deweystworkshop

My apologies for continuing to contribute to the "out of the ordinary" ways to get lumber, but most of the work I do is made up from materials I get from demo work I perform in my business, so your "out the ordinary" is my ordinary. my favorite sources is new construction sites, building demos, and reclaiming from irreparable furniture. Flooring guys leave huge piles of scraps heaped up in a corner of the garage. I have been working these scraps into tabletops, as well as scrap pre-finished oak left over from the finish carpenters. 2x scrap material is also plentiful, and I have turned some ugly sticks of pine into pretty nice shaker-style legs. Dismantling furniture often yields pieces that require little to no extra work.

Again, it is not the norm, but there is something very rewarding for me knowing that I am helping to keep waste out of the landfills. I have heard that 75% of landfills are made up of construction debris. I actually prefer NOT to use exotic woods, or anything I have to pay much for when there is such an abundance of free material at my disposal.

I think the "alternative to traditional furniture woods" is not only at looking at different, eco-friendly materials, but design work that incorporates reclaimed/re-purposed materials.