known carcinogen, so wear a mask or other respiratory gear when moving it.

Known to who? Maybe more of the California hype that label everything as carcinogenic.

 

[miscjames]

I would fill the gravel pit up as much as it will take. And get you some mushroom spores. (Go talk to your local mushroom shop.) The mushrooms would turn that sawdust into good usable soil in just a few years. Google growing mushrooms in sawdust. you probably could just bury some rotten logs as you go that have mushrooms on them as they would have the spores already in them. (Mushrooms are like the flowers on a plant).

I would also have a place to dump all your organic waste. Start a small section on the side to dump food scraps and add composting worms the two piles will start to work together. And all the seeds from things like squash that your normally toss in the trash will start to sprout. Uncle jims runs specials on worms all the time. In other words make nature work for you. What ever you do keep us posted.

Uncle Jim's Worm Farm

Over 40 years of Red Wigglers Worm Composting experience. We sell live red wiggler worms, worm composting bins and other vermicomposting supplies.

unclejimswormfarm.com

 

[RalphVa]

I have a friend that works at a hardwood lumber mill. He is giving me all the sawdust I want if I will haul it off. I’m thinking of hauling it to an old gravel pit that was stripped of top soil long ago. I have a 15 yard dump truck so thinking of hauling 30-40 loads. Maybe dumping it and spreading it about 4” deep. Would this help the gravel pit eventually be able to grow weeds and grass?

Just needs water and nitrogen to break down into compost. Because it is so fine, it will form compost rather quickly. I'd use some dried chicken or cow manure or dried blood. Could use straight Urea. It would likely have less salt base than regular chemical fert.

I found my spreadsheet where I did it. For 16 cu. ft. or 274 # of sawdust, it takes 4 # of nitrogen. I apparently did not compute the water needed: just watered it until soaked. Broke down into compost short of a month. Whereas, normal wood chips and kitchen leavings takes about 6 months or so.

 

[Raul-02]

Me thinks you have no idea what you are suggesting. But if you tried it, as many many others have done, you would quickly change your mind.

Never heard of a pto pellet mill so I looked it up
Saw a bunch of videos where the things trickled pellets a few at a time - didn't seem worth the money for the mill - then I saw this one

 

[ultrarunner]

There must be different kinds because all pellets can't be made this slow?

A retired guy outside Olympia takes free sawdust and sells pellets... only bought once because home now rented buy he sells all he makes .. mostly because buyers able to automate wood heating when using pellets.

 

[newbury]

I have a friend that works at a hardwood lumber mill. He is giving me all the sawdust I want if I will haul it off. I’m thinking of hauling it to an old gravel pit that was stripped of top soil long ago. I have a 15 yard dump truck so thinking of hauling 30-40 loads. Maybe dumping it and spreading it about 4” deep. Would this help the gravel pit eventually be able to grow weeds and grass?

I've been following this thread for a bit.
To summarize
unlimited hardwood sawdust
NO KNOWN LOCATION

Location and hardwood type matters.
Location would give us some idea of decomposition rate. Also maybe type. Hardwood just means a broad-leaved dicotyledonous tree. In the US that could range form trees like chestnut (janka hardness (JA) of 540 to mesquite (JA 2345).
Harder sawdust rots slower.
Unless the OP has more info it seems a DOCUMENTED WITH PICS of a 4" dump would "get er done" and be very helpful.

 

[BoylermanCT]

Me thinks you have no idea what you are suggesting. But if you tried it, as many many others have done, you would quickly change your mind.

I have no experience, but know of a furniture / cabinet shop near me that converts all their saw dust to pellets and uses it to heat the shop. So I know it can be done. What's the catch?