# Scraps



## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

This dovetails into a post made by OleGrump about cleaning up the pegboard over his bench (Pegboard Purge), trying to organize the clutter. How about the scraps? I'm not talking about those cutoffs that we neatly organize into uniform lengths like 6", 12", 18", 24", 36", to be used down the road …










... I'm talking about those pieces that we just can't seem to throw away. They really don't fit the bill to be saved as cutoffs, being oddly shaped or having varying thicknesses . We will probably never use them, but keep them nonetheless. Why?










I keep mine because … well … you just never know. Show us your scraps and offer justification for keeping them!


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Heh, I hauled several wheelbarrow loads out of my shop, small pieces like those. Did it twice last year. No pics though. Amazing what you can pack rat.


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## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

> Heh, I hauled several wheelbarrow loads out of my shop, small pieces like those. Did it twice last year. No pics though. Amazing what you can pack rat.
> 
> - Rick_M


Did you haul them out of the shop only store them in a special shed out back for unusable scraps? LOL!


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## ralbuck (Mar 12, 2012)

As I like to make toys; many of those scraps are perfect pieces for some part of the toys.

Small hardwood pieces make bottle openers etc. too. I even make wooden bolo ties with a rawhide neck strap from some. The smaller softwood pieces usually end up in the fire kindling bucket.


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## DavePolaschek (Oct 21, 2016)

No photo from me yet, but I have multiple piles. One of hardwood scraps. One of pieces too small to be anything but knife scales, but maybe I'll glue them together and make some neat banding or striped multi-wood knife scales (while recovering from back surgery, I did glue up some pieces "just in case"). And then there's the pile of construction lumber scraps. They turn out to be useful for jigs or other work-holding just often enough that I don't throw them away until they've been drilled into or are full of saw dings or some other battle scars.

And when it snows, like it is today, and my truck comes into the garage dripping, I use some scraps to keep other scraps up off the floor so they don't get wet. :-/


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## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

> As I like to make toys; many of those scraps are perfect pieces for some part of the toys.
> 
> Small hardwood pieces make bottle openers etc. too. I even make wooden bolo ties with a rawhide neck strap from some. The smaller softwood pieces usually end up in the fire kindling bucket.
> 
> - ralbuck





> No photo from me yet, but I have multiple piles. One of hardwood scraps. One of pieces too small to be anything but knife scales, but maybe I ll glue them together and make some neat banding or striped multi-wood knife scales (while recovering from back surgery, I did glue up some pieces "just in case"). And then there s the pile of construction lumber scraps. They turn out to be useful for jigs or other work-holding just often enough that I don t throw them away until they ve been drilled into or are full of saw dings or some other battle scars.
> 
> And when it snows, like it is today, and my truck comes into the garage dripping, I use some scraps to keep other scraps up off the floor so they don t get wet. :-/
> 
> - Dave Polaschek


I see you guys agree … this stuff is priceless! It was from this very pile of useless pieces (see OP) that I made the secret pop out drawer in Fr. Chad's Prie Dieu!


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## TravisH (Feb 6, 2013)

I store longer stuff but as cut offs become short enough to fit into a 5 gallon bucket that is where they get stored. Once the bucket is full I do a quick sort at the burn pile. Maybe a piece or two makes it back to the shop.

At first I stored a lot more but then it became fairly obvious that much of it wouldn't get used until years later. At that time I decided having a clean space with materials, tools, etc. was a better use of my time than keeping up with scrap pieces, looking for pieces, etc..


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## Mr_Pink (May 20, 2017)

I throw really small bits away, but I do have plenty of scraps that I'll probably never use. I keep them because I will use some of them.

Some will be stuck between my work and a clamp or holdfast. Most of my shop appliances were made from random bits of scrap. Also, some of them end up entertaining my daughter when she's in the shop with me. (If I cleaned up my scrap pile, she would just want to ruin better pieces of wood.)


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## Oldtool (May 27, 2012)

Well, I guess I must admit, I'm one of those "never throw anything away" people. This is especially true with hardwoods - which I see as potential contrasting pegs for a mortise & tenon joint, some plywood that may become a jig someday, and clear pine that has great potential for small projects. About the only thing I toss is the hand plan shavings & any sawdust.
Don't have any pictures though, it's scattered around: garbage can full out back, plus a lot in the garden shed, some under the lathe stand, in the corner of the shop, under the drill press bench, etc.
I keep tellihg myself I need to get rid of this stuff to make room to do woodworking, but just picking it up & looking at it brings to mind the many potential uses for it.


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## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

> I store longer stuff but as cut offs become short enough to fit into a 5 gallon bucket that is where they get stored. Once the bucket is full I do a quick sort at the burn pile. Maybe a piece or two makes it back to the shop.
> 
> At first I stored a lot more but then it became fairly obvious that much of it wouldn t get used until years later. At that time I decided having a clean space with materials, tools, etc. was a better use of my time than keeping up with scrap pieces, looking for pieces, etc..
> 
> - TravisH


I've yet to create a burn pile. I do continually sort smaller and smaller pieces, but keep finding things that I just know I'll need one day. Perhaps I have the hoarder gene. LOL!


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## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

> ... some of them end up entertaining my daughter when she s in the shop with me.
> 
> - Mr_Pink


That's reason enough to keep the scraps!


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## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

> ... but just picking it up & looking at it brings to mind the many potential uses for it.
> 
> - Oldtool


I'm with you, Tom. Like I said … you just never know!


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## Kelster58 (Dec 2, 2016)

I hide "scraps" all over the place. The one picture is of our laundry folding table in the laundry room. I store hardwoods and some steel there. I have a storage room for household stuff and my treasure. Just can't seem to part with some of these things, even the smallest scrap some times. A teacher once told me it isn't "scrap" if you make something from it.

















!


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

> Did you haul them out of the shop only store them in a special shed out back for unusable scraps? LOL!
> - Ron Aylor


LOL. Nope, burned them. I'm a packrat but I do use a lot of those small pieces for drawer knobs or other such things. But at some point even I have to get rid of some of it. So last spring I burned about 3 wheelbarrow loads and again last fall I burned about 3 wheelbarrow loads.

I had scraps from a new shed roof, 2×4 cuttoffs, and couldn't stand to throw them out so I made little tables.


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## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

> I hide "scraps" all over the place. The one picture is of our laundry folding table in the laundry room. I store hardwoods and some steel there. I have a storage room for household stuff and my treasure. Just can t seem to part with some of these things, even the smallest scrap some times. A teacher once told me it isn t "scrap" if you make something from it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow, Kelly. Not sure I would class this as scrap … looks like some pretty decent lumber stores to me!


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## BB1 (Jan 29, 2016)

I don't like to toss out small pieces so I bought some low storage bins and sorted through my scraps by type. I have the bins stacked under a worktable. Now if I need a small piece of walnut, I just need to grab that bin and see if I can find a match. Much better than when I had all the various scrap pieces mixed in the top section of my wood rack.


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## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

> I don t like to toss out small pieces so I bought some low storage bins and sorted through my scraps by type. I have the bins stacked under a worktable. Now if I need a small piece of walnut, I just need to grab that bin and see if I can find a match. Much better than when I had all the various scrap pieces mixed in the top section of my wood rack.
> 
> - BB1


Good idea! How small is too small to keep?


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## OleGrump (Jun 16, 2017)

Ron, some of us know from your thread about hand woodworking tools and fixtures, that many of your "scraps" get turned into some sort of gizmo to help you in your fantastic hand woodworking shop. I know you make some pretty clever holding, layout and marking devices from odds and ends from the shop. That thread is pretty inspiring!
The point made earlier about using them in toys is also very well taken.


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## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

> Ron, some of us know from your thread about hand woodworking tools and fixtures, that many of your "scraps" get turned into some sort of gizmo to help you in your fantastic hand woodworking shop. I know you make some pretty clever holding, layout and marking devices from odds and ends from the shop. That thread is pretty inspiring!
> The point made earlier about using them in toys is also very well taken.
> 
> - OleGrump


Thank you for your kind words, and I'm so glad you find inspiration in the Hand Tool Woodworking Jigs & Fixtures thread.


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## LittleShaver (Sep 14, 2016)

There are no scraps. Just pieces waiting for a smaller project.


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## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

> There are no scraps. Just pieces waiting for a smaller project.
> 
> - LittleShaver


True indeed! I wish there was a better way to store all of these little pieces. I have a wicker basket full and of course that little scrap rack seen (or not) in the OP. Every time I start looking for that perfect little gem I end up on my knees in the shop floor having dumped the wicker basket! Because that needed piece seems always to be at the bottom of the basket. Go figure!


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## PPK (Mar 8, 2016)

Its not full in the picture, (red circle) but currently, my "scrap corner" is overflowing…. I save hardwood scraps. 
every so often, I'll go through and throw out the ones I don't think I'll ever use, since it's constantly growing. They go to my kindling wood pile and get burned in my woodstove. I use scraps all the time for clamping blocks, to glue up to make a jig, to make a tool handle, etc. etc. etc. I've got a few of them glued up into a big block to make bandsaw boxes, but haven't gotten to cutting out the boxes yet!


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## LittleShaver (Sep 14, 2016)

> Its not full in the picture, (red circle) but currently, my "scrap corner" is overflowing…. I save hardwood scraps.
> every so often, I ll go through and throw out the ones I don t think I ll ever use, since it s constantly growing. They go to my kindling wood pile and get burned in my woodstove. I use scraps all the time for clamping blocks, to glue up to make a jig, to make a tool handle, etc. etc. etc. I ve got a few of them glued up into a big block to make bandsaw boxes, but haven t gotten to cutting out the boxes yet!
> 
> - PPK


Bandsaw boxes. Hadn't thought of that. Could help to clear out one or two of the 5 gallon buckets of cutoffs I've accumulated recently. Thanks for the idea.


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## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

I have in the middle of my workbench, a covered trough …










It is in this little 3" x 10" x 1-1/2" trough that I keep my most precious scraps. One never knows when they might need a shim for the oversized dado, or the perfect little wedge for a tenon.










I do have to debride it of saw dust and shavings every so often due to the finger holes … LOL!


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## Kelster58 (Dec 2, 2016)

I do have to debride it of saw dust and shavings every so often due to the finger holes … LOL!

- Ron Aylor
[/QUOTE]

That is the magical part of woodworking (and life for me). Seeing value in those little tidbits that others might discard and having a special place for them. That "trough" is way cool!


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## Knockonit (Nov 5, 2017)

lol, i thought it was just me who saved everything, i did throw some into the firepit on saturday, my wood working buddy, almost had a coniption fit, lol, oh my god'' he said, we can use that here, and went on and on about what we could use it for. 
So i took the buckets and dumped them in the bed of his truck and told him to store'm at his joint. lol
Rj


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## BB1 (Jan 29, 2016)

Well, as an example I needed to tighten up a dado…and had a nice thin strip of walnut that fulfilled the purpose! Should have tossed it but ended up working which only serves to feed my saving more! If a piece is an odd shaped cutoff that I figure would be dangerous to try to cut or deal with, those I've started to discard.



> I don t like to toss out small pieces so I bought some low storage bins and sorted through my scraps by type. I have the bins stacked under a worktable. Now if I need a small piece of walnut, I just need to grab that bin and see if I can find a match. Much better than when I had all the various scrap pieces mixed in the top section of my wood rack.
> 
> - BB1
> 
> ...


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## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

> Well, as an example I needed to tighten up a dado…and had a nice thin strip of walnut that fulfilled the purpose! Should have tossed it but ended up working which only serves to feed my saving more! *If a piece is an odd shaped cutoff that I figure would be dangerous to try to cut or deal with, those I ve started to discard.*
> 
> I don t like to toss out small pieces so I bought some low storage bins and sorted through my scraps by type. I have the bins stacked under a worktable. Now if I need a small piece of walnut, I just need to grab that bin and see if I can find a match. Much better than when I had all the various scrap pieces mixed in the top section of my wood rack.
> 
> ...


I agree wholeheartedly! If a piece is too small to be ripped …










... and jointed …










... then it should to be discared! LOL!


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## PPK (Mar 8, 2016)

I love it.


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## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

> I love it.
> 
> - PPK


Thanks … I couldn't resist!


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## DavePolaschek (Oct 21, 2016)

Since I do staked legs and have wedged stretchers too, I've started turning thin scraps into wedges. Got a little drawer full of them in varying widths from 3/8" up to about 1.5". Some walnut, some oak, some cherry, some ash. Most between an inch and two long.

I've also started making dowels and pegs out of smaller scraps. Those run from about 1/4" up to 1/2" and 2-4" long. When I fill a 3# coffee can, I'll probably figure I have enough. Or maybe I'll sort them into "dark" and "light" and have two cans. But planing a scrap octagonal, then bashing it through the doweling plate and tossing it into the can gets me five or ten minutes of shop time on days when I'm too busy (or too cold) to get anything bigger done in the shop.


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## MalcolmLaurel (Dec 15, 2013)

I toss them into a milk crate and when it's full, take them up to the cabin to burn in the coal stove.


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## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

> I toss them into a milk crate and when it s full, take them up to the cabin to burn in the coal stove.
> 
> - MalcolmLaurel


 I can see that … considering your style of woodworking/furniture, if you need a scrap you just need to step into the woods and look down. LOL! Saw you site … good luck to you!


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## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

> lol, i thought it was just me who saved everything, i did throw some into the firepit on saturday, my wood working buddy, almost had a coniption fit, lol, oh my god he said, we can use that here, and went on and on about what we could use it for.
> So i took the buckets and dumped them in the bed of his truck and told him to store m at his joint. lol
> Rj
> 
> - Knockonit


May we assume he is still your woodworking buddy? LOL!


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

I haven't seen a single piece of scrap shown here yet. Real scrap is not kept - it goes in the trash, fire, whatever. Pet peeve of mine after 35 yrs in manufacturing. Cutoffs, salvage, call it something other than scrap. I just loath when someone states they made something from scrap. Scrap means unusable, trash. Rant over.


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## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

> I haven't seen a single piece of scrap shown here yet. Real scrap is not kept - it goes in the trash, fire, whatever. Pet peeve of mine after 35 yrs in manufacturing. Cutoffs, salvage, call it something other than scrap. I just loath when someone states they made something from scrap. Scrap means unusable, trash. Rant over.
> 
> - OSU55


Sorry to offend!

*scrap*
skrap
noun
1. a small piece or amount of something, especially one that is left over after the greater part has been used.

The following were all made from scrap:
Toe Pincher Grease Box
Lamb's Tongue Gauge
Scraper Plane
Old Woman's Tooth
Kerfing Plane
Spill Plane


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

Business definition of scrap: Waste that either has no economic value or only the value of its basic material content recoverable through recycling.

Sorry, but if you made something from it without breaking it down and recycling it, it wasnt scrap, it was excess material that was repurposed. If you purchased the correct amount of material you would not have had excess. Just having some fun.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

> Business definition of scrap: Waste that either has no economic value or only the value of its basic material content recoverable through recycling.
> 
> Sorry, but if you made something from it without breaking it down and recycling it, it wasnt scrap, it was excess material that was repurposed. If you purchased the correct amount of material you would not have had excess. Just having some fun.
> 
> - OSU55


What's funny is you got that definition from businessdictionary.com and on the same page it has this example:

*The children got a bunch of scrap wood from the construction site to build themselves a tree-fort in their backyard.*
Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/scrap.html


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## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

> Business definition of scrap: Waste that either has no economic value or only the value of its basic material content recoverable through recycling.
> 
> Sorry, but if you made something from it without breaking it down and recycling it, it wasnt scrap, it was excess material that was repurposed. If you purchased the correct amount of material you would not have had excess. Just having some fun.
> 
> - OSU55


It's fun with semantics! Whatcha say we agree to disagree, you grab some salvage, I'll grab some scrap, and just build something? As the old adage goes … one man's trash is another man's treasure.


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## Mr_Pink (May 20, 2017)

Perhaps the word "scrap" is insensitive. In order to prevent any of the wood in my shop from feeling marginalized or otherwise devalued, I will now refer to any pieces that would have been given such a demeaning label as "aspirationally challenged".


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## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

> Perhaps the word "scrap" is insensitive. In order to prevent any of the wood in my shop from feeling marginalized or otherwise devalued, I will now refer to any pieces that would have been given such a demeaning label as "aspirationally challenged".
> 
> - Mr_Pink


Touché … priceless!


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## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

Awwwhh … one little disagreement and the thread shuts down … what's up with that?


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## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

I was cutting 1/4" tongues and grooves the other day for a door panel on my latest Prie Dieu build. I decided to keep the little scraps …










... the 3/16" x 3/16" sticks make for great little glue applicators!


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## DavePolaschek (Oct 21, 2016)

I'd turn them into dowels or pegs. Maple and walnut dowels would both be handy at some point.


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## RonAylor1760 (Aug 17, 2016)

> I'd turn them into dowels or pegs. Maple and walnut dowels would both be handy at some point.
> 
> - Dave Polaschek


Perhaps had they been cut with the grain, but these were all cut diagonally or across the gain.


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