Warning: My scrap wood pile hit 200 pounds this weekend

I was cleaning out the garage in Austin and realized I've been saving every decent offcut since we moved here three years ago. The bathroom vanity project finally pushed the scale past a number that made me stop and laugh. How do you decide what's worth keeping versus just letting go?

4 comments

4 Comments

jones.angela1mo ago

Man, I hear you. What nobody really talks about is how scrap wood attracts bugs. I had a pile in my garage for two years and ended up with a termite problem that cost me a lot more than the wood was worth. They love the dry, stacked wood and it's basically a free hotel for them. I'd say if you can't use it within a month or two, it's not worth the pest risk.

the_john2mo agoTop Commenter

My scrap wood hoard is a serious fire hazard now.

casey_lane731mo ago

Oh man, I just read something from a fire department blog about this exact thing. They said most people don't realize how fast scrap piles go up, especially with sawdust mixed in. I saw this video where a guy's whole garage went up in less than ten minutes because a power strip sparked near his lumber stack. It's scary how dry wood just catches and spreads. I heard the recommendation is to keep scrap in a metal bin with a lid, not a plastic tub or milk crate like we all use. I gotta go sort my own pile now, it's been bugging me.

gibson.robert2mo ago

My garage in San Antonio hit that point last spring. I had a whole milk crate of pieces under six inches, convinced I'd need them for shims or small repairs. Finally had to make a rule: if it's smaller than a paint stir stick, it goes in the kindling bucket. The pile still takes up a whole corner though.