I’m often inspired by wood scraps. Not so much with their grain, tone or overall appearance, but with what can potentially be made from them. It’s almost a completely blank canvas yelling at me “build something awesome”. This is what sparks my creativity at times.
As a woodworker there are and always will be scraps of wood around my workshops. Bits of walnut, chunks of cherry and perhaps a dozen other species in buckets, boxes and bins. “Why on earth would you save that?” I find my brain sometimes asking me. “Because it may have potential” is my response.
Some reading this may disagree and at times you’re right. I sometimes save tiny scraps that really might not have any worth or value in the future. In recent years I’ve tried to be better about just tossing those out. Something feels “better” to me though about saving scraps from projects. Giving wood a 2nd or 3rd chance is a great feeling I think.
One of my upcoming projects will be entirely made of “scrap” pieces. Everything will be repurposed, reclaimed or reused – which I think is pretty cool. I’ll be doing a full writeup on it along with progress and build videos. The creativity spark hit me with it and I’ll of course run with that feeling.
What are your scrap pieces doing these days? Collecting dust in a box in the workshop? Sitting on someone’s front porch as a bench? In their entryway as a piece of art?
