Wood recycling

[Ttrees]

Hello Steliz
I have been collecting and working on reclaimed hardwoods exclusively for the last few years...
Mainly exterior doors, frames and windows, have some odd planks from hotels, houses and pubs too
Mainly all the timber I get is Iroko, the other common hardwood species found is Meranti, the softer, and redder of the bunch.
This is 99 percent the door and window species I find, although I have stumbled across Afrormosia before, in a really old building in town, this stuff is uncommon though.

You don't need a thicknesser or a planer.
Even if I had one, I would be hand planing the varnish and crud off first.
I suggest you get a metal detector wand for the job, absolute LIFESAVER 8) DAMHIK.
Take a single cut file to the back of an ol hardpoint saw, it will scrape the cement off (cement is no friend of the cap iron)
Get a cheap old plane for the rough stuff, and a nice Stanley no. 5 1/2 for the rest.

Here is an example of what I have ...

Bring a saw with you always, look at flats around town where front doors keep getting broken into
Look in hotels and pubs, getting reno jobs, look in the dump ,
Bring a composite smooth fire door home for planing on,
Look at window and door manufacturers for their skip.
Nothings too small, Titebond is class
It's always worth it bring it home
Theirs blood on this resource as far as I'm concerned, Iroko might not be so plentiful
in a few years

The hand plane is truly the most joyful tool to uncover the beauty of the timber underneath the flaky layers of paint.
Watch out for lead dust in the old paint (they say?)

Good luck
Tom

 

[Brandlin]

the problem with your response tasky is that its a glib short hand often used by people who do not actually understand the law and HSE regulations and its an increasingly common excuse for not actually understanding the risk and designing some of it out.

The problem with your wall of text there is that, while absolutely correct, it still requires an actual effort on the part of the company.
It requires documentation, regulation, enforcement, auditing, inspection and quite probably money... particularly when dealing with members of the public, who need protecting from their own lack of common sense as much as anything else.

It only takes one silly incident from one individual to trigger off reams of this carp, to the point where we cannot take off our hard hats if our jackets are wet in case the wet sleeve hits us in the eye... yes, really... and since we're a joint venture, this is pretty much a UK wide thing across our whole industry.

Just saying No is the quickest, easiest, fairest, most catch-all option available, which is why so many companies simply adopt that to save any fuss, and why I said it was the basic H&S mentality, rather than any kind of good practice.

I've run safety systems in the aerospace, automotive and construction industries and have been a company director with manufacturing, engineering and safety responsibility as well as an independent consultant to the HSE and a principle investigator for serious incidents. I've designed plenty of control systems over my time and it isn't difficult, the amount of waste would easily cover whatever cost is incurred and improve their performance.

Its not a company its a council - one that has quotas on recycling to meet and fails them regularly but employs inspectors in cars to drive around spot checking peoples waste bins to make sure they haven't put something in there they shouldn't, and spot fining them; but are willing to watch skip loads of reusable wood go to incineration each week. It isnt an issue of cost, its an issue of lack of understanding and willingness to act.

I can wander into the car breakers yard a mile down the road and be met with a better safety regime and buy rusty lumps of old cars with all the handling issues properly managed and without a bat of an eye.

Your example is EXACTLY what i am arguing against. a knee jerk reaction by people who have no understanding of risk and how to manage it. If your example is true then whoever is responsible for safety in your organisation is an arse. That has nothign to do with the HSE or any legal requirements, and i fail to see how it represents any form of risk management. I feel sorry thats what you have to put up with, but i assure you it is not right. Sadly it is becoming more common - partly due to the way the subject is treated in the popular media with derision.


i agree lons - there are insurance issues - but they are also very surmountable and not cost prohibitive.

 

[Steliz]

Hi Ttrees, thanks for the info.
I'm quite surprised that Iroko is so common as I thought of it as an 'exotic' wood. That's probably down to my lack of knowledge though.
Your pictures are great, that's an impressive stock of reclaimed timber (and shavings). I would also need to van or pick up to collect stuff like that.

I now have a hand planer, I bought a 2nd hand Record No5 on ebay and I will use that for stripping off the finish and get another for the less industrial work. I think I have most of the 'basic stripping tools' shown in your picture but I'll definitely get a metal detector wand, thanks for that advice.

I don't have very much work/storage space at the moment but my intention is to move to a new property later this year which will better suit my purpose (indoors with heating!). I'm not looking to start a commercial venture just do something creative and enjoyable.

Can I ask what you use the reclaimed wood for?

Thanks again.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Your example is EXACTLY what i am arguing against. a knee jerk reaction by people who have no understanding of risk and how to manage it .......................

An acquaintance of mine who runs a firm of decorators was told to ensure his men wore hard hats - they were painting skirtings in a school. :?

 

[AndyT]

On the whole, I've avoided H&S problems by scrounging old wood from friends, neighbours and family who were pleased to see it go where it would be used. Just a thought.

 

[thick_mike]

Free cycle, skips (ask owners first), unsold items at auction houses (have a word with them and say you’ll take away unattractive unsold large furniture). Never tried the last one, but know of someone that does this.

 

[Tasky]

look at flats around town where front doors keep getting broken into, Look in hotels and pubs, getting reno jobs, look in the dump, Bring a composite smooth fire door home for planing on,

Tom, can I just ask - Where is this wonderful, most blessed land in which you live, that has all this happening and all this wood being replaced... especially in this modern age where most people are just replacing older PVC with newer PVC and any wood already 'belongs' to an appointed disposal contractor??!!
And is there good parking nearby?

The best I've managed is occasional bits of firewood from a mate in the 'leccy company, who would drop off the 'refuse' after clearing a tree that brought down the power lines!

I've run safety systems in... (snip) it isn't difficult, the amount of waste would easily cover whatever cost is incurred and improve their performance

So you've not actually seen what the water utilities industry is like, then?
My advice - Don't. You'll have a heart attack!! :lol:

Its not a company its a council

Ours is a waste management solutions company, although is probably owned/shared by the council.

It isnt an issue of cost, its an issue of lack of understanding and willingness to act.

It may cost time, money or effort, but it's still easier for them to just say no.

If your example is true then whoever is responsible for safety in your organisation is an buttocks.

Oh yeah. We are very much aware of this.

As a side note to the OP - While you cannot go 'dumpster diving' at your local 'civic amenity site', I don't believe there's anything against approaching people who are unloading their car and asking if you can have their wood *before* they chuck it in the skips.... They do it for a certain TV programme, anyway.
All depends how much you don't mind hanging around a stinking, smelly tip, I suppose....!

 

[ED65]

...skips (ask owners first)...

Just on this, asking permission would of course be best policy but isn't always legally required. I believe what usually applies is that where a skip sits on public land the stuff inside is considered rubbish or abandoned goods, and as neither are property they therefore can't be stolen.

 

[Tasky]

Just on this, asking permission would of course be best policy but isn't always legally required.

Just good manners, if nothing else, unless there's nobody on hand to ask.
But also worth remembering that some people do get rather funny about it... and they have big bits of nail-ridden wood they can pick up!! :lol:

 

[AndyT]

I like to think we are giving them some extra space which they would otherwise be paying for. But yes, it is good manners and good sense to ask. If you are rummaging through someone else's expensive skip, assume their first reaction will be to suspect you of filling it up with your own rubbish - which they definitely WON'T like.

 

[Lons]

Some of the best places to keep an eye out for are commercial properties undergoing shop re-fits, most department stores have an amount of solid wood, often ash or oak but more exotic in some of the older establishments, add to that pubs and hotels and especially banks and building societies where opulence of fittings is rife. Just look around when you're out shopping and you'll see what I mean and it's the contractors you should ask who are often approachable and happy to part with wood for the cost of a few beers. I've had some beautiful walnut and teak countertops from building societies and an insurance company re-fit.
If you can find any shop fitters with premises on industrial estates they often have a skip on site and bring wood back to the depot. Other sources are kitchen fitters who skip old oak kitchen doors the frames of which are often hardwood and hardwood flooring fitters who scrap the offcuts, sometimes decent lengths. B&Q and Homebase throw damaged flooring lengths in the skip or sell off for very little.

Schools and colleges as well where the removal of science labs in favour of craft rooms has meant the disposal of miles of solid bench tops, I got 2 large trailer loads a number of years ago which hardly scratched the surface the rest being dumped and burned, I also kitted out my whole workshop with cupboards and drawers from a local college. 8 doubles and 4 single mostly 4 drawer units that were ply construction with solid oak fronts and face frames. I left 3 times as many in the rain where they had been dumped as I just couldn't get them in time.

Auction rooms are worth a look as old solid furniture sells for peanuts unless named antiques, boot sales sometimes, freecycle, gumtree etc. Even though it's a diminishing supply, there's wood all over the place if you're prepared to make the effort and that's without considering tree surgeons and supplies of green wood if you're prepared to process the timber.

Bob

 

[Ttrees]

Hello again folks
Getting a hand plane is probably the best thing you could do in terms of learning woodworking FULL STOP.
Not to mention how effective it will be in terms of getting the rubbish off the timber.
I would suggest if your on the lookout for a nice old Stanley no 5 1/2 too as its wider, and generally more of a bench plane,
rather than a do all .
Look out for one with a thick sole (both ends) as some have been lapped badly.
I like having the narrow plane for the immediate work, so the 5 will be used .
For flattening stock like door stiles and rails the wider plane is nicer.

My wonderful land is not so close to you guys, so more timber for me I suppose.
and I have never seen, nor heard of UPVC windows being replaced ...a frightening thought :shock:

I must explain no van was used in the collection of this timber, some was on the shoulder or on me back.

Not advised, but I was thinking of making a t-shirt with some jargon like Timber exchange scheme ,
Waste wood for wood waste
Make a nice re-cycle logo on the back , because thats all those Oi! fellas will see :lol:
Still remember that door that slipped through my hands...
It had metal straps on it, so I wouldn't have been able to dismantle it.
Best way to dismantle a door is to cut the rails close to the stiles
you will be cutting through stile molding m and when your close dont cut into the panel
This always happens to me.

Whats the wood for you ask...
Frank Klausz bench, tool cabinet, and then some furniture I suppose
I'm not worried what it needs to be.

Regarding common timbers, iroko being common as chips.
You won't find mahogany in doors or windows
I'm not even sure if I have any ..I could have, but that was taken from a skip at a small house.
Someone must have thought it was too dark.
I may do something fancier with these panels, if it is a different species than iroko or meranti ...

Nothing wrong with these timbers though...
I was looking in a gallery at a fancy frame made from either, it was stained very dark so I couldn't tell.
apart from noticing the pours in the wood was very visible!
I suspect the reason this timber isn't so popular for indoors, is because of this

You can pore fill however, I am unsure if this is a viable practice like done with instruments.

Tom

 

[Brandlin]

I've run safety systems in... (snip) it isn't difficult, the amount of waste would easily cover whatever cost is incurred and improve their performance

So you've not actually seen what the water utilities industry is like, then?
My advice - Don't. You'll have a heart attack!! :lol:

My previous job was overhauling a major water gas and power utilities provider. On the water side everything from domestic connections and metering up to and including reservoir building and refurbishment, storage tanks, pumping stations and treatment farms.

one of the interesting points about the whole utilities industry is the way the regulator caps bills and the major utilities push that into the supply chain. As an almost £800m per annum tunover company we were making around 1.5% margin as the whole regulation pressure was forced down the chain from the utility companies. So that kind of cost pressure puts enormous issues on quality environment and safety concerns let alone just getting the job done. Add to it that most of the contracts with water companies are on a 'partnering basis' where they actually provide project management and governance. Thats where the risk often is.... someone from the client company stood by the side of the road demanding to know why the job isnt finished and ignorant to the risks that the workforce are facing.

Its a hard industry to make money in with a huge public disapproval because they disrupt roads and infrastructure, its regulated very poorly and focused only customers bills not long term sustainability, infrastructure renewal or any of the issues that makes an industry LONG TERM competitive. And yes, i agree in many places i found a range of HSE professionals that needed to be better, HSE decisions that were often taken by people without an understanding and 'bullied' through, knee jerk reactions to previous incidents that didnt address the real cause.

However the biggest issue is a general attitude from the workforce, management, general public and media that "HSE gets in the way of the job and makes up petty rules". the way in which the profession is seen and treated is pretty scandalous.

... Right up until you are standing on a site where somebody died ...

I had the misfortune of investigating 5 deaths in 3 years in that industry.



As you can see i am pretty passionate about this. I know i'm off topic and apologise. But i will respond (passionately but appropriately I hope) to glib comments on H&S.

 

[Brandlin]

...skips (ask owners first)...

Just on this, asking permission would of course be best policy but isn't always legally required. I believe what usually applies is that where a skip sits on public land the stuff inside is considered rubbish or abandoned goods, and as neither are property they therefore can't be stolen.

This isn't technically true, but its what happens in practice.

court rulings in the past have suggested that the contents of the skip are considered the legal property of the skip owner or hirer. That's set out in a few cases where people were hurt getting into skips. the ruling being that the contents remained the responsibility of the skip owner until disposed of, rather than them relinquishing ownership when thrown in the skip, wherever the skip is located. (as an aside this lead to lots of arguments about who owns the waste in transit? the builder? the skip hirer? the client? the transport company? ... and much rewriting of contracts)

Also, just because its in a skip doesn't mean its waste. in the commercial world that waste can often have value and be part of a contract selling on the waste. You could be taking something that has been sold on.

All of that aside, in REALITY, if the skip is in a publicly accessible place it's probably not from a major contractor, its probably not got value and in all likelihood who is going to take time to press charges against you for helping to empty it?

Good manners should of course apply.

 

[Tasky]

However the biggest issue is a general attitude from the workforce, management, general public and media that "HSE gets in the way of the job and makes up petty rules". the way in which the profession is seen and treated is pretty scandalous.

Most of the time our lot do get in our way. I've had postpone an 'emergency' job for three months while we sent Mines Rescue crews on a training course, so they had Our Company certification that they were competent to provide adequate safety cover, because our H&S feel the industry standards aren't as good as ours. The training course for these Mines Rescue guys was supplied by... go on, have a guess..... yup, Mines Rescue!!

I had the misfortune of investigating 5 deaths in 3 years in that industry.

Every time we see another H&S update, it's rarely about a safe working system. It's all about whose fault it was and where the blame lies.

As you can see i am pretty passionate about this. I know i'm off topic and apologise. But i will respond (passionately but appropriately I hope) to glib comments on H&S.

Difference between me being glib and me merely pointing out where the cultural attitude toward something is glib, though.

 

[ED65]

...asking permission would of course be best policy but isn't always legally required. I believe what usually applies is that where a skip sits on public land the stuff inside is considered rubbish or abandoned goods, and as neither are property they therefore can't be stolen.

This isn't technically true, but its what happens in practice.

court rulings in the past have suggested that the contents of the skip are considered the legal property of the skip owner or hirer.

It isn't as simple as rulings having determined that, in the eyes of the courts, the contents of a skip are still considered property.

There have been people hauled into court for theft for various acts of skip diving, but the simple fact is that this has led to some convictions and some acquittals. That the CPS sought prosecutions for theft in the first place indicates clearly that they felt the contents were property, however the acquittals call this interpretation very much into question. Bearing in mind A) no doubt about the defendants having committed the acts for which they were in the dock and B) trespass was necessary for access!

Also, just because its in a skip doesn't mean its waste. in the commercial world that waste can often have value and be part of a contract selling on the waste. You could be taking something that has been sold on.

Commenting above specifically in relation to this kind of skip, its usual kind of contents and the final disposition of same, rather than trying to over-over-generalise.

Again, precedents suggests that the good-faith belief of the skip-raider in relation to the contents being waste is legally important.

 

[gaz44uk]

Can I sneak in a quick plug for this:

http://www.communitywoodrecycling.org.uk/

Thanks found one about 10 minutes away from where I live which I had no idea was there. Cheers