Western New York's Largest Supplier of Reclaimed & Surplus Building Material

Salvage

ReUse Action’s wood being used!

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Check it out!  I took some wood from ReUse Action’s indoor lumber yard, processed it at the Rusted Grain woodshop, and am making a cabinet for a client.  The wood comes from the demolition project ReUse Action’s Green Demo Team conducted in South Buffalo in September.   Flush doors with tongue and groove paneling and a very simple face frame and body structure. They will be using their new cabinet in their dining room to put extra plates and table settings when not in use. Check out the progress so far…panels glued, table top made, face frame complete…it just needs to … Read more

Back from the mill!

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Last week we took a shipment of 2x lumber stock to a mill in Arcade, NY Brauen Custom Millwork.  It is very exciting to be able to track the life of this wood–from where the lumber came from to how it was processed and finally to the end product.  This lumber came from the demolition of the John Deere Factory in Syracuse, NY, was tracked and coded by D-Build, brought back to Buffalo by the Green Demo Team to Action HQ, shipped to the mill, and is now being used in Rusted Grain’s woodshop.  We will be using this lumber … Read more

[2011-07] Curved Oak Pews from Black Rock Church

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Intrepid salvage spotter Mary Fisher, of Environmental Education Associates, gave us the lead on these fine oak pews from an Austin Street church: More photos here: ReUse Action Flickr set. We’ll be selling these at $50 a running foot. We have eight and ten foot sections – some of these combine to make longer pieces. Mary is the ReUse Explorer of the Month! For her sharp eyes and quick response, she gets our gratitude and a $25 gift certificate from one of our favorite restaurants, Merge.

The waterfront story continues…

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As the summer ends and winter approaches, we finished the final touches on the waterfront food kiosk “Clinton’s Dish.”  We boarded her up for the season, installing beautiful storm shutters that were made in the Rusted Grain woodshop at Action HQ!  Like the siding, our materials for the storms were locally sourced: yellow pine flooring that was salvaged by the Green Demo Team during a green demolition project taking place in South Buffalo.  The aged boards were refaced and stained, becoming an awesome addition to the local flavor of Buffalo’s newest waterfront building.  Speaking of flavor…can’t wait ’til they come … Read more

Harvesting the City!

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This past Sunday was the first in a series of events, exploring with the Rusted Grain/ReUse Action crew and learning how to use our city as a materials resource.  Five trucks gathered in front of Action HQ on Sunday and headed off to the Fillmore district to harvest the treasures to be had as a result of Bulk Trash Day. Bulk Trash Day happens in each council district once every spring and once every fall.  A homeowner is allowed to discard as much as they can in a 12′ long x 4′ wide x 4′ high pile on the sidewalk … Read more

Workshop: making wooden bottle openers

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Kids are reading less, people use e-books more, and libraries are scrambling for what to do about it.  One common solution is to close libraries and get rid of books (sound familiar Buffalo?).   Instead, one library in British Columbia is changing the way we think about libraries; they have a collection of “living books,” local experts, who have volunteered to share their knowledge on specific subjects.  Want to know about the history of the circus? Want to learn a certain painting technique?  “Check out” a living expert that will meet with you to discuss your topic of interest!  Libraries remain … Read more

Salvaging at the Lafayette Hotel

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We’ve hinted at our current big salvage project, and some of you may have seen activity downtown at Washington and Clinton. Here’s the scoop on what ReUse Action’s salvage team is up to: The Lafayette, Buffalo’s Most Palatial Hotel . . . Absolutely Fireproof . . . European Plan . . . 300 Rooms . . . Designed by the first female professional architect in the US, Louise Blanchard Bethune. Opened in 1904, every room featured hot and cold water and a telephone. Built in the French Renaissance style, befitting its name, Lafayette, after the French general who fought in … Read more