Scrap lumber storage - how do you store them?

[wahoowad]

Back when my garage was less cluttered I built this 2'x2'x8' storage bin to hold miscellaneous lumber scraps leftover from little projects. I also use it for scraps of PVC and other misc stuff with no obvious home. It has always been immensely helpful to have a needed piece of lumber to finish a project rather than head back to Lowes yet again for more new wood.

Fast forward a few years and I'm realizing I just don't use the lumber scraps often enough to justify the floor space being used. I don't have a protected outside space to move some of it to.

Any suggestions on how to improve/downsize to a better solution? I think I can toss half of it to cut down but know that I will still regret simply getting rid of all of it when the next project needs a scrap.

 

[mmb617]

Wish I had an answer for ya as I think many of us are in the same boat. My scrap storage bin is on wheels which helps somewhat as I can push the whole thing aside if it's in the way of some project.

Getting rid of it entirely isn't an option. Countless times it's saved me from having to stop what I'm doing to make a supply run. Some things like PVC pipe and conduit I store overhead on the bottom chord of the trusses.

It's a fine line between keeping everything and junking up the place and throwing away stuff that you'll regret later.

 

[gunguy]

If you're serious on cutting down on the clutter, cut your inventory in half (or more) and just accept the fact that you may have to run to the store now and then.

Be ruthless, you'll appreciate the efficiency you get back when you're not stepping over, or moving stuff around just to create a little working space.

Jim

 

[killahog]

I really don't see a lot of excess scrap, I do like your pellet trap.

 

[signcrafter]

I used to try and keep all scraps too but have made up my mind that about once a month I clean them out and throw away or burn them. I keep things I use a lot of like 1/2" and 3/4" ply for little projects and some 2xs because they come in handy for all sorts of things. But I keep things for a while and if not used I round them up and throw them in the fire pit next time we have a fire or in the truck on the next trip to the landfill. I hate throwing things away when I know for a fact I will use them at some point. But some point may not be for a year or two and I just don't have room for that stuff to sit around that long. Even if it means a 1/2 hour drive each way to pick up supplies on a Saturday or Sunday when the local lumber yard is closed. I try to "stock" a lot of things because we live 1/2 hour away from most stores and it's nice to have what you need when you need it. But lumber is one of those things that isn't too expensive and takes up a lot of room. Also lumber has a "shelf life" in my opinion. 2xs will warp and twist and ply will warp or swell and what not. I've thrown away tons of NOS wood that wasn't usable anymore because it sat around too long.

 

[bwringer]

Yep, thin the herd, especially the smaller bits.

That OSB definitely has a limited "shelf life"; the edges tend to swell up and flake off.

I built a sort of "cage" in one corner of my garage for lumber scraps; the wall is lined with 1/4" plywood to keep the boards from punching through the wall. If the collection starts to outgrow the cage, the small stuff gets tossed.

I also have a defined shelf area for metal and pipe. Again, small stuff is the lowest priority.

Basically, you have to decide how much space you'll devote to leftovers and stick to it.

 

[bdbecker]

Here's what I did. The whole system is ~16" or so off the wall. For sheet goods, I made a cart out of some ply and a 2x12 that pivots out from the wall. There is enough room for a full 4x8 sheet of material on the cart. The cart is also pointed toward the garage door so I can access the material in the rack even if I have something in front of the cart/rack. Lumber gets stored in the rack above.

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Shorter drops get stored on end behind the rack.

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Here's my hinge made from some handrail brackets and a piece of pipe I picked up from the ReStore on the cheap. There is a small gap between the handrail brackets so that the load is transferred to the floor and not the wall. There's a fixed caster from Northern Tool underneath the cart.

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This system doesn't hold a ton of material, but it holds enough to keep me from having to run to the store for every project. I do need to do some housekeeping to clean up the area before this winter though. One thing about having a small material storage area is that you fill it up quick and have to be a lot more picky about what you keep.

 

[finn]

I keep mine in the enclosed lean to (16’x60’), but have too much to ever use. I am making a project of using as much of the leftovers as I can, primarily building shelving between the posts, above head level. Linger pieces that I save will be hung from an 8’ home made rack hung from the ceiling. Smaller scraps are destined for the wood stove as kindling.

 

[wahoowad]

I go thru phases where I am doing more projects. Currently in a phase of not doing a lot so i think I am going to heed some good advice here and eliminate most of it, either get some BTU's out of it it in the woodstove or in the fire ring of an upcoming camping trip. Then dismantle and reclaim that space hog of a bin I created.

Then going forward I can evaluate if I really want to save future scraps and decide then how to best store them. I will kick myself about 4 days after getting rid of it as I always need something I held on to for X years and then get rid of, but I think I'll be happier having undone a bad storage solution.

 

[Jackfre]

I built a 24x24x36 rolling box. It is tapered from back to front so shorter to longer pieces have a place. Right now I can't see the box with all the sticks and pieces around it. I tend to keep only the dimensioned hardwood off-cuts. It is coming wood stove season so I have a couple people who will take it off my hands. Otherwise it goes with a dump run. By the time that wood bin is filled I have generally made a mess of that whole area so it all gets cleaned. I hate giving up on some of those short pieces, but by the time it is "clean-up" time I'm so aggravated at having left it all to build up that it goes.

 

[Robinson1]

I really don't see a lot of excess scrap, I do like your pellet trap.

Me either!

Pretty obvious that none of these guys are serious wood workers!

I've got a 12x16 lean to off the end of my shop that's full of lumber. Another 12x16 storage building near my shop thats full of oak and cedar and walnut. I've got off cuts leaned up and stacked practically everywhere in my shop.

Last week I brought home 140 board feet of rough sawn pine 1x12.

Actual scrap (band saw drops and cull off cuts) get put in boxes by the door and when the stack of boxes get too tall I give them away for kindling. If I'm working to fill an order that requires alot of bandsaw or scroll saw work it's not uncommon to fill up several boxes a day.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Fast forward a few years and I'm realizing I just don't use the lumber scraps often enough to justify the floor space being used.

This is the key thing in your post...if you're not using it, get rid of it.


I was in the same boat - I had accumulated a huge pile of scrap wood in my basement workshop, and one day I finally realized most of it would never get used. I tossed about 90% of it, and haven't missed it. Sort through your inventory and keep only what is really worth keeping.

 

[BigGarage]

I put manageable pieces in the wheeled box I made for them and longer/larger pieces go up in the attic. When pieces get small enough I give them to a neighbor to burn in his firepit.

Dennis

 

[pbon]

Hang it in racks from the ceiling or wall or lean it against a wall. I use racks from Titan bolted to the wall to store stuff that is 2’ to 12’ long but the racks extend out only about 12” so it’s not for wide stuff like sheets of plywood. I think I bought 2 or 3 sets (2 to a set) i can support in the middle and support shorter pieces. Titan has sales regularly.

 

[bad_idea]

A tall, narrow storage rack on wheels is a great solution to lumber storage. Minimal footprint, mobile, and everyone has a random corner in the garage. With it on wheels you can roll it out to access it. I found a cart for moving banquet tables on CL and modified it, was less than $20 on good wheels.

 

[JasonMcElroy]

I leave a half-*** organized pile along the side of the house.

I send the kids out with hammers, drivers, and deck screws with some regularity as a kids activity.

I help deconstruct their unwieldy creations for inclusion in the next dump run as needed.

Jason

 

[tarmy]

Here are a few of my places...

 

[ford33]

I don't see anything there worth more than the space needed to store it. It's construction grade lumber which is not expensive. I'd toss the lot and clear up space for something valuable.

If you were storing furniture grade wood like oak, cherry or walnut wood then it would be worth finding a nice storage location. If you had some steel material that would be worth saving if you had a possible future use for it.