# Guilty of dumpster diving..



## MarkTheFiddler (May 29, 2012)

Howdy Lumberjocks,

I was picking up my hard wood floor order at Lumber Liquidators yesterday. I was at the back door waiting on the loading ramp. The door opened and I had to get out of the way of the fork lift. The fork lift swang toward me again so I got out of the way again. This put me right next to their dumpster. I took a quick peek inside and saw this.










Well I loaded my new flooring and asked the fork lift driver if I could have the hunk of wood. He said sure!! Take whatever. He drove the lift back in and I went to retrieve the board. This time I got a closer look. I found approximately 30 - 40 square feet of this 5/8 solid hard wood scattered around all over the place in that dumpster. I thought about for a while and pulled out what I could from the open access door but most of the stuff was unreachable.

I did what I haven't ever done before. I hauled myself into the dumpster and started pulling pieces out right and left. Oh man - I was praying no one would drive by. I'm pretty sure a security camera was recording me and my jolly escapade.

Does this look like Cherry? That's my guess.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Great scoree!

Looks kinda like jatoba (Brazilian cherry).


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Nothing wrong with a little dumpster salvage, actually, im proud of you! I see box tops in your future.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

What happened to that half-eaten cheeseburger in there?

"Yew stay outa' ma' dumpsta', ya' heer?"

*;-)*


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## muleskinner (Sep 24, 2011)

I'm thinking that the greater embarrassment among LumberJocks would have been *not* diving into the dumpster to save that wood.


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## Dave10 (May 29, 2012)

There's nothing wrong with rescuing wood from the trash. after all, you had permission.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Stellar job on saving the wood, Mark…..Actually, it was probably stolen and the thieves had to make a quick get-a-way, so they pitched it in the dumpster, and had planned to come back and get it later when noone was around…...They figured out how to make a "quick buck" by selling it to some unsuspecting woodworker, and stashing it in the dumpster, but it looks like you spoiled that deal…..my favorite word…...Free…...!!!!


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

Yep, noticed the securtiy video on YouTube….ha ha ha…just kidding…great get…always good to keep your eyes open to things like that.


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## GrandpaLen (Mar 6, 2012)

Mark,

That is no longer a Dumpster. ...it's a 'Saved for Mark - Collection Box'. 
Just think of all the money you will save them by keeping that box empty so they don't have to pay to have it hauled away.

Kudos from Mother Nature for saving that wood!

'Collect Safely and have Fun'. - Grandpa Len ;-)


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## Surfside (Jun 13, 2012)

Nice save! You're a certified wood saver now, Mark! Hey, watch out! The FBI's going to your house tonight. lol


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

Are you going back to that dumpster for other finds? If they dumped some once, I am sure they will do it again! How can anyone consider that to be dumpster worthy material? Until it is sawdust it's usable wood!


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Hey, that is recycling at its best. Totally politically correct now that the politicians support it.

Way to go. Mark that place on your GPS for regular visits and wave to the camera holding sign saying "RECYCLER"


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## MarkTheFiddler (May 29, 2012)

My friends - thanks for all the replys and humor. I will be making rounds, in blue jeans, tough old shirt, hard soled - steel toed boots with work gloves going up to my elbows.

I'll take my portable spotlight with me and save the world one tree branch at a time.


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

how wide is it? is it handscraped or smooth finished? it is prefinished right? was there any other identifying info such as a product number or something? if you get that to me I'll look it up at work and tell you exactly what you have.

Congrats on your new floor. Which one did you get? I hope you like it. Let me know if you have any questions about it.


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## MarkTheFiddler (May 29, 2012)

Howdy Ben.

Living room is an engineered teak closeout at $2.29. I went for price but I love the variation. Here is where I'm at.










I had my heart on the hand scraped Bella acacia natural. I just like to pay cash and the budget wasn't there. I've got a lot more house to refurb. I settled.

It's going down pretty easy. No complaints. Out of 9 boxes, 1 plank was damaged. I just kept my eye on it and when I got the right measurment, I finished a row, cut 2 inches off and started a new row with it. I will send the damaged 2 inches in for a 16 cent refund. 

The dumpster find - smooth finish, 4 1/4 X 11/16 thick, 3 V shaped grooves on the backside running the length. I'm going to make a dodeahedrom cocktail table out of it. I have never seen one. It should be quite the showpiece. I am pretty sure it's Brazilian wood and I'm guessing cherry.


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

Very nice…not sure what you have…kinda odd sizing for us, but there are many products that i never even here of, let alone ever see. The Virginia Mills Tobacco Road that your referring to is a very nice floor but not really available anywhere else and is usually running with a lean inventory as its one of our most popular floors. I think it may have gone on sale once for like $0.10 off. Better start saving your pennies!


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## MarkTheFiddler (May 29, 2012)

Ben,

I appreciate your time. I had never seen the dumpster find in the local store so I'm not surprised that it's an unusual find. It's 7.42 here so I'm going to get back to my floor. The neighbors probably won't complain about the periodic table saw noise.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

I do the same at my local cabinet shop, with permission. Since my projects are small, I never have to go buy a piece of hardwood.


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## Gshepherd (May 16, 2012)

Well if you get to embarrased get a couple shirts made up with some of your LJ buddys names on the back. Just in case they get a glimpse of a plumbers butt they have a face to put it to. Just trying to be helpfull


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## craftedbyethan (Jul 12, 2012)

Go Mark! Bring on the salvaged wood! Its amazing what people will just toss because of a scraft or dent that are perfectly repairable but wasted in this society!


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## Builder_Bob (Jan 9, 2010)

I reckon you'd be in more trouble putting stuff in the dumpster than taking it out…


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## MarkTheFiddler (May 29, 2012)

Ron and Ethan, thanks guys - I feel less embarrassed. I had a little time last night and I was thinking - go check out the dumpster. Didn't do it. I feel another strong urge. Maybe this time I go through with it.

Bob - Isn't that the truth!

Shepherd - that just all kinds of wrong! Wrong and hysterical! Thanks for the chuckle.


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

ask the guys in the shop if they have any good hardwood pallet stickers…basically the pieces that keep the pallets off the ground so the forklifts can get em. Typically 2-3" square and 40" or so long. Typically ugly warped pine, but sometimes you get poplar. And then on the rare occasion you might get something better. I got some hickory and cherry this week, but in the past i've gotten oak as well as some darker exotics that i haven't figured out what they are maybe some sort of mahogany or teak. In our store I take them, but i think in most stores a lot of these hit the dumpster. See if the guys have a stack sitting around inside that you can peek at.


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## MarkTheFiddler (May 29, 2012)

Howdy Ben! As a matter of fact, I have seen some outstanding pallets at that lumber liquidators. I was too busy collecting the flooring that time to score on the pallets. I am definately keeping my eyes open for those awesome freebies. Thanks for the advice!


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