Leftover wood

[UnityGain]

I'm curious what people are do with the leftover wood after they make mandolins. I'm sure there have to be some decent sized peices left over with really nice figured wood leftover from making backs. I'd sure hope they dont all end up in the fireplace. Or is there just a huge pile of curly maple chunks in everyones garage? Anyone have any good ueses for them?

[sunburst]

Some of it becomes kindling, a lot of it I save for patch/repair work, (nothing matches quite like the wood from the same piece when a damaged instrument needs repair), some ends up in small shop projects, jigs, fixtures, clamping cauls, and some I give away.

Some of the wood workers I got my early "education" from were great believers in a big scrap box, and I tend toward that myself. I try to keep scraps as big as I can by planning cuts carefully. The bigger the scrap the more potential uses for it, so rather than cut a piece from the middle of a blank, why not get it from one end so the scrap is bigger?
I've worked with people who were "neat freaks" and wasted (IMO) time and machine wear sawing all their scrap into little pieces so they would neatly fit in containers out of sight, but that is frustrating to me on many levels. I prefer and keep a big scrap pile, and when I need a small piece of wood for whatever purpose, it's where I go to find it.

[lenf12]

I like the peg winders and arm rests that folks like Lynn Dudenbostel, etc. make from figured maple. Spruce can be made into tone bars.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[Hans]

Well...

[Geoff B]

helpful tools around the shop, and expensive kindling

[Geoff B]

knife with limited, but nice-nice-when-you-need-it capabilities

[JEStanek]

Hans,
No matter how often I see that photo, it still makes me shudder.... "Ahhhhh! Not a Bren-trup in flames!"

Jamie

[buckhorn]

there are no scrap pieces.....just wood waiting to be used some place else....even the tiny pieces are used as wedges...my "scrap box" is as big as my workbench...keith

[Arnt]

I can't bring myself to throw nice wood away, I even have a special drawer for pieces that are too small to keep. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Hans]

Jamie, that was a bit of sport as the OP mentioned fireplaces...something near to our hearts in Minnesota. I just don't keep a lot of scrap around as I don't have room for it. I keep a few chunks of maple around for cauls and shims, etc. Pretty much have all the tools and jigs I need, but when building instruments, there's always another chunk of scrap. I do keep a supply of 7/16" Baltic birch ply scrap from mandolin forms to make patterns and jigs from.
Guess I'd rather have an organized shop than the clutter of scrap.

[boatman]

One use that I've seen "Sunburst", aka John Hamlett, put "scraps" to is making the most elegant spoons (as in kitchen/cooking) you've ever seen. I've hinted that I want one; so far no luck. I've always thought that this was a great utilization fo smaller pieces not suitable for use in an instrument.

[Timbofood]

Isn't there always a "Little" project waiting to be made (or repaired).

[Red Henry]

Make maple bridges. Lots of maple bridges. All kinds of maple bridges. Discover new things...

Red

[oldwave maker]

I fill a box with small chunks of leftover hardwoods about twice a year and pass it on the the local senior citizens center woodcarving club, helping to keep them off the streets at least 2 mornings a week. Occasionaly they pass on the resulting art....

[PaulD]

I fill a box with small chunks of leftover hardwoods about twice a year and pass it on the the local senior citizens center woodcarving club, helping to keep them off the streets at least 2 mornings a week. Occasionaly they pass on the resulting art....
I think that's a GREAT use. We have a real problem here in Salt Lake with gangs of senior citizens intimidating folks with their walkers and beating teenagers with their canes. Better to give them knives and let them take out their frustrations on scraps off wood.

pd

[Arnt]

I always carry a pocket knife. One day I got tired of its red plastic handles, and I put these snakewood leftovers on.