Most woodworkers can’t bring themselves to throw away a good piece of lumber. I’m certainly guilty—I recently recycled a thick slab of pine from our first kitchen table into shelves for my workbench.
That “waste-not” spirit is the theme of this year’s challenge: Build (or bring in a previously completed item) a project crafted from recycled wood. The goal is to create something (mostly) out of timber that has lived a previous life. Whether you’ve managed to craft a Philadelphia Highboy out of pallet slats or turned your mother-in-law’s old wooden leg into a pedestal table, we want to see it! If it was used for something else first, it’s fair game. Please note that this should be something new to the WPW, either built specifically for this challenge or built before but never presented to the club.
Some other thoughts:
- If you don’t have anything around the house that you can use as source material, Goodwill stores or Construction Junction is loaded with items that are begging to be repurposed.
- A photo of your source material, while not necessary, would be a nice addition.
- There is no size limitation; if it’s too big to bring to the meeting, photos or videos are absolutely fine.
- Adding non-wood elements to the project is fine as long as the primary material is recycled wood.
Join the fun and have your project ready to show off at our May meeting. We’ll have a drawing for some door prizes (if you bring something to the Challenge, you’re in the drawing) as an added motivation to participate.
– Ken Bayer