Uses for manufacturer's samples

[rmwarren]

The boss is going through her annual purge of samples from design projects, so yet again I have a couple hundred pounds of stuff to haul to the trash. Corian, Ipe, flooring, etc.

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Got me wondering if there were any suckers crafters/makers I could give this stuff to? Anyone know whether this stuff is ever recyclesd into projects?

Thanks,

RMW

 

[Packard]

I recently started using my scrap wood to make wheeled toys to distribute for next Christmas season as give-aways.

It worked at first—but too well.  I ran out of scrap and had to purchase more stock to finish the projects. 

So think small.  Toys, coasters, desktop or curio ornaments.  They are probably too heavy to hang from a Christmas tree. 

I’m going to donate the toys to a group that collects toys and (presumably) distributes them to the needy/deserving.  It would be a huge breach of trust if I found out that they were selling these.

At any rate, that’s the direction I would look.

I made 6 designs and 10 pieces each.  I hope I don’t have a problem with finding a charitable organization to distribute these. 

Note:  I stepped on the brakes and have not made any more in the last 3 - 4 weeks.  I hope I can maintain that restraint.

 

[woodferret]

Anyone with a small CNC.  Probably your local makerspace.  They're hoarders.

 

[peter halle]

Anyone who has a laser engraver would love the Corian...

Peter

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Corian makes decent coaster too.
You would be stunned by how much of that we have to get rid of, every week.

 

[luvmytoolz]

Corian makes decent coaster too.
You would be stunned by how much of that we have to get rid of, every week.

This is exactly why it's such a pita dealing with suppliers here in OZ.

It's almost impossible to find a place that will supply to an end user, let alone at a reasonable cost. It took me forever to find a tooling board (HDPU) supplier so I could make some mold masters, and even then for a 1500mm x 400mm x 50mm mid-grade sheet it was around $500AUD.

I recently had to scrounge some 50mm/100mm square Corian scraps to machine some stuff for the wife's kinder class, couldn't find a single supplier that didn't treat it like it was gold sheet or would supply cheaper off-cuts. Ended up getting some really old samples luckily from a fellow woodworker that had them sitting around.

Makes me so jealous sometimes at the ease of access and low pricing of commonly available stuff that's difficult to obtain here that I see some of the guys in the States discuss.

 

[rmwarren]

[member=75933]luvmytoolz[/member] try designers or the shops/showrooms selling things like countertops rather than the distributor of the sheets. Designers, as in our case, cycle thru samples as the manufacturers change products and they are no longer available. Shops making stuff end up with drops like CRG mentioned, basic dumpster diving stuff.

Our household is fortunate we don't have space to store much, or I'd constantly be overoptimistically hauling home stuff that caught my eye.

RMW

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Our household is fortunate we don't have space to store much, or I'd constantly be overoptimistically hauling home stuff that caught my eye.

RMW

Exactly. I discovered years ago that I can't save everything.

[member=75933]luvmytoolz[/member]  I really feel for you on this one. Sadly, the density/weight of that stuff is such that shipping it that far would be cost prohibitive.

 

[six-point socket II]

Personally, I’d say trash and be done with it.

Of course, if someone doesn’t have the resources, those larger Corian samples might make nice cutting boards for arts, crafts and model making …

Can always find a use for something. If I need a cutting board, I take one from the drawer with cutting boards. Know what I mean? To me it would be just ballast, hence I say trash it. Don’t feel guilty, they served their purpose and that’s it.

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[rst]

donate to a Makers Space??

 

[woodferret]

The reason I said small CNC was because one's always in the need of materials for testing speeds and feeds, especially when you get new bits.  Cutting through prized hoard of hardwoods is hard.  Cutting through throwaway samples of similar janka doesn't warrant that same level of anxiousness.

It's not really a matter of whether the material would be useful recycled as a 'project'.

 

[Svar]

If there is no local maker/school/art studio, then sell hardwood and Corian on E-Bay .
I sold scraps of exotic hardwoods for a bit over the price of flat rate USPS box.
Small craft makers will want that stuff.

 

[luvmytoolz]

[member=75933]luvmytoolz[/member] try designers or the shops/showrooms selling things like countertops rather than the distributor of the sheets. Designers, as in our case, cycle thru samples as the manufacturers change products and they are no longer available. Shops making stuff end up with drops like CRG mentioned, basic dumpster diving stuff.

Our household is fortunate we don't have space to store much, or I'd constantly be overoptimistically hauling home stuff that caught my eye.

RMW

Local cabinetmaker and fitout shops were the first place I started. Probably a sign of the economy here as all said they only order exactly what's needed and generally have no left-overs that can't be reused. The growing trend here though is that a lot of these places just won't deal with small fry.

 

[squall_line]

Probably a sign of the economy here as all said they only order exactly what's needed and generally have no left-overs that can't be reused. The growing trend here though is that a lot of these places just won't deal with small fry.

Even if the first sentence isn't true (there's always waste, and sometimes frustratingly usable waste), the second sentence is the reason they tell people those things.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

(there's always waste, and sometimes frustratingly usable waste), the second sentence is the reason they tell people those things.

That's just the way it is.
With a very few exceptions, Solid Surface comes in 30" x 144" sheets, and a dizzying array of colors. (way more than it used to be) Sometimes it is possible to buy half sheets, but at an increased cost.
Either way, there is always drop, and you can only hold onto so much. At some point, you spend more in labor/effort trying to keep it straight.
"Normal/common" stuff like ply, melamine, MDF will end up getting used, even if it is just skids stapled to the bottoms of cabinets for shipping.

Full sheets get charged to the job, that's why I hold onto the extra. When I cut parts for the big projects, I write the job number on the off-cuts. That way I can store it near the machines, expecting it to be there when I need more, and not have to cut into another sheet. When the job is done, generic stuff gets put up for grabs. Fridays are clean-up days, culling is always part of that.

 

[woodferret]

I find calibrating the zeta p2 and MFK on edgebanding takes up a lot of the 'usable' scrap.  I'm not smart enough to get a dedicated MFK with the bit set

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I find calibrating the zeta p2 and MFK on edgebanding takes up a lot of the 'usable' scrap.  I'm not smart enough to get a dedicated MFK with the bit set

It really is worth taking the time and then leaving it alone. That is literally the reason I have two of them.