I hate to see a scrap pile go to waste when it can be put to good use somewhere else.
Saving a pile of wood cutoffs about to be tossed in the trash can
This red oak coffee table is an example of what can be done with scrap wood cutoffs from another project. Like many similar projects, the cutoffs were ready for the trash can, then the landfill.
Photo: GR Meyers
Design: Meyers
Instead, I kept laminating dozens of short pieces out of end grain oak until I had enough surface to make the top for a table. Best of all, the hardwood in the table cost nothing except for the longer pieces I used to make the legs. The largest investment in the finished product happened to be my time.
My moral to this short story: take a long look around and imagine something good from a pile of junk and put your imagination to work. Whether it’s rocks, wood or twigs, the list of possibilities is absolutely endless.
