wood storage (I.e. help!!!! scraps are taking over my shop)

[BPCFinishing]

So I need some help organizing my plywood in the shop, what do you guys use in your shops to keep the wood clutter down?  I'm kinda limited to storing vertically somehow.[attachimg=1]

 

[acrewood1]

The word you used is right, scraps. in the end you will need to get rid of them. on Friday i filled 10 wheel barrows of scrap ply and hardwood to go to the house for the fire. sounds drastic but i'm a full timer and this happens every two weeks.
you will lose time moving them around and time is more precious than scraps.

 

[tigger]

Hi BPCFinishing

Firstly, let me say that us woodworkers, of all descriptions, are probably the most environmentally aware operators out there. We don't waste wood because it is a precious resource. This good and bad, but we need to always keep ecomincs in mind.This applies to both large and small scale operations. 

My wife is an accountant. She calculated for me that the space I was using to store offcut boards was costing me a fortune in floor-space. So much so that I could afford to employ 3 extra employees for ther "under-utilized" floor space. So I reduced my storage by 2 thirds and hired a guy that sorted all offcuts on a daily basis.
All offcuts were kept for 1 month. He would get them from each completed project, date them and store them. Just in case the client needed something extra or we had a mishap and need to re-make something. After that, he would sell them on Fri afternoons to whomever. He then took this money he made and bought the staff lunch on the last Friday of every month.
As you can see, I scored on a lot of fronts. So thats large scale.

On the small scale, by keeping all these offcuts, you lose valuble working, or machine floor space. Not to mention the safety aspect of working in a cluttered area. I'm sure many folks here can tell you the value of just having comfortable free space to work in.
Either way, keeping all these offcuts costs you.

Hope this gives you a different perspective.

Cheers

Leon

 

[unityroad]

[attachimg=1] This is a pic of me after I had the same problem as the OP, or donate the materials to a crafter. Then it becomes their problem. Good luck, Tim

 

[BPCFinishing]

Hi my name is Brad and I'm a plywood hoarder.  [unsure]  First step is the hardest right?!!  I did just have a big fire for the small cutoff scraps tonight!

 

[polarsea1]

About 10 years ago I built a cart very similar to the one in the link below. I have it to the left of my saw with the full/ half sheet storage side facing the saw. I have the bins in the center full of everything from dowels to saw track, jigs and shorts - bins on the opposite side have smaller plywood pieces. I haven't looked at the detailed plans on this website but one thing I recommend is using big casters and screwing/gluing oak or similar strongbacks/stringers along the bottom to prevent sag.

Rolling lumber cart

 

[WelshWood]

If I have any leftovers of materials I usually throw them away, unless I can use them within the next 7 days.

Space is a paramount for my already small workshop, and i've already put a markup on the cost of materials, so there really is no need to keep them, one of my friends teaches woodwork in the local school so I 'donate' the off-cuts to them, everyone is a winner!

~WW

 

[JBag09]

I built that exact cart that Polarsea1 mentioned. I have it filled with all sorts of stuff from full sheets to dowels to extra face frame pieces. But every now and then it needs to be cleaned out. So when I have a bunch of fall off from projects I give it all to a friend who burns it in an outdoor wood boiler to heat his house. So at least I feel it gets used for something.

 

[BMAC]

I battle with the storage of millwork and lumber materials. I try to throw out what I can at least monthly as space is limited. That said, a lot of the off-cuts of materials for the most part get used on jobs as much of the material is for a highrises site that I'm in doing flood repairs pretty much several days each and every week.

The first photo is of a rolling cart I use to house the millwork and some of my sheet goods. The other photo is a ceiling lumber rack I picked up at Lee Valley last year that holds the different pieces of millwork I commonly use.

 

[MetalDemigod]

I built the cart as mentioned above.... I love it, it is a must have "tool" in my shop. I do agree most of us should dump more than we do. However with out getting into that, this cart is awesome for storing and moving your New number before you get to it as well.  Every 4x8 sheet I've ever use was protected from damage and out of my way till I was able to get to it since I've built this cart. My only regret was not building it sooner.

 

[sancho57]

I build small craft like projects out of them, picture frames, shadow boxes. Even that towel holder I made was out of scraps. If I can't find a use for it, in the bin it goes

 

[#Tee]

i feel your pain! im a scrap hoarder myself  [sad] i try my best to store them long as i could for stop blocks, stain coloring trail and error, wood support, and jigs.

 

[BPCFinishing]

I had a large fire last week and got rid of a lot of stuff.  The frustration of trying to move around the shop with all that crap is simply not worth it.  I always have builds going on, so if I really need scrap for something (jigs, fill ins, etc) I'm sure I won't have an issue finding any.  Pretty much I'm in a constant state of "I need more space" and "how did it get this dirty".  [blink]

 

[demographic]

10 Plywood workshop projects PDF

The offcut bin and lumber racks look like they might help.

 

[Df1k1]

10 Plywood workshop projects PDF

The offcut bin and lumber racks look like they might help.

This is very timely. I was looking for the exact same thing. Thanks for sharing

 

[Kev]

It's worth keeping a few smaller pieces of scrap ply for jigs or the like, but there's a limit. Only you can make the call on what is scrap and what is useful .. based on the jobs that you've got in the future.

My father used a lot of scrap for things like doll's  houses, etc - so he actively sought scraps!

I have another shed I keep spare material in, but I dispose of scraps as I work.

 

[turnpike]

I've just made a sheet cart and medium length one. The longest stuff goes on a shelf.  What I like about the new storage is it has helped me define how much space I have for this stuff and I can be a bit more ruthless about throwing things out as they get full.  I've also added another shorter wider one now which has all the small offcuts.

 

[Df1k1]

Thanks demographic for the 10 plywood workshop projects link. Just finished this. Not much to look at but it does the job

 

[jbasen]

I find storage for scraps anywhere I can.  Small pieces get tossed in a bin in the corner of my shop.  Some larger pieces, mostly scraps of sheet goods get stored between a rolling tool cabinet and the wall.  Finally longer pieces of hardwood get stored in my garage in a ceiling mounted rack that I got from Home Depot.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/HyLoft-96-in-x-48-in-Ceiling-Mounted-Storage-Unit-00164/202568364

When my bin gets full of scraps the overflow become fuel for the fire pit in my back yard.  Overflow of sheet goods I haul to the dump as I don't burn any manufactured wood products for fear of what the fumes might be. 

 

[jacko9]

My scrap (my treasures) have all but taken over my small shop.  The biggest issue I have had besides the space is wood identification.  I now have quartered sawn red and white oak and mixing them in a project is readily apparent until I start putting finish on the completed work.

I am just starting the BBQ'ing season and all questionable oak is going up in the smoker.  Exotics are the boards and end cuts that bother me the most since throwing away rosewood (even small pieces) makes me cringe.

I need more storage as soon as the spa removal people come out and get rid of my old spa, that 12 x 20 building will be my wood storage.

Jack