While building any of our projects, there is always time between stages especially when waiting on a finish to dry or glue to set up. This is when I clean up the shop or move on to an outdoor project. Always something to do around the shop.
While cleaning I find that I keep every cut off and scrap in a pile here or there and over time it looks like a lumber yard for Lilliputian’s from Gulliver’s travel’s. At times I have to dispose of this material due to the amount. The preferred method is to repurpose these materials into other useful things.
Small but useful
During a flooring project I collected cut-offs from a wood look vinyl floor. The kind that clicks together. It has a nice rustic grey color and it was made to be durable. The bottom has a thin insulation layer making it a good choice to repurpose this into something useful.
My dog has been getting up there in years and needed something to assist her with eating. Raised dog bowls are nothing new and quite pricey. They assist the dog by raising the dish to a more comfortable position. Problem is I also have a cat. The raised dishes would make it difficult for her to reach the water. I extended the length creating a platform for said cat and trimmed with leftover pallet wood from another small but useful project. Store bought did not offer a solution.
So here I have this material, time and design. The ideal situation to repurpose the left over material. However, this is only a small amount of material for one project. My finish is still drying on the wine cabinet project so I used the rest to make a few birdhouses. It only took about an hour after hanging them to have new tenants.
Another small project from the scrap pile is this Spice rack. It took waiting on paint to dry to finally get around to adding this to the custom pantry
Otherwise wasted wall space now frees up cabinet or drawer space while making finding the spice your looking for easier to find.
Nothing wasted…not even the sawdust
These are just sample cutting boards purpose made. However, I have made hundreds over the years from the scrap pile. They make great gifts and the designs are limitless.
Saw dust has so many uses and I’ve had my share of dust. I’ve used it in my garden, given it my neighbors for his chickens and so many other ways.
This is a small sampling of little projects. I think the glue is dry on my current project so back to the shop. Check back for up coming projects currently in the shop…..