Trash diving

Bill Simpson

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My friend called this morning.... Well he called last week and told me they were tossing out all the Hardwood lumber from my old shop. "I'll see if I can get you some" "No No" they say, they sold it...

Well today They delivered the wood and the buyer said he didn't want any shorts and would only pay for the 8' or bigger pieces. They were tossing the off-cuts in the dumpster. My buddy rescued them.

Now what to do with Mahogany 15" wide 4/4 a couple @ 6' and 4 @ 4' Then there was the 2' 3' 4' 8/4 Mohogany and some Walnut 8/4 tossin a few Maple 12" wide and some Oak and Cherry plus the single piece of Cedar... (and a piece of something I can't figure out, Will run it through the planer and see).

About 300 BdFt of pieces 4-6 ft long (and a 12" x12" piece of Ash 4/4

Oh yeah, my (another) friend called and said she bought this table at auction , for the cast iron base, but didn't like the top, "Do you want this top?" turned out it was 1.5" thick Oak 38" X 38" .... " OK, I'll take it off your hands..."

Filled my Truck and now there is not a clear spot in my garage (already filled with deck material and kid's riding toys. (BTW there has not been a modern car in there for over 20 years, not including the Model T, I built two winter's ago)

So then he E-mails me and says "I hope you can get a project or two from that" I'm still behinder that a one armed paper hanger with a hang nail... But I guess I can Try to find something to do....

Does this sound like a Gloat? Tee Hee :p Tee Hee :p
 
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300 bf that was destined for the trash saved and now destined to some great projects :thumb: Some nice wide pieces to boot, yes this boarders a gloat IMO :thumb: Nice save:)
 
Bill I would say thats a camo gloat but we dont mind do we? What a stoke of luck the guy that bought it is fussy customer.:thumb::D

Now as to space I can send you an adddress for the Oak top I am partial to that kind of slab.:rofl::rofl:

Good for you. Now get to work and make something.
 
Nice Haul, Bill. At the price of wood today, (here in W.Tex at least) I nearly CRY when I think how inexpensively we bought our project wood (from the school) when I was in college, (57 thru 60). We paid 12 or 13 cents/bd ft for red oak, ash was 13 or 14 cents p/bd ft, 17 cents p/bd ft for maple, and from 19 to 21 cents p/bd ft for walnut. Don't remember the price for Cherry as I never bought any from them because what they had really wasn't very good quality, but the others were exceptionally good. What I wouldn't give to find some for that price just "One More Time". Heck, even "I" could afford that.:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
Outstanding haul Bill! Now let's see some pics of finished pieces from that wood!

Free/cheap wood became pretty common for me early on....partly out of opportunity, partly out of necessity, then partly out of preference. I've bought surprisingly little wood in the past 8 years. I really like to salvage wood and repurpose it....especially if the wood is given to me by someone. Salvaged wood has more nostalgia than freshly milled lumber that I paid for, and there's usually a story behind it. It's especially cool to repurpose some wood, and give it back to whoever gave it me :thumb: (or keep it and show them the pics!:rofl:).
 
A carpenter I know here in northern Virginia was driving through an area called Old Town (in City of Alexandria). He saw a dumpster out at the curb, and it was getting filled with heart pine that was coming out of a ca. 1800 building that was being gutted and remodeled. Two floors worth of heart pine in various thicknesses and widths, 200 years old, all going in the dumpster:eek::eek: .

He went in the building and asked the project super if he could call a buddy and salvage the old lumber .... "Sure no problem!" the super said.

So this fellow I know called the other guys in his company and said drop what you are doing and getdown here with every truck you can muster and get this lumber. I forget how many bd ft of lumber he said they reclaimed, but it kept their shop going for years with material for build-ins, flooring, thresholds, stair parts, etc.

It's incredible to think how much of this lumber goes in the trash without anyone even knowing what they are throwing out.
 
Leo (always a skeptic) and Toni... I have been oput of town for the weekend and will procure a picture in the AM

Bill,

So you promised, days ago, and still no pics!

That's it! Where do you live? I'm coming over with my empty pickup in the morning just to verify you actually have some of this alleged wood! ;)

And if it ain't full when I leave, no-one will ever believe you ever again! :rofl:

Thanks,

Bill
 
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