Scrap organization

[duckkisser]

I make a lot of projects with what most people would consider scrap. Keep sake boxes, pens, bowls ect.... So I have a large shelf full of small pieces of figured wood, and other useful wood but most of it is small pieces. Every time I go to get a piece off I restack the entire shelf to find a special piece to be the handle of a box or the decorative inlay in the bottom of a bowl. It is geting a little frustrating restocking the shelf for each project so I finally decided that I need to come up with a orginization system. Unfortunately when I looked up scrap orginization I found lots of images of what I consider full size boards. I need some thing for pieces that are considerably smaller. My scrap is half a inch wide but 14 in long or the size of a deck of playing cards. Odd size pieces that does not organize well.

I thought about taking this project which is desighned for larger pieces and and rolls around the ground. And instead I'll make it smaller and have 3-4 of them siting on the shelf. Place my longer scrap In the bottom, medium size half way up, and then all the small pieces on the very top. That way i can get individual pieces of different sizes from different section with as little hassle as possible.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.finewoodworking.com/assets/uploads/posts/47963/resize_of_moore2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/47963/a-smart-cart-for-scraps&h=1200&w=924&tbnid=NIhhXFFE3iLbsM:&zoom=1&docid=yigcqaikMcFO5M&hl=en&ei=3Cb5U7SXItL5yQTYy4LwDg&tbm=isch&client=safari&ved=0CCwQMygOMA4

If you have a good organization system can you post a picture

[..Kev]

I have a similar bin for off cuts but, I think you're looking for storage options for much smaller pieces?

 

Perhaps a high shelf on the wall where you can put bins and label them by wood species?

[mds2]

Duck, I built that same cart.  All out of scraps too. 

[jHop]

I have some scraps roughly 8-12 inches long for turning.  I've got one of those bar stools (purchased already assembled, and before the shop was even a possibility) that I placed a piece of scrap plywood on.  Set the plywood to go from one rung to the other in between the legs of the stool, rather than on top, and you've added a caged scrap container.  I'd recommend making the plywood longer than the space, so you can screw in some stays underneath and above the plywood shelf.  

 

These will help keep the whole thing from spilling when you move the stool.  (I found that's a necessity before putting the plywood there in the first place.)  If your scrap bin keeps growing, use twine or small bungees to hold it in place.

 

I also keep some pen blanks in plastic bags, and line them up with the hardware I'm planning on using for the pen.  This way, the thing is one whole kit so taht when I have time, I have everything in one place.  Tie the ends of the bags off with a slipknot, and place several bags together inside another bag.  Bags can be hung over any convenient hook for storage.  (Currently, I have three hanging off the drill press.... I know, I know.)

 

I have also started to get those plastic storage totes sized for shoes... this works well because I can stack them, sort them for smaller stock (species, purpose, if I have a clue what I'm going to do with it) and can leave them on the shelf next to the grill.  

 

Beyond that, though, I'm out of suggestions, and would be willing to hear more.

[krtwood]

I'd make something with lots of little cubbies, like they have for staff mail

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yYb9p17T6JM/T7o9NwvGmtI/AAAAAAAAB9w/uGbkSLf5ghQ/s1600/cubbies.jpg

 

I have some larger plastic bins that I use for scraps but it's too hard to find something useful digging through bigger compartments.  I'd probably slope the shelves a little to discourage scrap suicidal stampedes.

[duckkisser]

I decided how I'm going to do it since I have a mix of sizes everything from 14 inch boards to 2 inch blocks I'll make different sized cubbies. Ill take the original design but mount it so the bottom is to the wall instead of the back. Then it's cubbies instead of boxes. The larger items will be in the bottom cubbies and as it slopes upward the cubbies will get smaller so the smaller scrap is easer to get too.

I can ether do it that way or have 3-4 different sized cubbies, one large, one medium, one small which ever method will give me the most spaces.

[duckkisser]

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/222857881535347178/

Something like this but on a even smaller scale