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What to do with Off Cuts?

P

PAC1

Nordic Pine
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Until last winter I had a wood burner in my workshop so I burnt all off cuts. Now I have the air source heat pump, my workshop is hot in the winter and so no need of the wood burner. The sawdust I can turn into compost with the grass clippings. It is the real off cuts that are of no use that are the problem such as 10mm off a piece as you cut it to final length etc. I am starting to get over run. What do you do to get rid of these off cuts?
 
Great question and one I've been struggling to put forward... glad you've doe so 😉

My tiny offcuts of such size you mention - plus some others over that - now get put in a plastic and trug and taken round to the recycling centre and put in the wood skip. I struggle with the larger pieces BUT really need to be harsh on myself to take them round also. If I'd a wood stove I'd probably burn them. A neighbour does have one but I'm kind of reluctant to offer to him in case some may have been treated with something that could be toxic if burned... possibly wouldn't happen but - I'm just being over cautious I guess 🤷
 
All my short and funny shaped offcuts got to the recycling centre wood skip. breaks my heart sometimes because most are exotic woods that you see me post on here and I would just love some small craft worker to make use of them.
 
Malc2098 said:
All my short and funny shaped offcuts got to the recycling centre wood skip. breaks my heart sometimes because most are exotic woods that you see me post on here and I would just love some small craft worker to make use of them.
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I'd feel the same Malcolm... are they of suitable (if small) sizes to be used for marquetry or inlay pieces? Recut for such work? Depending on the sizes I'd be thinking of bagging up for such purposes and making available if I wasn't doing any such work/pieces myself. Either that or put in some resin for turning pieces?

I hate wasting any bits of wood.
 
RogerS said:
Black bin bag. They get burnt to generate power.
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Careful. That's true in some places, including here where I live, but it is far from true everywhere. Plenty of black bags go to land fill....and wood breaks down to methane in anaerobic conditions.
 
Our black bin goes to an incinerator so should be good. I would take it to the recycling centre if I had any faith that it would not end up in the incinerator.
 
I keep as much decent sized left over or salvaged wood as I have space for. (Not a big space.) I have boxes of good hardwood offcuts and do use them for handles etc.

I also have a box of scrap wood for putting under a clamp or checking the sharpness of a tool and so on.

But even I find that I have odd sized trimmings and scrap. I break or saw them into short lengths and leave them in a bag outside, marked Free kindling. They go immediately. Someone with a wood burner may as well have them.

P.S. Someone on here keeps showing lovely little boxes adorned with coloured fragments of wood. Sorry but I can't remember their name or find the posts.
 
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I also keep what I can. I have pigeon hole systems everywhere but there is a limit to what can or should be stored. I am teaching myself marquetry but the amount of wood needed for this is negligible. And usually not off cuts in any event.
It looks like I will be binning the off cuts.
 
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