What To Do With Circle Scraps

I’ve been cutting some circles on the scroll saw for a few other projects and have a bunch of scraps left over. Now I have a hard time throwing away any wood thats larger than a toothpick, but I really couldn’t see that I could do much with these scraps — that is until I had an idea. I use 45° cut-offs all the time for marking angles and setting up cuts, but what about keeping some other common angle cut-offs. For instance, just the other day I really needed a 60° triangle and had to make do with a protractor instead.

So I looked at the scraps in a new light, as triangle blocks. Rather than throwing the scraps away, a simple cut on the miter saw and the scraps become layout tools. I made some 30-60-90 triangles and some more 45-45-90 triangles, and marked them as such. I trust the scale on my miter saw and regularly check it the blade for square, so I’m pretty confident that these triangles are accurate enough most tasks. I probably should invest in a good 30-60-90 triangle some day though.