Drowning in 'shorts' (e.g. Wood scraps)

[Tom Lange]

I just hauled 4 trash cans full of wood scraps ... shorts mainly less than 2' ... to the street. They are mostly domestic hardwoods from several years of flat work that had just built up to the point I could not store them anymore. It just killed me! I must be a wood hoarder. Anyway, all the fire pit people can pick through it and the rest will go to the dump.

What do you guys do with them? I just don't know enough picture framers, toy makers, pen turners etc. Is there a better way to get 'scrap generators' hooked up with 'scrap recyclers' ? (other than fire wood which I get). Because I will another 4 cans in a few yrs...
Tom

[Dick Mahany]

Check with your local turning clubs for the guys who do segmented work. I can't believe what these guys produce from off cuts that flatworkers would consider scrap. In my part of the country, even domestic hardwood can break the bank, so I understand not wanting to part with it, but at some time it has to go. I have also seen some very cool end grain cutting boards built out of short scraps. Might be time to try a few.

[Todd Burch]

Another 4 cans in a few "years"!!! OMG. I was throwing away two cans a week at some points last year.

Try giving it away on CL. I tried emailing folks in my old neighborhood, and no one wanted it either. I burned tons of it too.

Todd

[Alan Bienlein]

Burn them and not even think twice about it any more. Of course mine are gone as soon as the job or project is finished. This is in my personal shop.

I work in a shop now that has every vertical and horizontal surface filled with shorts they won't throw out and all they do is gather dust and cause a tripping hazard.

[Jeff Erbele]

I would love to have your "shorts", hardwood in nature only though.

I'll glue'm and turn'm if nothing else.

Now we just need to figure out an economical way to get them to Denver, and for that there are solutions.

[Larry Edgerton]

I have a wood furnace.

I just went through my shop and came up with enough white oak shorts to build all the drawers in my kitchen. Could not do it that way when I need to compete as it takes so long, but for my own house, no pressure. I found enough poplar for all the face frames, Jatoba for drawer panels, teak for countertop edges, zebrawood for the same in the bath, and cocabolo for the drawer pulls. I built my basement stairs out of framing shorts I saved, most of my extension jambs were rips off of jobs, door sills and transitions were saved white oak from stairs somewhere in the past. And so on.....

See, you just need to build a new house for yourself.........

Larry

[Brian Tymchak]

You are located right around Cincinnati? I'm sure there are woodworking clubs that make toys etc and they might be able to use them. I googled up this club (no affiliation): http://cincinnatiwoodworkingclub.org/

There might be, actually probably are, others in your area.

[Tom Lange]

Alan, you are so right... The darn things seem to multiply like rabbits and you never have one wide enough, thick enough or long enough. So, you end up wasting a bunch of time sorting through it all with no success. I just need to get rid of them as soon as the project is out the door. Maybe I will try the turning or toy clubs in town...
Thanks for reassuring me I was not nuts.
tom

[Tom Lange]

Thanks, I will do that.
tom

[Steve Rozmiarek]

My approach is to fill a couple trash cans, then switch shops. Probably the hard way to force a cleanout, but it works!

[Brian W Smith]

Depending on where you live,look into finding a frame shop.You might be able to sell them some,easy-peasy(for you to make)profile?Finished or un-finished....whichever works best for you.Sell them random lengths.See if they have any old equipment they'd trade for.Old glass/mat cutters can be useful in a woodworking,"job shop".

Make a 5g bucket of paint stirring sticks and then find a Hot-rod shop.They'd probably take some custom sanding blocks as well.See if they have any old sprayguns and make a trade?

Lot's of neat things can be done with them.I make crosses out of our more $$,figured drops,give them to churches for handing out at hospitals.

[Jim Andrew]

I used up a lot of shorts building bedside tables for the grandkids. I made the end panels frames with panels, so I could use lots of shorts up, and 3 drawers each, so it was like a project of mostly short pieces. They use them as mini dressers, have clothes in them so they can just open them up and get dressed without moving far in the morning when they wake up.

[Bill Rogers]

I list mine on the Free section of Craigslist as "Free Hardwood Scraps". You would be surprised at how fast they go. People use them in their Chimeras, for small projects or as kindling. It is better than just throwing them away.

[Bill Cattrall]

Check with a school wood shop, they took lots of my shorts.

Bill