Spools Are Cool

We all have objects from our youth that seem to stick in our mind and almost become mythical for one reason or another.  One thing for me that rolled into my memory and never left was a large wooden spool (the kind that electric and phone companies have their cables rolled on).  The one in question resided at my grandparent's house.  At the time I didn't know where it came from or how it got there.  All I knew was that it was always there and it was used for sooo many things!  It had to be about 3 feet tall with even wider dimensions for the top and bottom.  It had been painted to slow its deterioration from the sun, wind, rain, and snow, but other than that it was "as-is"... and it was perfect!!  Made out of good lumber and bolted together in such a way that it was both sturdy and durable--the spool was made to industrial specs.  Best of all, if it wasn't in the right spot for the job you could just turn it on its side and roll it to where you needed it:)  It turned out to be a really invaluable tool for a variety of rural activities.  It was used as a work table, a canning prep area, a fish cleaning station, and much more. 

A little while back I had the chance to ask my grandma where that spool had actually come from.  The answer, "Oh we went down to the local electric co-op with the pick-up and picked it up." 

"Well, how much did they charge you for one of those back then," I asked. 

The answer, "it was free."

Free...I was on it!!! 

Since my electric co-op is close, I gave them a quick phone call.  Sure enough, the spools became available from time to time and all you had to do was put your name on one (or more) then show up with something to pick it up with when it was ready.  It didn't take them long to notify me that a spool was available.  When I got there they were actually dismantling some unclaimed spools and throwing them in the trash.  A waste to be sure, but it showed me that much like pallets these wooden treasures often go unappreciated.  The gentleman in charge pointed me in the direction of the one he had set aside for me and even loaded it up on the spot with his forklift.  Oh, and there were actually 4 or 5 sitting there when I got there because he didn't know exactly what size I wanted:)  I took two off of his hands since it was all we could get crammed into the pick-up bed.  I then shook his hand and was off.


Our cool spool

I've since come to find that these wooden spools become available at several places, not only the mentioned electric and phone companies but also wiring retailers and others.  All you have to do is keep an eye out for them and then go in and ask what they would take for one.  Chances are they will tell you to take as many as you need.  They may even help you load them...because spools and the folks who let you have them are cool!!!

NTWG

The wood burning season is well underway and to this point has been what I would call a successful non-traditional wood gathering (NTWG) experiment.  So far we've tried using pine cones for kindin' (see previous post).  We have also tried cutting up stove-sized pieces of non-treated pallet wood.  They burn great but should only be used as a supplement to traditional wood as they burn VERY hot!  They are great for getting a roaring fire up and going but quick.  We also got lucky and caught a high-line clearing crew working in the area who had pieces that were too large to go through their chipper.  The wood that I picked up was in front of a property owner who did not want the wood and in fact wanted the crew to haul it off.  They were more than happy to have me pick it up and save them some time and effort, and all I had to do was ask.  I've also picked up a fair amount of kindlin' from a local hardwood company that leaves a pile of their culls free for the taking.  While going through the pile the other day I had a good conversation with fellow wood scavenger who suggested checking out a rail road tie company who also leaves a pile of end pieces (untreated of course) for those who want them.  I'm sure there will be other opportunities that will arise in the future and any and all are a welcome chance to pick up supplemental fuel for the trusty wood stove.  So keep your eyes peeled for stacks of burnable, (often free for the taking) material.  As long as you are not having to go out of your way and the providers are willing for you to take it off their hands...why not!!!   

The Power of Pallets

My interest in Pallets all started when I had couple of acquaintances tell me the various ways that they had  been able to put these throw-away lumber treasures to good use.  We had also recently read an interesting book called appropriately enough "Build It!.....With Pallets" by Joe Jacobs (checked out from the Library).  From this I found that there were all kinds of things that could be built from this big box scrap lumber, including bird houses, chairs, tables, poultry houses, planters, and much much more!   These instigators kept me thinking about the various pallet stacks that we all see sitting around at the end of an inventory delivery.  Finally, I went into a local retail/hardware store that always seemed to have a mountainous pile of pallets stacked by their back door.  After checking with a couple managers and assuring them that I only wanted to grab a few here and there, I was OK'd for the occasional run!  I only picked up four pallets to start and took apart the first one with a claw hammer and flat screw driver.  The results weren't bad, but for the second one I sprung for a $2.99 pry bar...and oh what a difference!  I'm now getting 3/4 to all of the boards removed with very little to any damage, where as before it was more of a 50/50 split.  The trick is patience--you can't get in a hurry with these guys.  I don't plan on wasting ANY of the boards, busted or not.  There is at least some usable wood being taken from every single board.  Anything that is simply too damaged to be used will be thrown in the stove this next winter, as these pallets have not been sealed or painted.  I'm even salvaging as many of the pulled nails as possible, and straightening all that can be saved.  There is an entire sub-culture of folks who are out there building any number of things with this otherwise wasted and often free for the taking lumber.  All you have to do is Google "building with pallets" and then sift through the results.  Once you've done this, you may be like us and say "count me in"!!!