scrap management

[tomsalwasser]

Greetings woodworkers,

I'm either tripping over piles of wood scrap or wishing I hadn't thrown them out. Just as soon as I get rid of something I need it. What do you folks do to keep the scrap pile under control?

Best,
Tom

[dusty]

Greetings woodworkers,

I'm either tripping over piles of wood scrap or wishing I hadn't thrown them out. Just as soon as I get rid of something I need it. What do you folks do to keep the scrap pile under control?

Best,
Tom

Nothing. It is never under control. Occasionally I dump it all in the middle of the floor and sort through it by size and potential usefulness. The resulting stacks get containerized again and the cycle starts over. It is never under control - it just exists.

[MikeG]

I try to use Norm Abrams' trashcan rule: "If it fits in the trashcan that's where it belongs". Like I said I try, but sometimes a few short pieces collect under the workbench to be used as sacrificial backups.

[robinson46176]

[quote="MikeG"]I try to use Norm Abrams' trashcan rule: "If it fits in the trashcan that's where it belongs". Like I said I try, but sometimes a few short pieces collect under the workbench to be used as sacrificial backups.]



That trashcan would have to be the size of a teacup for me. I don't mind spending but I abhor waste...
I will fill a plastic barrel with teacup sized pieces this summer. My salvation is my woodstove. I will accumulate small scraps this summer and use them as kindling to start fires next winter. That does not mean that I will not be pawing down in the barrel for some tiny piece that I "know" is in there this summer.
Another thing that helps a lot is going to the "shorts" racks first rather than just go get an 8 footer off of the new rack and whack a 2 foot piece off of it when there may well be a good 2 foot piece in one of the shorts racks.
I have been on construction sites where guys constantly burned stuff or tossed it in a dumpster that was as long as 4" long. They were too lazy to use them up even though it didn't really take any more time or effort. Just wasteful thinking mostly because it was not coming out of "their" pocket...
In my case it also helps to have a lot of buildings, 3 with lofts.


.

[major_bob]

I have the same problem, Tom. I'm a bit of a "pack rat" by nature (get that from my Dad) but try to control it. I work out of my garage and can usually move tools, benchs and SS out of the way to put the 2nd car in when necessary. But the scrap wood is becoming more of an obstruction than the tools. In the winter, the smaller scraps become great kindling for the fireplace.

Needed some 1/2 in MDF to finish off a project I was doing last night. Bought a 4X8 sheet and used about 1/4 of it........... No immediate projects in mind to finish it off.

bob

[garys]

Nothing. It is never under control.

Likewise here. My scrap pile continues to grow, and I can't throw it out. My Wife does wood carving, so, often the saw scraps are the perfect piece she needs for a carving project.

I'll just have to watch this thread until someone truly organized comes up with an answer.

[mrhart]

Refer to the recent thread in the "community" section, "Interesting News From AARP".
All woodscrap questions are answered there...

[robinson46176]

One of my scrap wood racks looks like this one except the shelves sit flat instead of a slant. It works very nice except it keeps me thinking about Twinkies and stuff.
It is about 3' wide and about 5' tall.

[ATTACH]12701[/ATTACH]

[robinson46176]

I also have one of these that is 4' wide and 5' tall for longer "shorts" that are up to around 6' long. They are made to hold about a ton of canned goods. I do not have it in use yet, waiting to get a round-tuit to install heavy casters first.

[ATTACH]12702[/ATTACH]

I just gave a similar one to a grandson to use at an indoor flea market (the reason I bought them to start with). The one I gave him will not easily go through a normal walk door. Kind of a PITA.

[joedw00]

Scraps? You have Scraps??:D