In the town where I live there is no trash collection.  One may bring one’s trash to the recycling station three days a week.  There there are various receptacles for one sort of waste and another, the most interesting of which is the swap house.  The swap house contains those good which people believe they must dispose yet still have some usability.  Most people, after making their disposals, tour the swap house to see if some precious treasure has washed ashore.  There is also a place where wood is thrown away.

Since taking up carpentry I’ve looked at these place differently than before, as sources of raw material,as wood that I will not insult with my lame skills but rather as opportunities to give another life to objects not long for this world and in so doing reduce the demand for new objects of fresh raw material.  I think enough material flows through here that had one nothing better to do an entirely valuable service,of making new things out of tired and unwanted things could be desirably established.

In my emerging shop I needed a place to put hand planes.  I’ve gleaned that they do not want to rest on their blades. The plane hangar (hee hee) below is made entirely of dump recycled  woods, the backing from the bottom of some old drawers, the side boards from bed slats, the bottom shelf from the scrap wood pile.

One notion I’d like to build from re-purposed wood is an Adirondack chair.  Since I’ve never built a chair the first few takes could be scary.  Knowing that the wood was on the way out and that it served to either facilitate learning or that it ultimately obtained a second life, that’s an extra satisfaction.