Scrap Cart Guidelines Overview
The scrap cart is a great way to share your offcuts with others. We request that you follow these guidelines when deciding if your offcut is usable.
Purpose
To help distinguish the difference between scrap and trash. Offcuts that are placed on the scrap cart will fall into two categories:
Offcuts may be used for test cuts to dial in the settings on the table saw, router table, drill press, band saw, etc. They are also occasionally used by hand tool users in setting up various types of hand planes, testing hand saw set, practice cuts, etc.
Offcuts may be used as project materials.
Definitions
2 by X Materials: These include the common 2x4, 2x6, 2x8 etc. Also included in this category are 4x4’s 6x6’s etc.
Dimensional Lumber
Softwoods: This includes pine, poplar (technically a hardwood) basswood, etc.
Hardwoods & Exotics: This includes all domestic and international wood species such as cherry, oak, maple, mahogany, walnut, padauk, bloodwood, purple heart, Iroko etc.
Other Lumber & Sheet Goods
Rough sawn lumber: This includes slabs, cookies, live edge offcuts, etc.
Sheet Goods: This includes plywood, MDF, OSB, melamine, etc.
Guideline
The following provides the guidelines for what constitutes usable scraps.
First and foremost, the scrap cart is for usable wood.
2 by X Materials
2 by X materials must be a minimum length of 10 inches and a minimum width of one inch of usable lumber to assist as test cuts as described above. Anything smaller shall be thrown into the trash.
Dimensional Lumber
Dimensional softwood lumber must be a minimum length of 10 inches and a minimum width of 2 inches. Anything smaller shall be thrown in the trash.
Dimensional hardwood lumber must be a minimum length of 6 inches and a minimum width of 2 inches.
Dimensional exotic lumber must be a minimum length of 3 inches and a minimum width of 1 inch.
Rough dimensional lumber must be in usable condition. It must not be just the bark/wane and sap wood—there must be usable project wood on it. The minimum length is 10 inches and a minimum width of 3 inches.
Sheet Goods
All sheet goods must be a minimum length of 12 inches and a minimum width of 4 inches.
CNC Special Instructions
If you have cut out shapes in the sheet goods and believe there is ample material left to meet the minimum requirements, then before you place that material on the scrap cart, you are required to cut away the waste material and place it in the trash. The individual who chooses to use that scarp material should not have to cut out the usable section and throw away the waste for you.
Cutouts: If you have cut out circles, ovals, triangular or rectangular pieces out of sheet goods, the usable surface of the cutout must meet the minimum dimensions outlined above.
2 by X materials and dimensional lumber: If you have made cuts into the face of the material rendering it useless unless it is resurfaced, then you can either:
A. Resurface the material and place it on the scrap cart.
B. Throw it in the trash.
We appreciate your assistance in maintaining the usable wood in the scrap cart. If you any questions, please reply in this thread. If you feel it is necessary, I will be happy to post pictures of the kinds trash scrap this guideline addresses.
I hope that people continue to not follow these guidelines. I have taken a lot of hardwood off the scrap cart that was smaller than the dimensional guidelines listed here and found them very usable.
I too have rescued some tiny but useful hardwood scraps from the cart.
In my case they’re generally used for laser shenanigans. This could potentially be dealt with by informing folks that certain woods can be left as scrap in the laser bin right down the hall. (Laser requirements are similar in area I believe, but not as stringent on the length requirements)
Upon walking past the scrap cart today I noticed some scraps of walnut that wouldn’t fit the proposed scrap guidelines, however they were more or less perfect for a project I am working on which requires thin wooden staves.
Easily saved me $20 and some labor, however i do see how small pieces such as these are annoying to clean out.
Any possibility we could have a small (3-5gal) bucket on the side of the scrap cart for hardwood pieces like this?
@NickE The picture seems to show all the walnut within the 2” x 6” guidelines. I would greatly appreciate if you would measure them and report on the results.
This is exactly why we post them and ask for feedback so we can modify them if and when necessary.
I took a bunch of walnut from that cache earlier this week. 1.5”x1.5” with lengths from 7-10” great for making tapered legs for a short plant stand.
I grab plywood scraps when I’m drilling through a piece of wood and want to prevent tear out, that could be a 3”x3” piece.
If I’m checking the height of a bit on the router table, I’ll grab a scrap; it doesn’t need to be more than 1”x5”.
Plywood / MDF is also good for nailing to the CNC bed to prevent a slab from sliding, again a 2”x7”x0.75” is plenty useful there.
I agree with Mr. Cohen. Small scraps have saved my day many times, and I take no more offense at his phrasing than I do at the use of “shall.”
I appreciate the stewards and your endless efforts to make Asmbly better every day, but I’m against the language police unless something is blatantly offensive.
The idea put forth by @NickE for a “bucket” for hardwood that is smaller than the scrap cart guidelines is definitely fair and doable.
Let’s give this thread a few more days for constructive feedback and I’ll readdress the proposed guidelines above.
Please be respectful to each other while commenting.
We’re doing everything we can to make ALL Asmby members’ experience positive as we continue to grow and expand. I truly appreciate everyone’s feedback, support, and help in making things flow positively for all our create desires.
I was unaware of any scrap cart guidelines, and I think most Asmbly goers are competent people who can decide if a leftover piece of wood is worthwhile to leave for someone else.
The walnut posted in the pictures and the 1.5 x 1.5 pieces that were mentioned were from my recent build. I know I left a lot of pieces of many different sizes, but even after returning less than 24 hours later and then again 24 hours after that, nearly all of them were gone.
I agree there should be some guidelines, though I also think pieces should not be automatically disqualified.
Thank you @DevineLD61 for your feedback. Asmbly’s member’s handbook has the current scrap cart guidelines we are updating due to the consistent misuse and blatant abuse of it.
Unfortunately, as we all had hoped that common sense would prevail in members self determining what is trash verse usable scarp has led us to update those guidelines.
Here’s a few examples of the consistent trash I weed out of the scarp several times a week. Unfortunately, I do not have have pictures of the 1” wide 8’ long strip of plywood that are constantly left there
For implementing policy on things like this- In my experience you are going to have a more collaborative and positive discourse if you would have started with the pictures that you just posted and said hey I am tired of having to clear out a bunch of this seemingly useless scrap every week. what can you do to help solve this problem. and what questions do we need to ask.
As for my opinion on the scrap cart;
It’s honestly been super bare compared to what it’s been in the past, the scrap cart is one of the best creative and inspirational things in a makerspace, It has helped me start or finish hundreds of projects.
I think any guidelines should come in a lens of encouraging and making it easier for people to put things on the scrap cart for others.
It’s never going to be the neatest area of the shop and that’s okay (just can’t be complete chaos) People that use the scrap cart don’t care if they have to cut off a little extra waste as they are getting the benefit.
I feel like this overregulation approach will increase the likelihood of people throwing out more good stuff as they just don’t want to bother.
Thank you @EricP for your comments. We have been requesting for years that members adhere to the current guidelines (not the proposed guideline I posted above)—unfortunately, we have had no luck. There are several old threads that lots of pictures and even a contest on what did you make from the scrap cart and the silliest thing you found there.
Allow me to clear up one obvious misperception. This is a guideline, a way to determine if a leftover piece of wood is usable based on years of clearing out the scrap cart.
We are NOT requiring you measure your leftover wood, but to use the guidelines as a gauge to determine if it should to placed in the thrash or in the scarp cart.
I’m in complete agreement with @NickE that adding a bucket for smaller hardwood offcuts is a great idea and a way to share those smaller pieces with others.
Again I thank you for the thoughtful and respectful response. I continue to request feedback as we strive to improve the wood shop for all of us.
I think there are useful pieces of scrap wood. I have used them multiple times, but there are those pieces that defy common sense. Alot of scrap falls mostly in this category and defies all logic in terms of reuse. My big complaint about the scrap cart is it is usually a mess. Maybe we could gave the shop stewards or someone designated to act as a referee and regularly purge the cart of unusable pieces. I like the idea of a bucket for pieces that fall into the gray category
The challenge really is that one person’s off-cut is another one’s scrap/trash.
At one end of the spectrum, yes the itty bitty scraps in the “scrap of the week” are really garbage and we need some education there. Just like the need to break down the CNC “skeleton” scrap.
But the characterization of this problem as a “consistent misuse and blatant abuse of the scrap cart policy” seems really off base to me. I guess if folks use the cart for a trash can…then yes, but throwing the really small scraps in the trash should always be easier than walking them over to the scrap cart from another part of the shop.
In the end I myself, and I’d like to think other members, really want to error on the side of giving back something to their fellow members in the form of wood that could get repurposed and also lower the amount of wood going into the landfill.
Trouble is some offcuts take longer to get “discovered/repurposed” and become useful to another member and therefore overall accumulate faster than they get recycled. So that long strip of plywood may take longer than something else. I can attest that my garage has offcuts that have been around a long time that I think I might use someday and I think that is why people want to error on the side of “I hope someone can use this”.
As previously discussed, I think the idea to provide a place for smaller offcuts like a bucket would be a great way to better organize these and keep them from getting thrown out immediately so that they continue to be available to members.
Taking this further, the current scrap cart design really doesn’t invite members to think about what they are putting on the cart. It seems to “invite” mainly sheet goods and the hidden tunnel doesn’t help in letting members see what is available. A design that “self” sorts may hold more materials while also discourage storage of large amounts of certain shapes. For example I have this setup in my garage for various lengths of lumber. A larger version with bins also for sheet goods could be a way to both store more and also make it more clear what sizes are acceptable.
Thank you for that photo @sknodl ! Michael and I were talking yesterday how the scrap cart design could be updated to “self sort”, just like you mentioned. We were thinking about more organized space in front for small cut-offs, medium sized, and longer shaped cutoffs. We could make our scrap cart a bit less than 8’ long to make the buckets more appropriately sized.
The sheet scrap area (backside of our current cart) is something that hung us up. While it is able to hold an entire 8’ long sheet, I haven’t seen anyone use it for that. I do, however, see it being used for a number of sheets that often spread apart. Looking at your photo, how does the sheet scrap storage work for you? Is it accessible or a pain. Is that approach something you think could work here?
Talking more with Michael, one thing we could both agree on are the plywood cut-outs from the laser or CNC needing to be chopped up. It’s not uncommon to find pieces that are all cut out with little to offer unless someone takes the time to break down the remaining sheet. No matter how the scrap cart goes, this would be a good etiquette for folks to practice; cutting the sheet to more meaningful scraps.
