Dumpster Dive Results

[stevec]

Greg, I'm not bad mouthing train drivers!

[f350ca]

My youngest son and I were out and about, he would have been 3 or 4 at the time, someone asked me what I did, told them engineer, he looks at me and says, Dad no your not , you don't drive a train.
No dumpsters around here so had to go dump diving. Good day, this little 12 inch bandsaw, (the trunion under the table was broke, welded it up) a new oil can, (never had oil in it), 3/8 and 5/8 threaded rod, new, a #40 roller chain still sealed in the bag, and a light stand for my led flood light.



Its pretty light but may try setting it up for light metal work. All aluminum frame but the table is iron. Need about 25:1 reduction to get it slow enough.

[EdK]

More stuff rescued from the trash. Diameter is 1". I'm not sure of the material but I believe they are platens from from printers so they might be hardened. I'll take a file to one and see if it cuts.

EDIT: It appears to be hardened since a file doesn't cut it very well.

Ed

   

[EdK]

More goodies from work.

Ed

   

[PixMan]

So what diameters, lengths and materials are those shafts? Do I see gear teeth on at least one of them?

[EdK]

(05-13-2014, 06:30 PM)PixMan Wrote: So what diameters, lengths and materials are those shafts? Do I see gear teeth on at least one of them?

I'll have to measure them and get a better picture of the one that has the dimples in it. I've got another box of stuff I'll be bringing home today. Most of the shafting the company has made specifies 303 SS so that's likely what most of that in the box is.

The company I work for is moving this fall so periodically they have a cleanup day, or week in this instance, where they have dumpsters on wheels located throughout the building so people can get rid of stuff that's no longer of any use. They're trying to minimize the amount of stuff that has to be moved to the new building.

Ed

[PixMan]

When I was working at a medical products maker in 1992-1994 (they sucked), we had to move and did similar things. As we got near the day of trucking it all out, they held a silent auction for all the stuff they knew had broader appeal and value, I bid on perhaps 14 items.

For a grand total of $254 for my winning bids, I got two shelving units 6 feet tall, 4 feet deep with 3 shelves each, one 6 foot long, one eight. Along with that a Vemco tilting & backlit drafting machine that I sold for $275, and lots of electronic/electrical components. I built my trickle charger for free and it's got an expensive Variac variable transformer. I'm sitting at a Wrightline 48x30 desk that's built strong. I have forgotten so many more things I got, essentially for free.

Of course now I'm the one who's on a cleanup/cleanout bent here at home. I did it last year at the shop and it's been wonderful to have space back.

[EdK]

Pictures from yesterday and today's dumpster dives. The diameters are mostly 1/2", 3/8", 1/4" and various other small diameters. The larger diameter parts are 1 1/8" in diameter and 1 1/4" long SS.

Ed

Yesterdays haul.

       

Todays haul.

       

[TomG]

I've done a lot of dumpster diving over the years, but one trip really paid off. A company I used to work for closed down a facility and rather than sell the contents, they just hired a moving company to clean it out and throw everything in dumpsters (talk about government waste). We watched what was being hauled out, came back after hours with trucks and hauled stuff out by the ton for re-sale. It was mostly electronic test equipment and supplies, but there was also some chemistry lab stuff in there as well. One of the things I picked up was an interesting tube of fine brass colored wire that was in with the chem lab stuff thinking that I would try to figure out what it was later on. Ten years later I came across it, did some research on the manufacturer and found that they made dental alloys and some of them were gold alloys. I took it over the the local coin dealer and had it assayed and it came back over 90% gold, or just under an ounce (Au was penciled on the side of the tube, duh!).

All of the commercial Lyon shelving in my garage and shop came from dumpster diving as well as a nice ten inch reflector telescope, both from the same company that tossed out the gold wire. I really miss that place.

Tom

[big job]

This weeks dive, a 5/8 thick 4" wide by 3 foot alum. perfect no
marks or scratches.