Admit it – cut offs are pretty much impossible to throw away. Especially if they’re from a nice piece of maple or even an exotic. The fellas at SMC laid out their ideas for what to do with cut offs and I cherry picked the top 11 ideas to help you figure out how to handle those little pieces that won’t go away.
1) bird houses to build with the kids
2) things for the kids to play with — egg-beater drill, hammer, a few nails and a pile of off-cuts equals about 2 hours of entertainment
3) the exotics tend to get used for box handles, trim, pens
4) Give them to turners – we can always make pens, knobs and other things from cutoffs
5) make up a box full and try selling it on the classified forum
6) Slice them up into 3/4 by 3/4 by 6″ pieces and offer them to someone helping out with the Freedom Pens Project
7) Make Clocks
9) I try to use up even the smallest bits by taking the time every now and then to have a drillpress/bandsaw session and make tapered plugs for screw holes out of as many different species as I have on hand. I end up with a ready made stock of plugs and the sad little bits that are left find their way into the woodstove.
10) I make sets of blocks.
11) I bought an electric branding iron from Rockler, that I burn my logo into scrap pieces, add a small chain, and I now have a key fob to give my prospective customers, or give along with any project I’ve finished for a customer.
Check out the whole thread by clicking here: What to do with cutoffs, etc >>
I was building a book shelf to hold my collection of movies, and I had a nice sized pile of scraps left over. I’ll see what I can do with them using your ideas.
Thanks!
Dont forget, U can make Charcoal~~!!!!