Wood Scraps in Reuse

Construction jobs, wood shops and civic projects all leave a myriad of dropped wood scraps. The usual rule of thumb is to scrap anything less than two feet in length.Concrete slabs are poured in wooden form boxes which are removed, considered soiled, and rarely used again. Almost every project demands specific measurements, which creates tons of measured waste. These scraps of wood are often landfilled if they end up in the “wrong” dumpster. Frankly, I feel sorry for these leftovers, as their potential is endless.The cost of new material has risen dramatically in the past 10 years. “Drop” is usually figured into the cost of the project, the client pays for it, but no one considers it’s imaginable uses.This fence (left photo) on South 1st Street in Austin harmonizes the disparate elements through color and creates a flat woodpile acting as a privacy fence.Another privacy fence near the same location brilliantly uses old doors and windows as a fencerow almost like a potential access to another time and place. It’s odd juxtaposition of inside/outside functions nicely as a barricade, but the familiar materials makes the viewer feel welcome.