Happy & Green Puppies, Cucumbers, Neighbors, Bonsai & Keeping Warm.

With having the shop I always have to be creative and inventive to get rid of my excess sawdust, shavings, scraps & culls and my larger unusable pieces.  This is a problem for any wood worker living and working in a major metro area.  I can no longer just make a pile on my 20 acres and have a huge bonfire, like I used to be able to.  Those were the days or nights - many memories made roasting marsh-mellows, hanging out with family and friends and the occasional dancing under the moonlight.  

Living in Orange County now, I can no longer do this to the scale I used to.  Seriously, my wood piles would be huge!  My neighbors here love me because of all the free wood they get to burn in their own fire pits on the weekends.  So in a sense I am now, helping them make memories. 

I catch my clean shavings.  Meaning, when I plane the wood I aim it at a large bin and bag it.  These fresh shavings, smell great, look great, and absorb like nothing else.  Since it's a clean catch, no staples, screws, dust, stained pieces or anything like that - it is safe to give to the local Animal Shelters and horse stables. They welcome my 10-15 large black yard trash bags a month. So I fill my Ford Expedition and off I go.  I love going to OC Animal Care and I always walk around to see the critters and pups.  Did you know they have livestock there?  Many times I've wanted to take home a chicken or two to have fresh eggs, I am not sure my neighbors would like that though - regardless of how many scraps I give them to burn.  

Speaking of scraps, I offer these for free via posting on Craigslist.  Usually it's on a first come, first serve basis.  I do this at least twice a month and I've met some interesting people.  Usually it's people that burn the wood to keep warm, other crafter's who pick through my scraps for specific pieces and people who re-use the wood for specific reasons other than woodworking.  I met a man who grows Bonsai's and uses the wood as bases for his cute little trees, although his aren't so little.  I also have home gardeners that come and ask for wood for posts and garden beds as well as shavings and sawdust for compost.  But most of all it's usually a family whose only supply of heat is a fireplace.  Those few that I am sure of that are in need - I have their numbers to call first.  Believe it or not, none of these families are so greedy that they take everything, all of them have told me they are ok for a few weeks and call me when they are low.  

I have also designed a few items that i can make with culls (scraps) like the blue chair above, along with a some working pieces that fit any decor.  Those will be placed on my Etsy Shop and will also be offered as prizes for my social media campaigns.  Crafty me, I know. 

So in doing all of this, i have solved my trash issue, helped a few people and animals out and most importantly, I am saving the planet just a little.  So the only trash I have coming out of my shop at the moment is your standard trash that any other business would have and it is still no where near the amount of other businesses within my building.  Recycle, Reuse and Re-invent your scraps and shavings.