Share your recycling successes

[Radian]

In these times of rising costs and shortages of supplies, I though it would be great to find out what people have achieved by recycling materials.

 

I can kick-off with our storeroom floor made from the original roof trusses demolished to make way for the new attic trusses above our garage.

 

 

It used up nearly all of it which struck me as being very jammy indeed ?

[Onoff]

...so if the original roof trusses were 2" thick did you cut them down to 1" or something?

[Cpd]

I could post dozens of pictures of projects I have used some recycled materials on  but not always recycled from my own build as I am always on the lookout for materials from anywhere I can get them.  Owl box made from off cuts of sarking board  and a bird feeder made from old brake discs, chimney bird cover and whiskey barrel staves. 
If this thread runs dry I can add lots more projects………. If your interested ???? 

 

[saveasteading]

Yes please. Any ideas for swallows/house martins?

[saveasteading]

26 minutes ago, Onoff said:

if the original roof trusses were 2" thick did you cut them down to 1" or something?

They would probably twist horrendously and need very vigorous insertion of noggins (dwangs).

[Onoff]

Ooh I do like a bit of scrap and skip diving!

 

Rolling draw for steel offcuts:

 

 

Sheet metal folder:

 

 

Pallet buster:

 

 

Tote from a cut down oil can:

 

 

Pipe de-coiler:

 

 

Solar thermal panel:

 

 

Then there's the unfinished ones...

 

Mini scissor lift:

 

 

Electric wacker plate:

 

 

Rotary converter:

 

 

[Onoff]

8 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

They would probably twist horrendously and need very vigorous insertion of noggins (dwangs).

 

I meant turning a 4x2 into two 4x1s.

[Thedreamer]

I built this with my father in law from pallet wood. The bridge was built from heavier concrete non returnable pallets.

 

 

I have lots of projects planned with my remaining building material in 2022. A small shed is on the list. 

 

I had no skip for the self build, therefore it was down to me to process and take small amounts to the landfill when necessary, mainly small plastic waste. I estimate this to be ten or twelve sheep food bags for the entire build.

 

 

[Onoff]

Not mine but the nephew's pallet shed I helped with:

 

 

Cladding, fascia etc is scrap from a log mill:

 

 

[Thedreamer]

1 minute ago, Onoff said:

Not mine but the nephew's pallet shed I helped with:

 

 

Cladding, fascia etc is scrap from a log mill:

 

 

 

I like the waney edge cladding, I would like to use that style for our build.

[Onoff]

31 minutes ago, Thedreamer said:

 

I like the waney edge cladding, I would like to use that style for our build.

 

Came out amazingly well. He wrapped the pallet shed in a breathable felt part roll bought cheap. Then screwed the cladding onto battens (made from the same mill off cuts) with cheapo silver screws from SF. Paid no real attention to getting the screws in line etc. Hasn't particularly cracked or warped. It was pretty green when it went on too. Crecote over the top since.

 

Tiles were freebies on the back. Someone's old front door, scrap windows. St/st hinges from me.

 

 

Inside, more pallets:

 

 

[Onoff]

36 minutes ago, Thedreamer said:

 

I like the waney edge cladding, I would like to use that style for our build.

 

Thought you'd finished?

[ToughButterCup]

I turned our collapsed wall into

• minced (digger-crushed) Durisol (woodcrete) for adding to MoT1 : nice and soft - you could walk bare foot on it
• all the wasted insulation went to all-comers who wanted it for God Knows What and
• insulation for outdoor kennels

Additionally

• my anger was re-purposed wherever possible as  hard physical shovelling or parge-coating
• over-ordered cladding as internal boarding and a coat rack

So far only 2 skips filled, and one more to go I think.

[SteamyTea]

1 hour ago, Onoff said:

Electric wacker plate

I misread that with an N in it.

[ProDave]

Here is my version of a pallet shed

 

[saveasteading]

1 hour ago, Onoff said:

4x2 into two 4x1s.

That's what I meant.  Did it once with surplus 8 x 3 (took them to the supplier and asked them to split) into 8 x 1.5. Very twisted timbers.

[Onoff]

14 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

That's what I meant.  Did it once with surplus 8 x 3 (took them to the supplier and asked them to split) into 8 x 1.5. Very twisted timbers.

 

I ran a stack of 4x2 packing timbers (radiata pine from NZ) through a table saw to get nom 2x1s. No issue at all really. 

 

 

[Radian]

2 hours ago, Onoff said:

...so if the original roof trusses were 2" thick did you cut them down to 1" or something?

 

35mm x 70mm so just laid them flat. Feels so much better than chipboard flooring.

 

2 hours ago, Onoff said:

Sheet metal folder:

 

WOW I really like that. I made something very similar about 25 years ago but it didn't look half as good as yours. Or work very well.

 

I've been totally blown away by everything I've seen so far. So much creativity ❤️ Keep it coming!

[Onoff]

11 minutes ago, Radian said:

WOW I really like that. I made something very similar about 25 years ago but it didn't look half as good as yours. Or work very well.

 

I just looked at various ideas on YouTube and did my own take. Just old collected angle, channel, box and tube, a bit of conduit. The hinges turned from 8.8 bolts. I knew all this tat would come in handy one day! ?

 

 

[Radian]

I also found  a use for the roofing battens:

 

So many nails! ?

[Haylingbilly]

A great thread, really inspiring. 

Am pleased to say, I won't go over two skips worth of rubbish for my entire build including demolishing two garages and building a 240sqm house.

I separated all wood into sub 40cm sections and filled builders bulk bags which with larger bits and pallets all went relatively quickly on Freecycle and Facebook.

All cardboard, drinks bottles, cans - put out with the neighbours fortnightly recycling collections  - the rubbish collectors happily took up to 3 clear bin liners of recycling.

Sold any excess materials - even managed to sell the attached for 99p, but the buyer demolished and collected it.

One mans trash is another mans treasure!

Another thing to note is not to have a  skip on site if you can avoid it - as they fill up so quickly and so difficult to control, I only have bulk bags on site for rubbish, which really helps with recycling.

 

[Onoff]

27 minutes ago, Radian said:

I also found  a use for the roofing battens:

 

 ?

 

Once you've felted that and got the slates on you won't even see them! ?

Edited December 29, 2021 by Onoff

[Thedreamer]

5 hours ago, Onoff said:

 

Thought you'd finished?

 

Just the shed build! Unless it's my next self build in 2045.

[Thedreamer]

All the stuff is now moved to other locations, but my recycling centre during the build.

 

[Cpd]

My garden seat made from whiskey barrel staves 

A staircase I made in Australia with all wood from an old Sydney pier. 

 

Edited December 30, 2021 by Cpd