Uses for really small pieces of wood?
March 23, 2010 2:35 PM   Subscribe

Creative ideas uses for really small pieces of scrap wood.

Since getting a scroll saw for Christmas, my workshop has been filling up with really small pieces of scrap pine, roughly the size of a finger or smaller and 3/4" thick. It seems like a shame to just throw them away and using it for fire kindling for myself isn't an option.

So... What can I do with these really small pieces of scrap wood?
posted by drezdn to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (16 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
I'd buy handmade matchsticks.
posted by unixrat at 2:38 PM on March 23, 2010 [1 favorite]


Cut them at 10 or 15degrees along their length and keep them as shims for cabinet/furniture installation.

On preview: Make a bag of dicks.
posted by stachemaster at 2:43 PM on March 23, 2010 [1 favorite]


carving isn't a bad idea, how about making your own chess set if you're so inclined (if not, make it for a friend??)
posted by ACair at 2:45 PM on March 23, 2010


give it to the boy scouts (or some other camping enthusiast kids program that promotes equality) for their fire kindling.
posted by nadawi at 3:02 PM on March 23, 2010


3/4" is not very thick. If they're cut in any sort of standard shape and size, you could fashion your own Lincoln Logs. Something tells me "Obama Logs" are gonna be big . . .

That or a big bag of dicks.
posted by Think_Long at 3:35 PM on March 23, 2010


Use your saw to make some wooden replacement pieces for your boardgames. With a bit of red or green paint, you have the makings of some Monopoly houses and hotels.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 3:54 PM on March 23, 2010


If it were me, I'd probably burn them in a hot-rodded hobo tin-can stove. Since I don't have a scroll saw, I'm instead using weathered, cracked bamboo and old crab apple trimmings that I'm chopping up for the purpose.
posted by Good Brain at 4:12 PM on March 23, 2010


Wooden peg games. Chinese checkers set but use pegs instead of round pieces.

Are they any good for mosaic? make a trivet? homemade scrabble-type game? vintage style clothespins? Tie rack?
posted by CathyG at 4:25 PM on March 23, 2010


Sell 'em!.

You could make shims, but kindling really does sound like the best bet.
posted by jewzilla at 4:26 PM on March 23, 2010


Wooden pixel art? Abstracted map of the buildings in your town, paint them black, glue them to a board painted white, hang it on the wall? Paint them a room-appropriate color and glue them to the ceiling in small, surprising patterns that you almost wouldn't notice were there -- until you do?
posted by A Terrible Llama at 4:31 PM on March 23, 2010


You could drill holes in them, string them, and have a rather odd carpentry-themed garland.
posted by amtho at 4:56 PM on March 23, 2010


I was in a charity shop yesterday and I saw a sort of sculpture made by gluing hundreds of these wood scraps together around a cylindrical void - perhaps a lamp? Or a flowerpot?

It was bright orange and hideous, but yours might be nicer.
posted by Joe in Australia at 6:16 PM on March 23, 2010


Make a simple, wide picture frame and glue your scrap wood, standing on end, all around it. Sand the ends and the sides, and rub it with a bit of stain or paint. All the different heights and variations in thickness will give it a fascinating texture. Put a mirror in it and stick it in your living room as a conversation piece. Write the dates from when you started gathering the scrap to finishing it on the back.
posted by Mizu at 6:21 PM on March 23, 2010


Homemade Jenga.
posted by foxy at 9:47 PM on March 23, 2010


-Spray with adhesive, wrap with sandpaper to make sanding blocks.
-Drill holes in them, then sand them into assorted beads to make jewelry.
-Interesting shapes + wood burning tool (or soldering iron) = key fobs.
-Make a scale model of the Campana brothers' Favela Chair.
-Simple craft project for kids: glue different shapes to plywood oval blanks to make faces.
-Drill holes, then tie together with fishing line to make trivets. Alternate larger pieces in a radial pattern with small spacers.
-Carving: make your own pine menagerie or miniature fruit bowl.
posted by hydrophonic at 10:00 PM on March 23, 2010


take your bag of dicks and drill a hole through each one longways and make a cool rosary!
posted by Redhush at 5:27 PM on March 25, 2010


« Older What to do in Nassau?   |   Replacing a failing hard drive Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.