Scrap

[zorlack]

So most of what I use our bot for is cutting difficult shapes out of plywood. In so doing I generate a lot of these:


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I now have a ridiculously huge pile of scrap 3/4" ply that has enough material left over that I didn't want to just throw it away, but that's oddly shaped enough that I'll probably avoid using it in the future.

Now, I'm thinking very seriously about a scrap-wood purge.

How do other people deal with this problem.

-D

[gene]

In the winter the fireplace as starter, and in the summer i try to do small stuff like birdhouses for the neighbors and dumpster the rest

[myxpykalix]

I look at almost every piece of scrap and agonize over throwing it away because i will use them for holddowns for odd shaped parts.

[cabnet636]

i called the local high school shop teacher!! he came with 6 of his most loyal students (and on a saturday!) the y really got with it watching the cnc in a mini lesson!, then loaded every bit of offall like it was gold!

funny thing was after the teacher loaded it he offered me a tax right off reciept, i was just happy to see it go,

jim

[jamesgilliam]

Dave, You are not alone with the scrap problem. I used to save almost everything, and used very little of it. When I moved the machine to the new shop, two truck loads went to the dump. So far I don't have alot of scrap in the shop, but it is starting to be in the way. Like Jack, I look at the pieces, try to use them for small projects or jigs if needed. The rest go to the burn pile. HDU has it's own rack space, mainly for sample signs to show customers.

[harryball]

I purge once or twice a year. I'm bad about keeping every little thing because it "may be useful". I've found it goes pretty good at the yardsales we have, $1 per pile type stuff and on craigslist. I'd not thought about highschool shops... I think I'll give that a try for my next go around.

/RB

[magic]

Try finding anyone who recycles Komatex PVC.

[zorlack]

Unfortunately, since the bot I use is at the local high school, I would have to unload all the scrap onto... myself :-/

I rather doubt that would solve my problem. Hehe.

One of the things I've thought about doing is setting up a standard for ripping down 3/4" scrap. Maybe rip it down in to 5" strips, and anything smaller than 36"x5" I just throw out?

At least that normalizes the scrap pile a little bit. Also, who else has had a nearly poked their eye out on a piece of scrap wood that has an inexplicably long "tail".

-D

[dubliner]

Heres what I do :-),


No its San Francisco Artist David Best. He makes incredible structures with toy factory CNC off cuts.
http://laughingsquid.com/david-best-hayes-green-temple/

7939

[drodda]

I have had this same problem with very large pieces of Baltic birch. I started making a dump run once a week to get rid of the pile. Then I started making a burn pile to burn once a week to save gas and time. I find that I have the same probelm with hardwood scraps. I burn way too much cherry, walnut and maple. I always have trouble keeping large piles of these laying in the shop till I move them one too many times. Then they go to the burn pile.

Last year I found a company that makes toys for orphans in third world countries. They are a charity so I started donating some to them but still would love to find some small things I can make out of this wood to get some value out of it.

-D

[dray]

Same problem here..

Except I have a small side business cutting mdf doors for other local cabinet manufacturers so anything over 2'X 2' I keep the rest I trash.

The school thing is a novel idea though maybe Ill keep it around and call the school

[kelly]

I belong to a group up here in BC that makes toys for local hospitals and charities each Christmas.
http://www3.telus.net/toys4kids/
We have sponsors that provide materials and we take donations from local woodworkers and shops. There might be similar groups in your areas that may be able to take materials off your hands. I would suspect that Turning clubs, Woodworking guilds and schools would also welcome good materials. Most of what we use is hardwood but Baltic birch ply makes for nice cradles!

K.Z.

[myxpykalix]

Harry,
It's good to know i'm not the only "packrat" here. Here's a suggestion. Many of you may belong to, or know of a local woodturning group. Many members make small items like tops, and other toys. I just donated lots of other wood to my local members for turning. This time of year they start making toys for charities for xmas.

[gundog]

I have had this same problem with my UHMW plastic scrap. I saved it at first and then the pile became unmanageable so I threw a bunch in the trash. Then I thought about my friends on a home machinist web site so I made a post on there for guys in my area that wanted the stuff and several stopped by and picked it up.

I got to meet some of the guys and they got some material. I would think hobby wood workers would love to get their hands on some scrap hard wood and plywood try posting to the woodworking forums.
Mike