July 24, 2015

Scrap Happens


People often give me an odd look when I tell them my hobbies are gardening, quilting, and woodworking. Gardening and quilting, yes, but woodworking? But there are some similarities with quilting and woodworking, and one of them is scraps which seem to multiply like rabbits. I'd rather not have scraps, both with quilting and woodworking, but I can't throw away workable pieces and they come in handy too.




I used to have all our wood scraps on shelves, but invariably the piece I wanted was at the bottom of the stack. Having smaller pieces stored vertically would make it much easier to get the piece I needed. I also wanted a place to put leftover pieces of sheets. We don't have a lot of sheet scraps, but the ones we do have are big and in the way. Hubby put them behind the workbench, which was fine for him because he could either drag the workbench over to get them out, or lift them over the table. That didn't' work for me. So I began forming an idea of a cart with space for sheets and bins for small scraps. A cart, because we ran out of wall space a long time ago and it will have to be stored in front of something else.

There are a number of plans online but none exactly like I wanted, and many of the people who built them said they were heavy and after loading them with scraps, they were very hard to roll. So I wanted to build one that used less plywood to make it less heavy. And I wanted the bins to be easy to see into and easy to clean. So I used plywood for the base and ends, 1x4s for bracing, and wire shelving for the bins. I attached the shelving with metal strapping. I plan on dividing the long bins with the strapping as soon as I see how big they need to be.









11 comments:

  1. Way to go Marti! You've made a great storage rack.

    I've got LOTS of scraps from my DH, some I'll keep some will be done away with. Through the years there have been so many times that we've gone into our scrap buckets/stacks to get a piece that is just right for a project we are working on. But alas, with him now in his heavenly abode and me not doing much in the way of wood working, I don't need it all.

    Have a nice weekend ~ FlowerLady

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    1. Thank you. I used to keep the small pieces in buckets too, but soon ran out of space for the buckets. As I've been putting it on this cart, I've been culling some pieces too. Like you, I just don't need it all. A few pieces of each size is plenty for me.

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  2. I like how you used the wire shelving to help contain pieces. I find it hard to throw away any scraps but I do go through them now and then. When I moved last year I threw out/burned/left behind SO many it's disappointing to even think about it!

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    1. Thanks. You'd nearly have to get rid of scraps when you move. I bet you have wished you had some of those pieces in your new home though.

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  3. That is FABULOUS Marti!!! I am going to show my husband how you organize your scraps, I think he would love this idea!!!! Awesome :^)

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    1. Thank you! I'll have to live with it awhile to see how well it works, but so far I like it better than the shelves.

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  4. Wow Marti. Your quite the carpenter. I do small odds and ends for displays but that is as far as I go.
    Another big factor is Don would want to tell me how to do and we would fight over the tools. I keep my own tools put up. He would always grab mine because he never knew where his were at the moment he wanted to use them. Then would not put mine back ensuing into an argument because then I could not find mine. Sorry I got off track. Great rack. Maybe I should say woodworking.

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  5. Nice job. While I don't have wood scraps, I DO have fabric and stabilizer. I came from a family that survived the depression. While I don't save, wash, and reuse aluminum foil, I do keep things. Add to this being a science teacher who used all sorts of things in the classroom - I have a lot of stuff. Never know when it will be needed!! Guess you will see me on TV when my family begins an intervention

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  6. Nice job. While I don't have wood scraps, I DO have fabric and stabilizer. I came from a family that survived the depression. While I don't save, wash, and reuse aluminum foil, I do keep things. Add to this being a science teacher who used all sorts of things in the classroom - I have a lot of stuff. Never know when it will be needed!! Guess you will see me on TV when my family begins an intervention

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  7. Looks like you hit upon a great design that meets your needs.

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