How do you guys determine what wood scraps are worth keeping?

[chopnhack]

Very nice Steve! Inspirational to the hoarders amongst us There is no scrap...

[jseklund]

It turns out that I keep it all until I throw it all away. I actually just recently found this out.

5 years ago I moved into my house and brought a bunch of scrap wood with me (I was trying hard to learn the skills of woodworking at the time). As my life has changed over these 5 years, I've had little time for actual woodworking (more house work and remodeling) and those scraps have sat in piles in my basement. My basement has become unruly and I started going through the wood a while back. What I found is that those piles I'd been saving, from today's perspective, had very little wood that I really needed to keep.

I had a lot of pieces that I cut and the cut didn't go right so I saved it for a future project. A good example is the side of a picture frame I screwed up. I had the inlay in it and everything and screwed up a corner. Looking at it today I realized that it's too thin to use for anything other than it's original intended use, and it couldn't be used for that because I screwed up the cuts.

I wound up burning up two huge boxes of wood in my fire pit.

So, I guess I use the "perspective" method. I keep it all until my perspective changes and then I throw 90% of it out

[LCHIEN]

I emptied out my trash can to show you what I've thrown away since I last emptied it probably just before Christmas.

Interestingly enough, I was walking through a craft exhibit and these guys had laser cut models - animals, airplanes, you name it, and they were giving away their scraps so I took home a bag you can see in the upper right of the picture.

Next - you should see the scraps that were saved...

[phrog]

I emptied out my trash can to show you what I've thrown away since I last emptied it probably just before Christmas.

Interestingly enough, I was walking through a craft exhibit and these guys had laser cut models - animals, airplanes, you name it, and they were giving away their scraps so I took home a bag you can see in the upper right of the picture.

Next - you should see the scraps that were saved...

Loring, there's some good stuff there.

[Richard in Smithville]

And if you are a pen turner, the pieces that are distorted, knotty and seemingly unusefull in a box/flat wood structure - these pieces are priceless as pen blanks, even if pithy, or with soft dead spots and with cracks.

It all depends on what you plan on making. At one time I had a large collection of "ends" from pen blanks. I had great intentions of making some form of segmented pen. That never happened but they burned real nice.

[ivwshane]

So I have a little update:

I decided to make a wood scrap cart that could fit in my shed and be moved around if needed.
Sorry for the bad picks, my camera phone doesn't do well in low light.



This is the back side that holds the larger sheet good type pieces. You will notice that on the bottom I created a little box to store all my moldings and other various long and skinny pieces.



With this design I have also set it up to act a panel saw, I can clamp a ledge to the bottom and the top and clamp the sides as well.

Over all it's about 2'x7'+ and it holds all my scrap pieces and it was made all from scraps I had laying around, the total cost was about $100 and that's only because I bought casters locally instead of buying cheaper ones online.
I'm happy that I'm now organized and my wife will be happy to be getting the garage back soon.

Thanks for all the replys!

[Bruce Cohen]

I keep anything over 2 inches.
And Loring, I'll takd most ot what you're throwing out.

That's the beauty of making jewelry boxes; Small parts!!

Bruce

[jabe]

When the termites get it, it gets tossed. Help! I cannot park my truck in the carport!!!!