Scraps and extras can be the most useful things when you need them. When I go the the ol’ hardware store I tend to buy extra of what ever I am getting. Here I’ll show you a few things that I have made with scraps and extras around my shop.
You don’t need to go overboard keeping every shaving from a project, but some of those odd shaped or seemingly meaningless scraps can come in very handy.
My most recent scrap project is a bike tune-up rack. The main support is a 2×4 screwed to my workbench. At the end of that there are two small strips of wood that will hold the top tube of the bike. A hinged piece of plywood with a chunk of cork will hold the top tube in place. To keep tension on the top hinged piece I used a strip of old tire inter tube and added grommets for adjustability. Denim was glued and duct taped on the end to keep from scratching the bike.
I decided that I wanted a little tool tray to keep track of things while I tune up my bikes. A few chunks of plywood, some small strips of pine and dowels and poof…. tool tray/rack.
The whole thing is held on with 3 screws so it sets up in seconds. Note: notice I left clearance into the mini-beer-fridge under it.
Even something as simple as an old soup can be of use. I simply spray painted this one black and crewed it to my work bench to make one hell of a pen holder. I also use several of these to hold all my zip-ties.
Here I used the keyboard drawer from an old desk. It has all the parts to make a perfect odds and ends holder for my workbench. All I had to do was put 2×4 at the proper spacing and get some little compartments to hold things. It actually holds a lot more weight than I thought it would.
I purchased a soldering iron/wood burner and the holder that came with it was total crap. I took some thick copper wire, a chunk of plywood and some small strips of roofing flashing to make a handy little holder. It remarkably stable and keeps the HOT end away from everything.
When I’m in my shop I have to have some tunes playing. I got a small computer speaker system and I just plug my iPod into it. I needed a place for it, so I built a shelf that would attach to pegboard hooks and made an iPod holder with some wood scraps and weather stripping to secure it.
It’s amazing what you can make if you put some creativity into things and save a bit from your previous projects. When you go get supplies for a project, just get and extra this and that so you’ll have it when you least expect needing it.
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