NickDReed
Established Member
I hear you should avoid twitter then
Cheap wood (mainly soft woods)
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my wife call's me a skip ( dumpster) rat......
gotta say had some great finds over the years....
still waiting for the MING vase tho.....hahaha...
Collecting pallets now for future projects....
Wendy house and it's furniture, bat n bird boxes....
insect hotels....etc....
lastley, I used to get Fine Wood Working mags delivered.....
I gave up my subscription after complaining about the excessive waste of stunning hard woods used for multi millionairs want's/fashion furniture....
gotta say had some great finds over the years....
still waiting for the MING vase tho.....hahaha...
Collecting pallets now for future projects....
Wendy house and it's furniture, bat n bird boxes....
insect hotels....etc....
lastley, I used to get Fine Wood Working mags delivered.....
I gave up my subscription after complaining about the excessive waste of stunning hard woods used for multi millionairs want's/fashion furniture....
There is room for everyone, no-one is special in this life. I see people destroying hardwood items because they are no longer in fashion but occasionally, not that often but sometimes, I see how some have used parts to make something useful and good so it does have some new life instead of landfill. I'm sorry for the person that built the complete table or sideboard in the first place though and recognise the lost skill in the original butchered object. It's easy to destroy and hard to make as many realistic members here know. We have lloyd loom chairs made from twisted paper we have many things made from materials people had acccess to that are often quite fantastic so let it be.
Anyone who uses MDF is using recycled material, thats what those skips of wood become.
Phill05
Established Member
I got involved with reclaimed timber in the 1970's a now well know window screen fitter had them imported in large packing cases with timber boards up to 12" wide 1" to 2" thick by 14 feet long his yard soon got full, I organised a truck to go and pick some up and when they were delivered back to the farm I de-nailed them all burnt the scrap and packing materials.
The local farmers soon saw it as a quick build shed in the making and I kept the window screen yard clear for two years until the business was sold on.
When i got more involved with furniture making I found demolition guys were burning timber onsite to get rid of it the old Coop building in the middle of Derby was my first large project, beams 12" x 14" up to 20 foot long in pitch pine, floor joists, flooring boards, I had lorry after lorry loads.
Next was the old John Players factory in Nottingham some out of this world timber came out of here, beams, joists and flooring but this time a lot of Oak and other hardwoods I did not know. Under one floor hidden away for years they came across a complete snooker table with all fittings including balls, clocking in clocks, many many slave clocks and a couple of master clocks.
Bass brewery in Burton Pitch pine again and other redwoods those were the days never to be seen again.
Reclaiming timber has been going on for years repurposed into fine furniture and house fittings all have been made out of it so no one should look down there nose and criticise the use of re-claim.
The local farmers soon saw it as a quick build shed in the making and I kept the window screen yard clear for two years until the business was sold on.
When i got more involved with furniture making I found demolition guys were burning timber onsite to get rid of it the old Coop building in the middle of Derby was my first large project, beams 12" x 14" up to 20 foot long in pitch pine, floor joists, flooring boards, I had lorry after lorry loads.
Next was the old John Players factory in Nottingham some out of this world timber came out of here, beams, joists and flooring but this time a lot of Oak and other hardwoods I did not know. Under one floor hidden away for years they came across a complete snooker table with all fittings including balls, clocking in clocks, many many slave clocks and a couple of master clocks.
Bass brewery in Burton Pitch pine again and other redwoods those were the days never to be seen again.
Reclaiming timber has been going on for years repurposed into fine furniture and house fittings all have been made out of it so no one should look down there nose and criticise the use of re-claim.
Stevekane
Established Member
Who says what is available at these places is "the poorest of raw materials"?
I've bought slow growth timber from demolition contactors for next to nothing which is of far higher quality than the fast grown spruce & other offerings we see today. It's also a sight more stable, having been in situ for a century or more & takes little more effort than preparing rough sawn, kiln dried offerings.
A couple of timber recycling stories to entertain you (one prompted by Phil05's packing case memory).
Back in the day when becoming a supplier to a Mr. H. Ford of components for his vehicles was a plum contract, if he told you that the gearboxes/axles/whatevers that you supplied had to be in packing cases (always wood in those days) of a particular size because that was what worked for his loading bays and stores, you did it. The reason was fiction - the truth was that he could break the packing cases down and with no more machining whatsoever use them as floorboards and truck bed sides.
Some years ago I went on tour of the fairly-recently defunct Battersea power station. (Fabulous building, with doors, fixtures and fittings, and parquet flooring to die for.) They told us a story of how at one point they had invited tenders for the removal of the scrubbing equipment in the chimneys, which were basically criss-crossing steel and timber beams over which water was sprayed as the smoke rose, to cool it and remove sulphur.
The winning bid was significantly cheaper than the others, because the guy who placed it knew that the timbers were huge (25' x 3') baulks of 50-year old Burmese teak, and that once the outer few inches were machined off would be in great condition and worth a great deal of money. They found out later that he would have been willing to pay them for the wood.
Back in the day when becoming a supplier to a Mr. H. Ford of components for his vehicles was a plum contract, if he told you that the gearboxes/axles/whatevers that you supplied had to be in packing cases (always wood in those days) of a particular size because that was what worked for his loading bays and stores, you did it. The reason was fiction - the truth was that he could break the packing cases down and with no more machining whatsoever use them as floorboards and truck bed sides.
Some years ago I went on tour of the fairly-recently defunct Battersea power station. (Fabulous building, with doors, fixtures and fittings, and parquet flooring to die for.) They told us a story of how at one point they had invited tenders for the removal of the scrubbing equipment in the chimneys, which were basically criss-crossing steel and timber beams over which water was sprayed as the smoke rose, to cool it and remove sulphur.
The winning bid was significantly cheaper than the others, because the guy who placed it knew that the timbers were huge (25' x 3') baulks of 50-year old Burmese teak, and that once the outer few inches were machined off would be in great condition and worth a great deal of money. They found out later that he would have been willing to pay them for the wood.
Please define that term.
When doing so it would be wise to avoid positioning yourself as somewhere on the gammon to mouth-frothing, eye-swivelling RWL spectrum.
She who frowns at me has been known to almost drag me to the other side of the road to avoid skips if one hoves into view where we are walking.
I've recently (mostly) removed an old sectional concrete panel Marley-type garage. The double doors on it are about 70 years old, and in the 30-odd years I've been in charge of them I might once have slapped a coat of fence paint on them. Suffice it to say they've not been cosseted.
And yet they have not rotted or fallen apart.
They've basically weathered to a silvery-grey colour externally but are intrinsically a reddish-brown colour.
I suspect cedar.
And I'm sorely tempted to use the wood as the top for a patio table, as I think it would be a crime to send it to landfill.
And yet they have not rotted or fallen apart.
They've basically weathered to a silvery-grey colour externally but are intrinsically a reddish-brown colour.
I suspect cedar.
And I'm sorely tempted to use the wood as the top for a patio table, as I think it would be a crime to send it to landfill.
okeydokey
Established Member
Well phill05 brought back a memory from about 1970 and thank you.
My father wanted a shed but no money, he travelled to and from Croydon daily in his Morris Minor Estate and passed Collins Glass (South Croydon) who were wholesalers where glass was delivered in long packing cases with a timber frame - the wood just suitable to build a shed. So over a couple of months he brought home the wood (FOC), denailed as needed and packed away. Then one Sunday he decided he had enough timber and that sunny afternoon the wood was laid out on the grass in panel shapes and it wasn't long before we had built shed walls/panels all that was needed and enough for a roof and floor.(the door was built later) My wife can still remember as she and my mother chuckling away as the shed came to life. A few months later when I working in Epsom the Woolworths was being updated and so out in their skip were huge sheets of thick melamine coated plywood which in due course made the workbench and some shelves. A window and frame was picked up somewhere along the line and inserted.
The house was been sold some 20 years ago but the shed is still standing after 50 years - doesn't look as if its been looked after by the new owners. With a bit of fettling I'm sure would come good again.
My father wanted a shed but no money, he travelled to and from Croydon daily in his Morris Minor Estate and passed Collins Glass (South Croydon) who were wholesalers where glass was delivered in long packing cases with a timber frame - the wood just suitable to build a shed. So over a couple of months he brought home the wood (FOC), denailed as needed and packed away. Then one Sunday he decided he had enough timber and that sunny afternoon the wood was laid out on the grass in panel shapes and it wasn't long before we had built shed walls/panels all that was needed and enough for a roof and floor.(the door was built later) My wife can still remember as she and my mother chuckling away as the shed came to life. A few months later when I working in Epsom the Woolworths was being updated and so out in their skip were huge sheets of thick melamine coated plywood which in due course made the workbench and some shelves. A window and frame was picked up somewhere along the line and inserted.
The house was been sold some 20 years ago but the shed is still standing after 50 years - doesn't look as if its been looked after by the new owners. With a bit of fettling I'm sure would come good again.
sawtooth-9
Established Member
It does not matter where you source good timber - there are some gems in the re-cycling places.
Sourcing good timber at the cheapest price is smart.
Using re-cycled timber is great as nobody wants waste
The same is true for machines that end up in scrap metal - there are some real gems.
I guess it's a decision of fitness for purpose and the desire to produce a great result.
I hope that is the real debate.
We all have different reasons for doing what we do, but as I progress from being a "relic" to a "fossil", I know there is limited time left - and what I spend time making, I would like to be useful, beautiful and know it will last. That's to do with design, materials, and some level of skill
Sourcing good timber at the cheapest price is smart.
Using re-cycled timber is great as nobody wants waste
The same is true for machines that end up in scrap metal - there are some real gems.
I guess it's a decision of fitness for purpose and the desire to produce a great result.
I hope that is the real debate.
We all have different reasons for doing what we do, but as I progress from being a "relic" to a "fossil", I know there is limited time left - and what I spend time making, I would like to be useful, beautiful and know it will last. That's to do with design, materials, and some level of skill
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Ollie78
Established Member
I have no problem with using recycled timber and some of it is wonderful wood.
It can be a bargain and old furniture from gumtree or charity shops etc can be good sources.
However, last time I went to a "wood recycling centre" they were taking the absolute p**s and charging just silly money for rubbish wood.
It's not always a bargain.
Ollie
It can be a bargain and old furniture from gumtree or charity shops etc can be good sources.
However, last time I went to a "wood recycling centre" they were taking the absolute p**s and charging just silly money for rubbish wood.
It's not always a bargain.
Ollie
Watch a video,
In essence wokiness is no better or worse than religon but like everything it can become radical and extreme at the expense of society. It could be seen as a way for some people to try and adjust the real harsh world into something more pallatable and try and live in a fantasy world where only the bits they like exist.
As for skips, what is one mans rubbish is anothers treasure and having once had a neighbour who drove a skip lorry it was amazing what he would collect and make good money from, some perk of the job.
That video, where the intro said "I think it is absolutely healthy for teams to talk about the language that they use and bring light to the fact that words matter"?
Where a presenter explained "In essence, 'woke' means to be aware. It also describes an awakening within our society to issues that weren't always openly discussed, and when we talk about 'woke culture' this refers to the ability to call out things we don't like, or find offensive."?
So what do you object to?
And why?
People thinking about and discussing the words they use? That's bad?
Being aware? Would you rather people were ignorant?
Realising that there are issues in our society which haven't always been openly discussed? That's harmful?
The ability to call out things we don't like, or find offensive? That should be denied?
When I hear people banging on along the lines of "you can't say anything these days" what I hear are people who think that they should be allowed to be gratuitously offensive, to express prejudices, to be insulting and dismissive towards others, to be in opposition to any socially liberal or progressive policies, and not to face any criticism or opposition over it.
When I hear people whining about "wokeness" I hear exactly the same ideologically driven nonsense, for exactly the same reasons, from exactly the same sort of people who a generation ago whined about "political correctness. I hear the same pejorative and disparaging use, by people who are somewhere on the gammon to mouth-frothing eye swivelling RWL spectrum because they are engaged in a backlash against changes to societal attitudes which they find unpalatable, and want to try and maintain a fantasy world where only the ignorance and prejudices and inequalities they like exist, and who demand the continued obeisance from people who they think don't matter.
TheTiddles
Established Member
It’s the new version of “polite” I think.
We need to live in a world of free speech and accept that other peoples views and opinions may not match our own but are equally as important and not a world where people cannot accept other people who do not fall in line with them. So what if someone says something you don't like, I was brought up with " sticks & stones may break my bones but words cannot hurt me " and that should include " unless you let them " .
My upp and coming project is goin to be a display unit for the front rom.
Oak ? Black walnut ? Ash or maple. not a bit of it, im intending on using B&Q pine..
Knots,hollows,dents will be filled with 2 pack, entire thing sanded super smooth then painted with multiple coats in a heavy oil based white paint. As its curved and the rear supporting structure wont be seen i'll be making that ns osb.
Part of designing furniture isn't what its made of, but how you get to the finished product, and how that will look.
I've seen cleverly made stained and waxed mdf pieces, where the mdf was mixed in with hardwood and the overall effect was excellent. The surface of the mdf, apart form the staining wasn't hidden, but allowed for a mottled appearence.
Oak ? Black walnut ? Ash or maple. not a bit of it, im intending on using B&Q pine..
Knots,hollows,dents will be filled with 2 pack, entire thing sanded super smooth then painted with multiple coats in a heavy oil based white paint. As its curved and the rear supporting structure wont be seen i'll be making that ns osb.
Part of designing furniture isn't what its made of, but how you get to the finished product, and how that will look.
I've seen cleverly made stained and waxed mdf pieces, where the mdf was mixed in with hardwood and the overall effect was excellent. The surface of the mdf, apart form the staining wasn't hidden, but allowed for a mottled appearence.
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