Confessions of a Thrift Store Shopper (photos)

Confessions of a Thrift Store Shopper
or
Sources of Inexpensive Shop Supplies

Once or twice a month I make the rounds of Denver area thrift stores. There
are dozens around town, but I usually restrict my looking to the main
charitable organization chains -- Association for Retarded Children (ARC),
Goodwill Industries, Salvation Army, and Disabled American Veterans. I
always go on Tuesday -- Tuesday is Senior Day at the ARC stores and seniors
get a 50% discount from the already low prices -- other stores usually give
seniors a discount anytime.

Before I describe the items that I look for, let me define the 95-4-1 rule.
95% of what you will see is junk, broken, doesn't work, etc
4% is OK, not great, but OK
1% is really nice, high quality stuff
It is interesting to me that the prices on items rarely reflect quality --
the really nice items are the same price as junk. A pine box of a given
size and nailed together might go for $2, a well constructed box of the same
size made from rosewood would also be $2, don't ask me why.

Another rule goes like this -- if you go looking for a particular item, you
won't find it -- but two weeks later you will see 2 or 3. I think this is a
variation of Murphy's Law.

Here are some of the things I look for:

*** Wooden items of sufficient size to yield useful stock:

Wood is where you find it! I often find usable amounts of excellent
hardwood in thrift stores. Book shelf units are good sources. Oak is
common, but walnut and birch can be found sometimes. I once found some
beautiful Hawaiian koa, and having worked with the wood before, I recognized
the distinctive depth of color and grain. Prices vary, but usually a
fraction of lumber dealer pricing. I have made a number of shop jigs and
fixtures from cutting boards, miscellaneous round items, and lazy susans.
Make sure the cutting boards are not split at the end. A couple of passes
through a thickness planer cleans them up nicely.
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65k/cutting_boards.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65k/round_pieces.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65k/lazy_susans.jpg

I have made many lathe jigs partially or entirely from hard maple rolling
pins. There are several examples on the "Lathe Page" of my personal
website. The most common form is drilled completely through its axis, but
many of the older solid maple rolling pins can be found. Prices vary from a
dollar to up to four dollars. These are so common that I won't pay more
than a dollar unless the rolling pin is solid, very large, or made from
another hardwood, such as beech. Often these are missing a handle and
priced at 25 to 50 cents. BTW, the handles make great handles for files.
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65k/rolling_pins.jpg

Another item to look for is wall plaques. These have the following traits
in common.
They were given to someone you don't know,
By an organization you never heard of,
And they are made from black walnut (bingo!)
I once found a stack of 6 -- given to the same person 6 years in a row. I
ran these through a thickness planer to remove the shallow screw holes where
the brass is attached and used them to make some small boxes. These plaques
have no value to most shoppers and are often less than a dollar. I also cut
out blanks for turning plates, platters, or other flat items on the lathe.
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65k/walnut_plaques.jpg

You would be amazed at the variety of exotic hardwoods found in thrift
shops. Items made from teak and Indian rosewood are extremely common but
seldom yield useful sizes or shapes. I look for carved items, often animals
or fish, carved in Mexico from desert ironwood. These usually have a
fragile piece broken off and are priced very cheaply. Ironwood is extremely
hard and heavy (won't float) and makes premium turning stock. Smaller items
yield pen blanks and larger items yield sufficient wood for a variety of
lathe projects.
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65k/exotic_woods.jpg


*** Wooden boxes and other storage containers:

Wooden boxes are found at every thrift store. The 95-4-1 rule applies.
Some are incredibly well made and were previously used as jewelry boxes,
humidors, or storage containers for scientific instruments. One I found had
been a container for a large rifle scope judging from the name on the box.
I have several that are so nice that I can't bring myself to make something
from them.
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65k/misc_boxes.jpg

For many years the Lane company, best known for their aromatic cedar hope
chests, gave away miniature cedar boxes to prospective buyers as
advertising. The name of the furniture store which presented the gift was
printed on the inside of the lid. These are a convenient size and well
made. I buy them whenever I find them for $2 to $4 and use them to hold
frequently used screws and fasteners. Somewhere a little old lady with a
stack of love letters is very unhappy with me.
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65j/lane_boxes.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65j/lane_box_stack.jpg

Empty silverware chests can be easily converted to store router bits or
3-wing shaper cutters.
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65j/router_bit_storage.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65j/quarter_inch_bits.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65j/half_inch_bits.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65j/shaper_bits.jpg

Audio cassette storage cases are no longer popular and can often be picked
up for a dollar. I use them to store a variety of items in my shop.
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65j/cassette_boxes2.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65j/sanding_pads_box.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65j/jam_cup_box.jpg

Another storage container idea is metal file folder boxes. They stack
easily and make excellent storage containers for infrequently used tools,
owners manuals and sandpaper.
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65j/file_folder_boxes.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65j/file_box_storage.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65j/manuals_sandpaper_storage.jpg


*** Clock works, weather station instruments, pepper mill grinders, etc:

If you like to make wall or desk clocks you will find an endless supply of
battery operated clock works for one or two dollars. The battery is almost
always dead or missing, so I carry a good AA battery in my pocket to test
them.
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65k/clock_movements.jpg

Weather station instruments. Most are junk, but you will find some quality
instruments if you look long enough. Make sure the instruments can be
adjusted from behind to calibrate relative humidity and barometric pressure.
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65k/weather_station_instr.jpg

Humidor instruments are less common, but I have seen a few. This European
Walnut box is a Savinelli pipe tobacco humidor made in Italy and is so
nicely made I will certainly not do anything with it. I paid $3.60 for it!
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65k/humidor_works.jpg

And speaking of high quality works, look at this Swiss music box which plays
two different songs and a high quality German barometer.
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65k/instrument_works.jpg

Pepper grinders are also very common, and conform to the 95-4-1 rule.
European grinders are usually pretty good, but less common. I made a small
walnut salt and pepper set for daily table use from one such mechanism.
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65k/pepper_mills.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65k/salt_pepper.jpg

*** Shop rags

Most thrift shop bundle unusable T-shirts, clothing and towels and sell the
bales to rag merchants. One store I visit also sells a few in plastic bags
which make excellent shop rags.
http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65k/shop_rags.jpg

I have purchased a number of other items for one-of-a-kind uses, but
hopefully the pictures shown above will give you a few ideas.

Ken Vaughn
Visit My Workshop: http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65/