Saving cutoffs

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This is for the small shop guys... How much and what do you save kicking around for small cutoff pieces? My barn can only hold so much LOL. What do save 4' ,5" pieces and up? I have buckets full and go there once in while. Just curious what everyone else does. Attached Images
Reply:its all free and doesnt cost me anything to keep..they dont need feeding or walking...lol..you never know when your gona need a small piece even a few inches, and it cost more to scrap it than to keep it...Of all the things I lost I miss my mind the most...I know just enough about everything to be dangerous......You cant cure stupid..only kill it...
Reply:Those smaller pieces you show are great for when you need to make gussets or fill in smaller areas, without having to cut pieces out of your longer stock, which may leave you just inches shy of having a long/large enough piece when it counts. Get some 5 gallon buckets to keep them sorted by material types. Like one for square tubing, one for round and another for flat stock. If you have room for several more buckets, you can sort them by the size of the tubing, too. Then you can dig through them when you only need a few inches rather than shortening a 20' piece by 3-4".
Reply:I save pretty much everything that's in good condition.  If it's pitted very bad, it goes out for scrap.  The stuff you show in your pictures would be in one of my "save it" locations - various shelves, buckets, etc.  I sort by type of material and general length.  In addition to material loaded specifically for a job, I keep a bucket of assorted short stuff on the truck for small jobsite repairs.
Reply:Originally Posted by jakedog My barn can only hold so much LOL.
Reply:Here's a post with some. http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...terial+storageMine is post # 19. It was from left over unistrut and plastic coke trays that were free. I had buckets full and it's a pain sorting them out.
Reply:There is a hard and fast rule regarding cut-offs and scrap pieces:  The piece you scrapped last week would have been absolutely perfect in today's project.If it isn't in the bible, it should have been.I save most but scrap the things which my crystal ball says might take more work to re-use than just cutting new.  Unfortunately, I think the batteries on the crystal ball only work intermittently.
Reply:I guess the answer depends on to whom this question is directed.  Fab shops or hobbiest.  I generate so much similar drop, so i get rid of it regularly.  Unique to me stuff is flat plate and solid bar larger than 1/2"  and heavy sheet so I keep smaller drops of that stuff.  I hate managing it and the space it consumes.  Still hard to let go of some stuff but rare for me to miss it.
Reply:USPS flat rate box and I will store it for you......just cannot promise how much will be left when you need some.I save pieces down to an inch square sometimes.....depends on what it is.
Reply:As long as it does not become a hindrance save. When it gets to be a problem you will know what needs to start getting gone.
Reply:the scrap/cutoffs the dept throws out could run several smaller shops year round. i on the other hand throw nothing away. i come from a long line of distinguished pack-rats. lots of the detention hardware i make is from stuff that would usually get tossed. i save the worn prison type keys and make belt buckle mementoes for retiring officers, cope ends from angle is turned onto small gussets for machinery repair, drop offs from 7/8" round gets made into cell door handles, the list is endless.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:I scrap anything under about 2'. It is quicker to just grab a stick and cut off what you need than hunting through rem bins. I do it for a living though. When I was a hobby guy, I kept just about everything, I even salvaged metal for projects. Now it's all new steel for each job.
Reply:I have a row of drawers built out of 8' purlins that are under my welding table. They slide out either direction. They are separated to flat strap, tube, solid bar, angle and square tube. Takes me no time to slide the appropriate drawer out and look. Shorts can and have saved the day many a time.
Reply:Originally Posted by BD1Here's a post with some. http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...terial+storageMine is post # 19. It was from left over unistrut and plastic coke trays that were free. I had buckets full and it's a pain sorting them out.
Reply:I have two wire shelves under my welding table that catch all the small pieces. When it get's too deep to look thru it easily then some , not all, gets scrapped.                                    MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:I will be happy to bring my truck to upstate NY and relieve you of some of your scrap...I am always looking for practice coupons.Miller Multimatic 255
Reply:I save near everything as you never know when it will be "just the ticket" to get you through the ordeal currently involved with.SlobPurveyor of intimate unparalleled knowledge of nothing about everything.Oh yeah, also an unabashed internet "Troll" too.....
Reply:See if you have any blacksmiths or blacksmith organizations in your neck of the woods.  They (we) always love to get our hands on scrap rod, bar and sheet stuff.  Not so much on tube and expanded metal.  Some smiths who make gates, railings and other decorative pieces might have a use for the tube steel.
Reply:I'm still saving cutoffs from the 70's.... Attached Images250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:Originally Posted by whtbaronI'm still saving cutoffs from the 70's....
Reply:Originally Posted by SlobI save near everything as you never know when it will be "just the ticket" to get you through the ordeal currently involved with.
Reply:i have 5 gallon cans of little triangles that were drop offs from mitering angle iron. i make small gussets out of them and have maybe used half a dozen pieces in all the time i'm hoarding them. i am positive i'll need every last one the day after i toss them out.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:Keep it all.
Reply:hole saw slugs make nice washers. I save most everything. A 2" piece can work for a quick tack  to hold something in place or for clamping. Nothing more frustrating than throwing something away only to need it a short time laterMillermatic 252millermatic 175miller 300 Thunderboltlincoln ranger 250smith torcheslots of bfh'sIf it dont fit get a bigger hammer
Reply:If its too small to cut or too rusted to be useful, it goes in the reclamation bin. Anything bigger goes in one of the 2 'useful scrap" piles: A) Chunks & B) Sheets.That 2" piece of 3/4" pipe will find a home in a project...Last weekend, 1/2 a bracket from an old UNIX computer was used in repairing a shaft in the transmission of my finish mower. Parts of the broken tongue jack from the wood chipper were used to make the adjustable stand to get the bench grinder OFF the bench.Save the scraps. Just find a safe place for them. A place where you can see them. You'll save gallons of truck fuel not running out to get the piece needed for that gusset or patch...Be wary of The Numbers: Figures don't lie,. but liars can figure.Welders:2008 Lincoln 140 GMAW&FCAW2012 HF 165 'toy' GTAW&SMAW1970's Cobbled together O/AI save it all. What I don't use on jobs/projects the local boy scouts get something to practice on. The aluminum scrap I melt down for easy containment.Regards,RobGreat Basin WeldingInstagramBlue weldersRed weldersMy luscious Table DIY TIG Torch cooler
Reply:You can't save it all! Especially when the pile gets so big (2 cubic yards)! At the Scrap Yard, it gets sold as "Prepared Structural" which will bring top dollar price! I usually sort my piles every 3 months to move them out of the Shop & Welding area and moved to the Scrap area.