Look what I found at the dump today!

[vonslatt]

Today's trip to the dump yielded a cornucopia of tools! At left is a 14" metal cut-off saw, works perfectly. A Dewalt 12 volt cordless drill, the batteries are weak but for my purposes they'll work fine (for wood working I can now keep a Phillips driver in one drill, a countersink bit in a second and a drill bit for through holes in the third. These batteries are fine for the counter sink or the drill bit.) Four 4' levels, none are damaged though they may need calibration with shims. A Milwaukee sawzall - needs a switch. Bed frame - my prime source of angle iron. A Halogen desk lamp, works and even has a good bulb. Four Monet prints. a folder rack and a 14" carbide finish cut saw blade - man that's gotta be a $100 blade and it is nearly unused! A good day at the dump !

[Griff]

Nice haul, dude! The stuff I find at MY dumps is too crappy for even ME to use!

[Eric von Kleist]

The dumps around here are so regulated you can't even pick through them!

Do you like Monet? I made my wife a quilted tryptich of a Monet painting, the Customs Officer's House at Varangeville. It had about 1,500 2 inch squares. Originally, it was a set of window curtains, but now it's being re-done to be a three panel wall hanging for her office. I split the painting in three, and made it to look as if you are looking out of a leaded glass window by running black ribbon in a pattern across it. I need to take pictures some day.

[Roasting8]

Excellent find. I've tried the dump myself, and all I find is real junk. I have been keeping my eye on a couple of building sites though.

[Eric von Kleist]

Hmmmm...this stuff wouldn't have been sitting in the back of a pickup truck at the dump would it?

New technique for "getting things at the dump".....

[Roasting8]

Hmmmm, never thought of looking in the backs of pickups

[lapeer20m]

would those pickup trucks be in the scrap yard....or out in teh parking lot? lol

[Griff]

Please open the motor casings on the power tools. My SSN should be inscribed on the left half, above the trigger pivots. I look forward to receiving my tools back soon! By the way, is that my Stabila and my Macklinburg-Duncan levels I see in your photo!?!

[Ryan Grimm]

Jeez, the best stuff I got at a dump were:
two riding mowers (repaired and sold)
9 inch Clausing lathe (cleaned up and sold)
two 6 inch jointers (one nice all cast iron, still have that, sold the other)
9 inch radial arm saw (still have it)
ten inch craftsman table saw (paid $10, with a good blade in it, still have it)
three rototillers (tuned up and sold)
two snowblowers (repaired and sold)
tool boxes
LP records
vintage kid's riding tractor (restored and sold $$$)
Hand and power tools
two potato diggers (pull-behind-tractor type)
money (mostly small change, but found $200 cash once)
two boxes, new, 3/16 inch pop rivits, aluminum, 5000 per box
a small utility trailer (grease bearings, replace tires, sold)
more I can't remember.

Tell ya what, I'll show you MY dump if YOU show me YOURS.
I'm in the Concord MA area. You up off I-495 or Rt. 3?

[Roasting8]

It looks like I'm going to have to move north to find a decent dump.

[trentet]

We are s*%#@d here in cali, as they see all landfills or trash yards as either profit centers or liability issues and we get to pay for the privelege of giveing them our trash, that they turn around and recycle for more cash. I have resorted to thrift shops for my bed frame angle iron as I hate yard sales. I guess I could check classifieds for stuff too but the idea of being allowed to scrounge a scrap yard for anything other than car parts is verbotten here in the socialist republic of southern california.
Other than the overwelming crouds and urban sprawl, wildfires, earthquakes, mud slides, small tornadoes, and gang activity it's quite lovely here. you should all come as soon as possible

[the_experience03]

I happened to score several bed frames last time I went to the dump. I don't know if I was supposed to take them, but I did and with the other junk in the back of my truck (anyone want a 1975 Eldorado bumper and grill?) I don't think they could tell anyway.

I feel the pain others have with the "No Scavenging" rules at the dump....pay them to take the stuff or at best bring recycling stuff for free and not have the chance to make use of the perfectly good stuff there.

My best option so far has been telling people what I'm doing...I think every red blooded american man has had the desire to own a bus at some point so when people find out what I'm doing, they are often more than willing to donate stuff or sell it at a very reasonable rate. Always an option...

[busone]

You might try a matress store. Many of the include a free frame with a new matress. I saw a pile of old frames behind a matress store.

I hope where we move I can spend some time at the dump. When we lived in Oregon they would not let you take anything. What a waste, I saw a lot of good stuff getting pushed into the grinder.

[vonslatt]

Truth be told what we have is a "Transfer Station" rather then a dump. The dumpsters are trucked to a big landfill in the middle of the state on a weekly basis.

Many transfer stations in New England have "swap shops". In our case it's a shipping container with some shelves on either side were you can put stuff you think others might want - that's where I got most of this stuff. Turn over is pretty quick for good stuff, these things sat no more then 10 minutes as they were not there when I arrived.

However, many of my best finds come out of the metal recycling dumpster. I've got a stout hook on a pole to fish stuff out. The guys that run the transfer station will only yell at you if you climb up on the dumpster, as long as you fish stuff out with the hook everything is cool.

There are always bits of trash and stuff on the ground, I make it a point to pick stuff up and neaten the area around whatever dumpster I'm fishing - as a result when I bring stuff to the dump that I would normally be charged for (like, say, 26 school bus seat cushions and backs) they let me slide.

Cheers!

[Ryan Grimm]

That's the technique I use at the transfer station; a long (very stout) pole with a hook on the end, and for the heavier stuff a heavy strap with a hook, I use like a grappling hook.

NEVER crwal into a dumpster, some folks don't look when they throw stuff in and you might end up under a mower!
Likewise do I neaten up around the dumpsters, makes brownie points with the station folks. I'll also offer to help folks throw stuff in.

[the_experience03]

I wish I lived around there....we have to pay at the regional landfill or any of the solid waste transfer stations that litter the area. I was feeling quite fortunate (and still feel that way even if you get to go for free) that I was able to dump 16 of my 22 seats, the rubber flooring, some carpet pad, and assorted other bus stuff for $18. In fact, the attendant even helped me unload the stuff. Of course that resulted in a $2 tip (and I'm pretty sure atleast one of my seats is going into his deerstand). As for "dumpster diving" it really depends on who is working. I've know that telling them I'm digging for stuff for my bus they get excited.....everyone loves a bus...

[vonslatt]

Oh! I should mention that one has to be a resident of the town and pay a yearly $120 fee to dump stuff at the transfer station in my town.

Many residents complain that $120 is too high, but I can usually make that back many-fold with the money I save. Most of the 3/4" lumber and ply for my bus came from the transfer station, easily $400 worth if bought at Home Depot.

Jake.

[the_experience03]

Well now I'm not so jealous. I think we pay something like $1 per 33 gallon bag if we gring it in ourselves....of course you have the option to run the across the scales, etc. It really just comes down to who is working Does your $130 include curbside pickup? If so that it's too bad. We are a little too rural to have municipal curbside pickup, but there is a private company that does it. In town I believe they pay something like $2 or $2.50 for a 33 gallon bag. They even have a dumpster cop that goes around and makes sure you are using the city's "blue bags" to make sure you're paying tax. I've often thought there had to be a better way (like the we we do it out here in the "Country"), but I don't really care cause I don't have to deal with it

By the way...I have to compliment you on both your bus and site. I've spent a fair amount of time snooping around your website as well as others looking for ideas and inspiration I have to say your site is one of the most informative, easy to navigate sites so thank you

[vonslatt]

Thanks for the kind words!

We don't have curbside pickup (though there are private companies that you can pay) but that's fine with me. I like the ritual of the weekly dump run, I run into friends and neighbors and it's the political center of many a small New England town. Anytime there's a vote or a citizen's petition on the ballot the dump is crawling with people both pro and con who want to pleed their case.

Small New England towns have perfected the art of direct democracy - several days of citizen debate on Saturdays at the town dump followed by a vote at Town Meeting.

Cheers!

Jake.

[Eric von Kleist]

Hmmm...the garbage dump as the political gathering place....somehow, that just sounds so...right!