First official post has to be about DIY. Being an avid DIYist has saved my sanity more times than I care to admit. I started way back when, without really realizing that it was DIY, I just didn’t have a lot of money so I had to find solutions to fit my finances. However, my venture into the world of woodworking is fairly new. Using my own two hands in making something new, is my new drug of choice.
I love using scrap wood for my builds, otherwize destined for the skip. There is just something satisfying making something useful with something deemed useless. Think of it like rescuing wood from sudden and untimely death. Dramatic enough? OK, I’ll dial it down a bit. But it is repurposing and sometimes reusing, and that is always a good thing, for nature and your budget.
When I started woodworking, I have to say my little projects are less than stellar, not that they are perfect now, but there is of course a learning curve in this like anything else. I do love my early little misshapen results as much as those that were more successful, maybe even more. A mother loves all her babies, even the ugly ducklings.
What does this have to do with anything? It is just to highlight that even if your DIY projects don’t turn out just the way you want them, doesn’t mean they are a failure. As in life sometimes shit happens, and you just adjust your plans accordingly. Especially when you are making your “proto type”.
Some old scrap wood projects
These are from the old and early days., but I love them all the same. Before I got fancy gadgets. Only a handsaw, hammer, nails and some sandpaper. Homemade stain using vinegar, coffee and steel wool and a handmade stencil for my “logo”. Bent some old forks for handles on the tray and away we go. Small and simple but useful.
Hunting for wood?
Now, how to acquire scrap wood. I am lucky enough that my husband is a landscaper turned builder and now works in foundations. That means he is on building sites all the time and he knows he makes his wife extremely happy by bringing home a bouquet of scrap wood. Forget the flowers babe, and give mama some wood (not that kind – get your head out of the gutter people).
If you are not so lucky you have a few options. First of all you need to access your storage capacity. If you have a space like a large garage or an extra storage room that you can use you can of course store wood for future inspirations, but if not you have to be specific in your hunt. Secondly, finding material. Make use of your network. Put feelers out there for any leftovers from other people’s projects, and if you have a project in mind be specific. Use your social media and ask people that if they have or are throwing away stuff to contact you.
Facebook’s marketplace is also a good place to hunt, at least in my area. Sometimes builders or other DIYs advertise leftover wood for little or nothing. I have gotten material like tiles, flooring, pallets, etc. for nothing. Try it out.
You can also literally go hunting. Drive around and find building sites or skip by house demolitions. Those can be a goldmine. Ask the builders if it is OK you take a look if there is something you can use. This step can be daunting. I am not a brave or open person by nature, I don’t even like to bargain, so this is a very, VERY scary venture for me.
Using all your resources – including people
That being said, I am lucky enough to have a sister (Hi! Inger) that knows no boundaries and does not recognize the word no, and that has served her (and me) very well. She is the kind of person that doesn’t know the word no. She stops, asks and if the answer is a firm no she shakes it off and moves on. Well sometimes, and sometimes she negotiates and most often she prevails. She’s a lawyer you know so she knows all the tricks.
So if you have one of those in your life, enlist her/him. There is typically one in every group. You know the type, open, talks a lot, doesn’t seem to have the capacity to feel shame (at least not like you – I turn red as a tomato for no reason at all), and is generally liked by all. She has inspired me to take a leap and be more assertive and gives me tips and tricks that have sometimes gotten better results than I could have gotten for myself.
But not everybody has one of those, then you have to either use one or more of the other methods or bite the bullet and jump out into the deep end. Or maybe you are the one that is that way (you lucky bast…), then you can just get on with it.