scraps

Re: scraps

Bill L.

>Hi ! I've used scraps to make a segmented bowl . Looks great- Mom liked getting it for Christmas - and you feel relieved for " disposing it in the proper way" . Bill

Re: scraps

Tony Costine

>I'm not sure I have the patience, and I'm pretty sure I don't have the skill!!!

Hats off to those who do though!

--T.

uh huh. Still late for work. Still in Contoocook.

send'm to other turners!

Mike Schwing from Md.

>I send mine to other turners as I don't really enjoy turning tiny/small items. They're very appreciative and often return small turnings they've made from the scrap sent to them. (thanks! to you know who you are). I just fill up a bag with fresh shavings from something I turned, put the scraps in, enclose it in a box and drop it off at UPS or Fedex. Its also a good excuse for me to turn a big bowl blank so I can have fresh, wet shavings, and makes for unique packing material.

Re: send'm to other turners!

Tony Costine

>I had thought of something like that, or even seeing if anyone wanted to trade a few lessons in the best way to make small things for the scraps.

I would think that for most things the scraps should be dry though, not green?

--T.

Re: scraps

john Lucas

>Tony

I use scraps for all sorts of things. I do end up occasionally going through my scraps and tossing a bunch but while your sorting you end up looking longingly at the little 3/4"square by 3" long piece of purple heart, and then theres that 1/4" thick piece of Cocobolo, and that little square of ebony. Well you just can't part with wood like that.

I will often use this stuff for fun projects. Maybe a contrasting ring of wood on a traditional ornament finial or I might layer them to make a pen, there's always some use. My father in Law used to say that was the Dutch coming out in me.

Re: scraps

Mark Kauder, Phenix City, AL

>Even though I do segemented turning, and have been known to turn a bottle stopper or a pen, I get over run with them too.

I box them up - one for bottle stopper/Christmas ornament size, and another for pen size pieces. Then occasionally I donate them to our club monthly wood auction, or on the odd occasion that one of the local turning clubs has a "Yard Sale" day, I sell them.

Of course not every small piece of wood will make a nice stopper or pen, so I have put the other pieces in a 30 gal trash can out side the shop, and each year I have about 6 trash cans full for fire wood.

Mark

Reverse problem! -

Fred in NC

>Since I turn (and sell) a lot of pens, other woodworkers are collecting wood scraps for me. Mostly common woods from cabinet and furniture, with some exotics once in a while. Not just small pieces, unless you consider a 2x2" x 4' small. Even got some logs!

The 'donations' are hard to refuse, because sometimes I find some real goodies, like purpleheart, rosewood, etc., and some of the wood is useful for flat work like boxes.

Some of the excess will eventually find a way to the local AAW chapter meetings.

Re: scraps

EagleS.C.

>Aint no such thing as scraps

just future projects.

Platters..

Wally Dickerman at Green Valley, Az.

>This is one way to use scraps of nice wood. This platter is 16 inches in dia. and has 14 kinds of wood, plus dyed veneer.

Wally

Re: scraps

Jim R

>I am glad to see I am not the only one who cannot toss a nickel size piece of cocobolo or lacewood away. I have even laminated ends of several pen blanks together to make a "pen of many colors" and I still have boxes of little jewels!

Re: scraps

Fred in NC

>Look at Wally's pic above. Gave me an idea for pens . . .

Re: send'm to other turners!

Ric Taylor

>.....running out to check my mailbox....

Bottle stoppers and pens

Dominic Greco at home in Richboro, PA

>Tony,

I started turning bottle stoppers and pens in an effort to use up some of the cool looking scraps I had laying about the shop. Trouble is, I started cutting up large pieces to make even prettier scraps for prettier looking pens! :>)

Seriously, if the wood is highly figured (like figured walnut or maple burl) anything 3/4" x 3/4" x 6" lg (or longer) is slated for use as a pen blank and goes into my "pen blank box". But only wood with a distinctive grain pattern. Common looking stuff goes into the "burn bin". Otherwise, I'd be totally overwhelmed.

If it's 1 1/2" to 2" square and about 2 to 3" long, it's a bottle stopper blank (like the pen blanks, it's got to have some character or out it goes!). I save these up and use them as the need arises.

Just to give you an idea, this year I sold more pens and bottle stoppers than bowls. And they make great gifts for your family and friends.

See ya around,

Dominic

Re: Bottle stoppers and pens

EaglescU*S*A

>When I started turning pens I figured I could get rid of my "scraps" from other projects.

WRONG!

I have more scraps than I sused to. The diffence is I have more "bins" now.

Coffee cans,Clear plastic"jars"etc.

Even the smallest piece of wood can be used for a custom finial where the color is important rather than the figure or grain.

Remember "Busy Block." Do they still make it?

Paul Porter in Phoenix, AZ

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