I had "heard' about a company started up in our area somewhere near an old industrial park, and was "told" they are cutting Mesquite and milling it into custom flooring.  I've looked but never found it.  This week, someone I was talking to at my work that said he heard about all the cool turning I've been doing lately, told me he had a tip.  That tip was where that place was located, and that every day, they pile all the scraps out in front in a set aside place, and guys stop in every day and scoop it all up for cooking wood.  I finished up what I was doing and ran by there.  It was true.  There is tons of flat stock, anywhere from 1" X 1" X random lengths, to stuff that is several feet wide, any about an inch thick and just random lengths.  I went for for pieces that had thickness to them, mostly like a fat chunk on one ned.  This seems like it's going to be an endless supply.  Tw0 pieces in particular that I grabbed, one was what I call a slab of the side of a tree, that is about a foot wide on one end and maybe 18" on the other, and about 9 feet long, one is a slab that is 5" X 8" X about 60".  It was all two of us could do to lift and load these.  I had to unload them by myself and I wasn't sure if I was ever going to pull that off.  The 9 foot plank is about 8 inches thick on one end and maybe 6 on the skinny end.  I turned two bowls out of  a chunk from another hunk.  I talked to the owner, and he says that they cannot use anything that is thrown out there, and by doing that, they don't throw any away.  It will all be gone and replaced by more.  I'm going to share where this is at our next local turning meeting and if there's anyone in my area on here, I'll be glad to share the address.  Of the two times I've been there, there's no way I could ever get all that has been set out there each time.  And on each trip, of the little stuff, I would guess there's been enough ripping to turn several thousand pens.  I'm actually borrowing a trailer to load to get y shop emptied of stuff I haven't used in forever.  I may take it by there today and see if i can load a few more fat chunks, as this trailer has a ramp in back that I can roll stuff up on.  I may also load a pile of rip pings and speak an afternoon cutting pen blanks to sell/share.  Maybe bundles of a hundred, say 6" long?  I haven't turned any pens yet.  Maybe I should.  I am going to turn another pair of bowls like what I've posted here, and give to the owner, thanking him for his generosity and for the guy that gave me the location.

Nice. Free wood is good wood.

I find giving something back puts you on the top of the list for free wood and favors. I don't always get more wood from the same person but if they run into someone else that has some free wood, I'm often the first person they call. Who knows, you might be able to ask them to set some bits aside that are especially useful for you.

There is a trim shop down the road from where I live and when I first started I made a habit of checking out his dumpster every Friday.
Most of what he had in the dumpster was oak or popular and only about 4/4 or 5/4. I made him some "change Plates" out of some of the nicer Oak and went down one day when the shop was open, asked to speak to the owner or manager, got the guy and he tore into me for stealing from him when I explained that I wanted to give him these bowls that I turned from his trash.

The shop foreman heard his comments to me and as I was leaving pulled me to the side and told me about a box that was going to be around the corner from the dumpster. That he was a woodworker also, and would start directing thicker scraps or anything that he would like to see turned into the box for me.  I started leaving things that I had turned in the box and for the last year this has worked out well, I doubt the owner has a clue.

They once had a special order for some walnut and mesquite and the specials box was real full then.

There are alot of ranchers that will let you cut as much mesquite as you want for free, out in the hill country all the way to San Angelo west Texas there are piles and piles of mesquite trees that were lost in the drought last year, we stopped last year while visiting my brother and ask if we could have some of the wood, the rancher laughed and said clear this 1200 acres I have another 3500 acres of mesquite that you can have for the taking...lol

That is fantastic. Make a couple of bowls & give it to the owner he may give you some bigger pieces. 

Dirk Hoogendoorn wrote on 06/15/12 at 15:50:53:


Um, guys...did you read Charlie's last sentence?

I'm guilty of the same thing.  For all that would like to know, I'm in the Bryan/College Station area and the shop that is doing this is located in the Gooseneck Industrial Park on Hwy 21, as your leaving town heading east.  There's no telling what will be there or if anyone will beat you to it each day.  But it will become a regular hangout for me.

Vaughn,
No one has ever accused me of reading. Although I may try it I'll definitely shove both feet in my mouth a lot less.