Trash Wood

[DayDr]

I guess its true then.....one man's firewood is another mans treasure.

[buzza]

Gidday, there is , in my mind, no such thing as rubbish wood unless it is rotten of course, a quick skim through a thicknesser and loe and behold what we have before us,down here in the south pac we get all sorts of wood as pallets etc, people who burn this stuff should be forced to dress it by hand to see what they are burning, wood is a beautiful medium, gotta go and light the fire ;-))))
buzza

[kkmbknap]

hey guys-
I have been collecting all this "trash wood" and now my garage is so full I can't get anything else in there! If any of you guys out there would be interested in some black walnut or some tiger maple send me a e-mail and I will work out a very good deal with you that would be benificial to both of us and make my wife a happy person again LOL.

[Larry Wilson]

Yes, I'd be interested in some tiger maple. What condition is it in (green, kiln dried, etc.)?

[scroller_aus]

love to try some if i was in the same country

[john_p]

in this part of the country "trash wood" has a habit of
ending up in a fireplace. i have 20 acres of hardwood and
am willing to share with woodworkers who need green wood,
oak, hickory, black walnut. pine... if it lives in SC i have limbs that
can be trimed. one of my hickory's lost a limb in a storm that was
around 100 bf. the tree is 150' and 30 or so inches in diameter.
i also have almost any size dead fall cedar that has air dried for decades. lots of checks but i have make some 6-8 in bowls from
it. i don't sell wood but will trade or share (it's a southern thing)
Great-Grandpa John_p

[wrlcurtis]

I have found that I can find old weathered wood from farmers fences or old buildings that can be made into many neat projects. Just look around and most of the time it doesn't cost anything. Have made picture frames, bird houses and even a bridge out of it.

[scroll-1]

For WRICURTIS good to see someone from the great state of Wyo. I was raised in Greybull but left many years ago.
Here is another source for "Trash" , Habitat For Humanity in some of the bigger cities, make arrangements with people responsible for deconstructing buildings to get stuff they can sell at their resale stores, floors, wndows, appliances, cabinets, etc. A real good chance to get some GOOD stuff, like broken floor boards battered cabinets etc. The usually sell the stuff for less than half price. so even if you had to buy it, it still is a pretty good deal.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Now here is an old post from July of 2003 kicked up again. Great to see and a new voice is heard. Keep it coming. Like to see some photos of this old wood work.

[Woodbutcher68]

I agree there's no such thing as scrap wood.
I used to work in a rail car building plant. We would get the couplers in with 2"X12"X3' Oak, Walnut, Cherry and Maple separating them. I don't have a planer, so I gave most of it away.

[noun]

What better material is there to work with than trash wood for the normal industrious child to play with and learn the craft of basic woodworking?

I grew up during the depression years of the late 20s and that was the only kind of material most of us had to work with. It was also the material of choice for our parents whenever their needs were more functional than artistic.

Our basic kid-tool was a pocket knife and (if we were lucky), a crosscut saw that could be used to cut a board to length or even rip a board when a narrower member was needed.

Wooden box material was available in great abundance and seldom even needed to be asked for, as it was always right there next to the burning barrel behind the food stores of our neighborhoods. Using such material was considered to be an act of public service because it saved the effort of those who had signaled their intention to burn it.

We were, in effect, the original core soldiers of the recycle movement that is now a national better-way to solve our current trash disposal problems. l have to admit that I may have never grown up, if measured by my desire to make use of wood items that others have rejected as being trash.

We have many items in my household made from discarded wood that has been transformed into functional items that serve a variety of useful purposes that otherwise would have justified our purchase of similar items. These include: saw horses, a trash-trailer body, garage and basement shelving, recycle box stand, garden pathway, mini-pallets, firewood racks, picnic table, kid's table and chair, computer caddy, fishing equipment storage racks, wood shop jigs and fixtures, and other items that do not come quickly to mind. All built with a minimal investment in hand and power tools that the average home owner can ill afford to be without for ordinary maintenance purposes.

I hold no claim to fame for such an approach to woodworking on a budget, as my continuing experience with this facet of the craft has proven that there are others who do much the same; some at a level of artistry far beyond any I have ever attempted. They, as have several here, have noted the availability of wood variety that has come their way that could have easly satisfied the advanced needs of Norm Abrams of New Yankee Workshop fame.

I am pleased to see that some of those very accomplished craftpersons are here among your readers. That is why I joined this group and have made these comments, in the hope that continuing this discussion about wood material rescue will continue.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Ah this thread gets revived again. Unfortunately some of, if not all of the participants in this original thread no longer frequent the site. But to that we say why not start our new group of salvagers.

Welcome to the site NOUN. Do you have a first name we can call you by??? We are a friendly bunch here. I agree with you and the saying one man's garbage is another man's treasures. A big example of recycling timber is in the turning field of woodworking. Many many times a tree gets cut up and there are people scrounging to get the lumber to turn different items with it. Many a bowl and plates and other turnings are put out from wood that was cut down and scheduled for the fireplace.

Hope to see some of your work as you get familar with the site. Posting photos is a good thing here. Thanks for joining and welcome.

[uhmnl]

I have done a lot of dumster diving in my time.
You go to where they are building a house and ask if you can do it. They never have told me no.
When you go when the house is almost done, you will find some very nice pieces of oak.
Mike

[crolf]

I still pick up trash wood when I can. There is a cabinet shop on my way home from work and I can see their pile from the road. I usally stop and pick up some when I have time. They usually burn it and in the summer when it is very dry they really like for you to pick it up. I am not the only one that digs in their pile but I usally get some good stuff since I drive by everyday. I get scrap oak,ash and popler.
My wife's uncle built a 24 X 24 shop entirely out of salveged wood many years ago. He used 2X6's and 2X4's from a local armory that was used to for crates when "Desert Storm" war was over. They were throwing this stuff away and was allowing people to get it. He used birch plywood from a computer company that was importing parts in crates for the sides. Only thing he bought was shingles. He even reused the nails(a little extreme in my opinon).

[Jennabutala]

Yup i have used it many times to build something creating as recently i made a trash can made of wooden. This is crafted to be classically beautiful by nature. The concept may be old-fashioned but also blended with a contemporary design so that it will fit any design.