Drove way out to a lumber yard in Modesto last week

They had this massive pile of cedar scraps nobody wanted. The guy said I could take whatever I wanted for free. How do you guys find places like this without driving all over the state?

3 comments

3 Comments

ray_miller4118d agoOG Member

Started asking at local cabinet shops, scored a full truckload for free.

grace50818d ago

Oh man, that's such a score. I'd probably show up and ask for wood scraps and they'd hand me a single splinter while laughing, knowing full well I'd drive home with that one piece and call it a win. But seriously, that's brilliant - most shops just want that stuff gone and would rather give it away than pay to dump it. I tried that once at a big box store and they looked at me like I was asking for their firstborn. Guess it's all about finding the right people who don't mind a little chaos in their parking lot.

hall.nina1d ago

they looked at me like I was asking for their firstborn" haha yes that's exactly the vibe I got too. One time I went to a flooring store and asked about leftover vinyl planks from a job and the guy literally checked his watch and said "we don't do that here" like I was wasting his time. But then a few years later I found a tiny hardware store that was closing down and the owner let me take all the loose screws and broken drawer pulls out of the back room for free. I spent two hours sorting through a pile of old hinges and random knobs while he sipped coffee and told me about his fishing trips. Sometimes you just gotta find the grumpy old guys who don't care anymore.