OCtoolguy Posted June 6, 2018 Report Share Posted June 6, 2018 I am a wood "hoarder". I can't pass up a piece of wood when I see one lying around. And, once I've finished cutting something out, I can't bring myself to throw the leftovers into the trash bin. How small does a scrap have to be before it's considered "junk" and put into the trash? I don't have a wood burner so it all has to go into a dumpster. Am I the only one with this problem? My wife says I'm sick and need help. Scrolling Steve, Phantom Scroller, tgiro and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordster Posted June 7, 2018 Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 I am also like you,hoarding small pieces.My problem is I have them all over the place.Then when I go to find a small piece it takes me forever to find one.Lately,if I am certain I have no known use for that leftover piece,I toss it out.Keeps the shop a tad tidier and me from tripping over them lol. Sam777, GPscroller and OCtoolguy 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meflick Posted June 7, 2018 Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 Well, it may depend upon what type of work that you do. For example, since i do Intarsia, it is not uncommon to use pretty small pieces so i tend to not want to throw them away. i have gotten a little better, if its fairly common wood, I will ditch the smaller pieces. I have a 5 gallon bucket that sits next to the saw area. I toss in there. We then use it in the fire pit we have. I took one of my kids old toy bins and use it for the smaller scrap pieces that I save. Dan, oldhudson, WayneMahler and 3 others 4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spirithorse Posted June 7, 2018 Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 As Melanie said, intarsia can use lots of small pieces and some of the common wood can be used as shims in intarsia. Also, there are lots of jewelry patterns that can be as small as you can cut on the the scroll saw. God Bless! Spirithorse tgiro, OCtoolguy and GPscroller 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCtoolguy Posted June 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 Well thanks folks. Now I have a good reason to not throw anything away. I'm not into intarsia but I can see where the little pieces might come in handy for jewelry. I think I'll have to give this some more thought. meflick 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgiro Posted June 7, 2018 Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 I believe in the statement - "There ain't no such thing as scrap wood." I know that I throw pieces that others could probably use to make some thing with. I'm like Melanie - I know I'm going to need that color wood in a future project so I hold on to much more than I'll ever use. I finally started throwing anything smaller than 1-1/2" or anything with to many holes from cutting out pieces. I have a friend that uses a lot of exotics to make furniture, flooring, cabinets and such. He once had a box full of "scraps" that he was going to throw in the dumpster. There was some decent pieces of yellow heart, ambrosia maple, figured maple, and numerous strips of some red. brown & black woods. I asked for the box to see what I could do with it. He let me have it, but sort of derided anything that could be made from those scraps. It took me a bit to figure out what to do with it and I decided that a segmented turning would be best. The result came out pretty nice. I actually wanted a taller finial on the lid, and I had the wood to do it, but I stayed true to the box, so it's only about 4 inches. JimErn, jollyred, GPscroller and 6 others 7 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCtoolguy Posted June 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 9 minutes ago, tgiro said: I believe in the statement - "There ain't no such thing as scrap wood." I know that I throw pieces that others could probably use to make some thing with. I'm like Melanie - I know I'm going to need that color wood in a future project so I hold on to much more than I'll ever use. I finally started throwing anything smaller than 1-1/2" or anything with to many holes from cutting out pieces. I have a friend that uses a lot of exotics to make furniture, flooring, cabinets and such. He once had a box full of "scraps" that he was going to throw in the dumpster. There was some decent pieces of yellow heart, ambrosia maple, figured maple, and numerous strips of some red. brown & black woods. I asked for the box to see what I could do with it. He let me have it, but sort of derided anything that could be made from those scraps. It took me a bit to figure out what to do with it and I decided that a segmented turning would be best. The result came out pretty nice. I actually wanted a taller finial on the lid, and I had the wood to do it, but I stayed true to the box, so it's only about 4 inches. We really do need a "WOW" icon here. That is gorgeous. What a fantastic project. WayneMahler, GPscroller and meflick 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrolling Steve Posted June 7, 2018 Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 Hi, my name is Steve and I am a wood hoarder ! barb.j.enders, meflick, OCtoolguy and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoney Posted June 7, 2018 Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 Ray defining scrap or junk wood is hard to do. It seems that some would have a useful purpose even in quite small pieces. My son's father-in-law gave me some 3/4"x 3" walnut 45 degree triangle miter cuts from wood he was using for trim. I turned them into small toy cars to give away to kids. You can get overwhelmed with small pieces though. I go through the painful process of disgarding some every once in a while. I burn some in my fire pit and the only pieces that don't cause me pain is very small pieces that are either split or are full of holes. LOL OCtoolguy and GPscroller 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill WIlson Posted June 7, 2018 Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 I have various piles of offcuts and scrap pieces, all over my shop. Deciding what to keep vs throw away is a pretty subjective process. If I'm trimming the ends off of some rough cut lumber, I generally don't keep as many of those pieces, if they are too short to go through the planer. If I've gone to the trouble of planning wood down, I tend to keep much smaller pieces. I have a large cardboard box next to my radial arm saw where I throw stuff and a 5 gal bucket next to the scroll saw for all the little bits & pieces that are generated from scrolling. Occasionally, I go through my various piles and thin the herd a little. I had a woodburning furnace for 30 years and I used a lot of scrap for kindling, during the winter. Don't have it anymore, but my daughter has a fireplace and they are always in need of kindling, so it helps keep the scrap piles from completely over-running the shop. OCtoolguy, oldhudson and GPscroller 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverSliver Posted June 7, 2018 Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 Do you have a local kindergarten or pre-school nearby? Kids love to "create" things by gluing them together. I have even glued several pieces together into a larger piece of wood to make a bowl, box, or a vase. Other things might come to mind. GPscroller and OCtoolguy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crupiea Posted June 7, 2018 Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 I used to keep everything nice and tidy and throw out even decent sized scraps but I have changed to hoarding them now. I use the scraps all the time now for just about every project so i learned my lesson. Wood is expensive so i am keeping this scraps. I do have a box filled with tiny pieces that I use for things like letters and such. keeps it somewhat organized but not much. GPscroller and OCtoolguy 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCtoolguy Posted June 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 The reason I asked this question is, I just finished cutting out a basket from red oak and poplar. It has 9 layers and there were a ton of cutouts from the center sections. I have them neatly stacked right now on my bench and I was wondering where to put them other than the dumpster. The pieces started out as 6 x 10 and 1/4" thick. So, I have all the outer pieces that have corners still intact and of course, the centers. I think the centers might be useable for coasters or something like that. About 3 1/2" in diameter. The outer cutouts are pretty much scrap unless I can figure out a way to use the corners for something. Nothing comes to mind at this point. I guess I could use them for test pieces for staining. Maybe that's what they are good for. Aha! crupiea 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackman Posted June 7, 2018 Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 Just the other day I needed a piece and would you know I found one that the pattern fit on just right. This is what causes a person to keep from throwing out the small stuff. LOL OCtoolguy and GPscroller 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCtoolguy Posted June 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 45 minutes ago, trackman said: Just the other day I needed a piece and would you know I found one that the pattern fit on just right. This is what causes a person to keep from throwing out the small stuff. LOL My problem exactly. I'm a hoarder plain and simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoney Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 8 hours ago, octoolguy said: The reason I asked this question is, I just finished cutting out a basket from red oak and poplar. It has 9 layers and there were a ton of cutouts from the center sections. Ray you could use them center sections to make a smaller size basket. I have done that before I just resized the pattern to the size of the center cutouts. Just a thought. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCtoolguy Posted June 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 12 minutes ago, stoney said: Ray you could use them center sections to make a smaller size basket. I have done that before I just resized the pattern to the size of the center cutouts. Just a thought. I'd have to give that some thought Stoney. They are not all the same anymore but they are big enought that I took a compass and did a circle within them and I have about 3.5". I'll figure out something to use them for. Thanks. stoney 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crupiea Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 I am the worst with cardboard boxes. I hate to throw them away. I always tell myself I will use them some day. I never do so I have them stacked all over the place and stuff laying around not in boxes. Go figure. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerJay Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 My method of dealing with scrap wood is very simple and effective - but a little brutal ..... once the scrap wood tote is overflowing and intruding into the shop then it's time for a campfire ..... Having said that it's worth pointing out that one of the big benefits of scroll sawing is that not a lot of genuine scrap wood is generated - in fact - it is a hobby that uses up "scrap" wood from other projects. When I do generate "surplus" wood that I feel can logically find a place in a future project - then that "fresh inventory" is stored in a shelving unit waiting for that project to come along ...... Jay OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockytime Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 I joined WHA. Wood Hoarders Anonymous. Membership is only $25 per month. Send your fees directly to me. crupiea, GPscroller, OCtoolguy and 1 other 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCtoolguy Posted June 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 57 minutes ago, Rockytime said: I joined WHA. Wood Hoarders Anonymous. Membership is only $25 per month. Send your fees directly to me. I'm sending a year's worth as we speak. Thanks for the tip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl S Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 Ok, when is a scrap too small to save? When it's too small to glue together in order to get a bigger piece. Or (Sawdust size)! GPscroller, meflick and OCtoolguy 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodmaster1 Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 It's too small when you can't see it. GPscroller and OCtoolguy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianr24 Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 Ha! I have same problem glad it’s not only me. But I don’t only save scrap I hate to use even larger pieces even if I purchase them for the specific job. I love having and “collecting wood “ heck half of the stuff I save I don’t know I have or can’t even find it anyway. But as soon as I get rid of something I need it......... well that’s what I tell myself anyway. im not really a hoarder with other stuff and I’m very generous with anything I have but don’t touch my hardwoods! OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsN Posted June 9, 2018 Report Share Posted June 9, 2018 I used to be really bad saving almost any piece. I like making jewelry so I see possibility in tiny pieces. A few years ago I got sick of all of my boxes of wood and made up a bunch of pieces with all of the some day pieces. It was a fun project. I have moved several times and now have a pretty small scrap box. If it isn't exotic or unique I'll toss it if it isn't suitable size for an ornament. GPscroller and barb.j.enders 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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