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Never throw anything away

8K views 15 replies 13 participants last post by  jumbojack 
#1 ·
Never throw anything away

I've heard it at least a thousand times, and have probably said myself at least as many times, "as soon as you throw something out, you're gonna need it." Have you ever had one of those things laying around the shop, that is always in the way, you've moved it so many times it almost doesn't look like it's original self.
Behold: The Wobble Dado Blade. I've had one of these so long, it's probably a collectors item. Can't sell it. Can't give it away. Can't even seem to throw it away.
But, alas. I was trying to stack dado blades and saw blades and anything I could think of, to make multiple dados in some stock that pieces of 1/4" (more or less, it's metric) hardwood plywood would fit in. Then the light came on. Try that wobble dado blade that's been laying under the tool box forever.
Put that sucker on the saw, and, BANG! perfect width for the ply. Only took a couple of cuts to get past the noise and the smoke smell and I was in business.
So, before you clean out the shop, if there is even a hint of an idea rolling around in your head, about what you might use something for, DON'T THROW IT AWAY! It may come in handy some day.
 
#2 ·
The smoke smell ? ? ? ? ? ? Tim well done that beauty needs sharpening brother ,but I hear what you say don't chuck it out until it's busted up, even then if you do machining the part's might be good for something later.Alistair
 
#5 ·
Scraps of wood are my hardest. I heat my shop with wood, plan on changing that soon, and I have to stay strong when the wood pile diminishes and not burn those nice maple pieces that came with my load, that I set aside for future projects.
 
#6 ·
I have some of 1/2" ash sitting in my shop that came from my oldest son's toddler bed. Did I mention that he is 26 years old?

I have a slab of 12/4 poplar used in a country kitchen table in 1988. It has moved from Illinois to California and now to Pennsylvania. Shame it can't get frequent flyer miles.

I also have a Craftman wobble dado blade in the original package that I have been saving just in case…what I don't know… but just in case.
 
#7 ·
The Wobble dado has earned nail in the wall, for storage, rather than be banished under the tool box.
I have a problem with wood scraps too. Because of the normally dry weather in Central Texas, we usually have a burn ban about every other month. That means, the scraps that I finally decided to throw out, usually get a second chance, when I go out and dig through the burn pile, and rescue a few pieces here and there.
 
#8 ·
I am a kind of person who never throw things away, but the main problem with it is the space. Especially my shop has NO SPACE left. But there is one thing really good about it, which is, I only have what I really need.
So for me before "DONT THROW ANYTHING AWAY", more importantly "DON'T BUY WHAT YOU DON'T NEED"!
 
#15 ·
I once started to clean off the shelves in my machine shop and brought up a pallet and one of those giganic plastic containers that we recieve our wood glue in for our finger joiner. I would pick up an old gear and walk toward the container but before I got to it I said 'I might need it someday'; then the next thing - maybe a sprocket - same thing. Then the next thing and so, and so on, and so on, until at last I figured out that it was hopeless venture. I got the container out of my way and went back to work.
 
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