Would factory rejected lumber count as recycled ?

It seems to me that if they discarded it, it is, by definition, “one man’s junk”. Let’s see what you’ve got.

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

I agree with Russel. If it has been rejected then it was basically trash. Sounds like a trash to treasure project to me.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

First let me say that I have no plans to submit an entry in this category, so the following is just my unbiased opinion.

I hate to play devil’s advocate, but….Dan said he bought these “rejects”. I think the fact that this lumber was good enough to sell, even if it was not quite up to standards for Gibson guitars, disqualifies it from being “trash” or “recycled”. Just my $.02.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

What you gotta do is take the wood and fashion it together in the form of a footstool or box for a day. Then it qualifies?

-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""

Sounds like it qualifies to me.

-- Only the Shadow knows....................

Dan, while I understand Charlie’s view, I think that the fact that you bought it is a moot point. many of the big box stores have boxes of remnits, short ends, etc of various bits of many wood products. hardly any thing other than remnits. You might find something that is a jewel but still, scraps ( unles you have a specific need for 5 & 3/7 of dentil) not the place you go to look for your next project. But like Charlie..just my $.02. I would suggest that you make the project, submit it and explain the source and wait for the offical decession.

-- RTB. "dumb animals are not stupid they simply can't talk "

Normally (in the past) Martin has not made any deternimation as to what is legal or not. It’s up to the people voting as to “Does it fit the rules” or not. It’s not being used for it’s original purchaser purpose. So under their determination it is being recycled into their sell pile. You just happened to salvage it into your pile.

Let the voters decide.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Just to be clear, if Dan does choose to use the wood for his entry, I will not hold it against him in my voting. Especially since we are all working on the honor system anyway. My response was purely hypothetical.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

a good discussion and something that I hadn’t thought about. If you buy a broken doorknob for $.10 at a garage sale (paid for junk) and then use it as the focal point of a fantastic birdhouse does it qualify? I’d think “yes” ... so adding to the hypothetical question I’d say that it is very important to describe your “junk” and it’s inspiration in your description.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Just to be a smart aleck….

All wood is recycled, because it used to be a tree.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Charlie, I think you’re jealous because you don’t have any junk. I feel bad for you. ;-)

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

The wood they use is wood us normal guys only dream about so it could be pretty nice stuff, and it’s not like it was thrown in the scrap pile. I’m sure that they eject stuff for minor differences in grain pattern or color. So I might have a hard time buying that it’s “recycled” or “junk”.
I guess it all in the way you look at it?

-- Ed Collinge- Edmonds, WA.

Thanks for the support, Ed. I was beginning to think it was just me, lol!

Seriously, it is a very good question, Just what makes wood qualify as “trash”, “junk”, or “recycled”?

I think we can all agree that wood taken from an old pallet qualifies. I also think we would all agree that select-grade lumber, purchased at full price from the local lumberyard, does not qualify. So where in between those two extremes do we draw the line? If I purchase 20 bf of walnut to make a table, but then I have rnough cutoffs left over for a small box, can that box be considered built with recycled wood?

Just for the sake of simpliciity and having somewhere to draw the arbitrary line, I would say it is not “one man’s trash” unless someone was throwing it, or something made from it, away.

Folks have weighed in on whether Dan’s wood qualifies or not, but I’d like to hear some other ideas on how, in general, we should define what qualifies.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Charlie
I think the key here is if wood is being sold it is still in the “Marketable” books. But if it is on craigs list under the “free” list to come p/u my deck I just tore out, or end cuts off a job site that are going to the dumpster or burn pile this constitutes junk, recycle etc.
If I go to Home depot the end cuts are still in the market place. And Gibson only uses no. 1 insturment grade wood, # 2 or 3 is still on the market, these may become lets say, Acme Guitars entry level stuff, unless of course Dan buys them first!!????
Does this make since? Charlie

-- Ed Collinge- Edmonds, WA.

To fuel the fire… I have an attic full of “trash”... stuff to nice to throw away, but not stuff I really need, and wouldn’t replace if we had a flood or fire (would have to be some flood to clear out the attic up on this hill, eh?)

While the stuff is lifetime of misc clutter, as well as stuff my little one has outgrown it could all be sold in a yard sale, or be a worthwhile donation to charity. About 1/2 of it is old (but still new) art and craft supplies that I bought or was given for one purpose or another, yet despite paying for, it I still think it’s (now) junk. – at least to me – as I no longer have the need for it, or an idea for what to do with it. (but it’s still too nice to throw away!)

Is Dan’s lumber trash? – it was to Gibson, but it certainly isn’t to most of us. And while they realized it wasn’t useful to them, they did have the good sense to keep it out of the waste stream, and whether it sold for a song, or given away it is still “another persons trash” – with the emphasis on “another person”...

It’s all semantic anyhow.

Despite so much fodder for my entry, as well as a penchant for recycling, I’m at a loss for where to begin mine – better check out my sketchbooks!

Oh, and if anyone needs “another persons trash” to help inspire their project, drop me a line and I’ll mail you a boxful. My wife and I will thank you.

after this contest, I may borrow a pick-up truck and drag the whole of the attic of to charity!... then I could fill up the attic with something useful, like several hundred BF of lumber and turning blanks!

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Vincent Van Gogh

I must say it IS BEAUTIFUL material. Really EYEPOPPING. It was sold on eBay years ago, by Gibson, when they had their own ebay account. They also sold other rejected material. Also bought a dozen black ebony fret boards from the same seller.

-- ..... art for lifes sake

Ed, I think we are pretty much in agreement.

Scott, you are right about it being all about semantics. I would have to disagree with your statement that Dan’s wood was trash to Gibson. Even though it may not have been up to standards for their fine instruments, they knew it was good enough to sell, and they sold it. Had Dan scooped it out of the dumpster behind their factory, that would be an entirely different thing.

As for the stuff in your attic, Scott, I feel your pain. I say it’s trash, and my wife says it’s too good to throw away. So guess where it stays? :-)

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

I’d say an item is trash if it is being discarded, given away or otherwise free for the taking. If you paid for it, then it’s not trash but it could fall under the recycled category.

I’d say an item is recycled if it had a useful life as something else already ( other than being a tree ).

Sorry, Dan, but I would say your purchased wood is not trash or recycled.

-- Steve, New Zealand, www.steveracz.com

Thanks for all the advice and comments. Guess my eyepopping maple project will wait for another contest.

-- ..... art for lifes sake

I agree that if you bought something from someone , then it is not trash . Dumpster diving is one thing , buying something from Ebay is another. I actually have a piece of Tiger Maple that came from a chair seat that I am thinking about giving some shape to and installing a clock into it. To me , this is trash , and recycled wood at the same time . The poor chair had been brought outside and forgotten about …..of course the sun and rain did their parts to “disassemble” the formerly nice chair , and it all went to the firewood pile except the one piece that I saved…..( ‘cause I saw some figure in it ) LOL…best wishes on your project : )

-- Dusty56@comcast.net

I can imagine that any castoffs from Gibson are still fantastic specimens. My Les Paul has a gorgeous maple top on the Mahogany body.

-- When my wife ask's what I have to show for my wood working hobby, I just show her the splinters.

buddies, trash for ones is gold for others, I live in a country of the “3RD WORLD” nothing is lost and nothing is created, all is recovered. more or less sure! but when i arive there i be surprised by the informal recycling system. recently i watch on TV a program about the importance of recycling & selecting trash, right !.. but today in Brazil for instance you have al a population who live whith trash, i’m not talking about survive, they live and very good from trash, the day that we select trash and big truck automatics come, all this peopleswill fall in the poverty, today they select totaly the rest of our society, don’t do troubles and put their children at school to get a descent education, it’s the best recycling system i know ! in my country (France) is not like that, the same people don’t do any thing, just ask money to the government, and each day more!!!
here I learn every day, a few time ago i have shame to take any thing in the trash , today i don’t care, tomorow i do a new t-shirt “TRASH PRIDE”

-- http://freewebs.com/linse_alain

PS the wood they trash is not RADIOACTIVE, enjoy

-- http://freewebs.com/linse_alain