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eBay brought a world of items to our computers for us to purchase. Craigslist, like eBay, has millions of items listed for sale, but the items are closer to home , actually within your home area. Now there’s a more specialized web site growing across the States , Diggerslist.com.
Diggerslist.com is a national home improvements classified site setup to keep items from the landfills and to connect people that have unwanted construction and building materials with those that desire those items. According to the U.S. EPA, building-related construction and demolition debris totals approximately 160 million tons per year, accounting for nearly 26 percent of total non-industrial waste generation in the U.S. (Click here to read more statistics.)
Diggerslist.com is in its infancy. The site is live in 31 major cities at this time, but the intention is to bring the materials-matching site to 224 more areas over the next year. (There’s a place on the site to suggest additional areas.)
Why is this site a topic for a woodworking magazine blog? After the site was brought to my attention, I began digging. (The moniker makes sense, right?). I found a couple listings that fit nicely with woodworking. The photo above is a bundle of wood that is listed in the Chicago market. That’s walnut, and the size of the boards is enough to grab your attention. The price on the walnut is $1, or the best offer , not sure I would shoot a low-ball figure at this lumber. And there are also tools being posted. I found an “in the box” Hitachi random orbit sander in New York city for $55 , $50 if you paid cash. 
On the downside, I did notice a few vendors listing goods that were not necessarily in any one area. A number of power tools showed up in multiple cities with the idea they could be shipped. The poster used the same photo in each city. So beware , as you are on anything Internet related , but give the new site a search. You may pick up a bargain and keep a few things out of the landfills.
For information on how to evaluate tools and maintain them after you’ve made a purchase, a quick trip to Tool School is just what you need, click here.
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
Habitat for Humanity ReStores not only recycle building materials, used tools, etc. they help deserving families get a decent place to live.
Jim
Thanks for sharing this. The site and the offerings are interesting. I hope they add more locations soon. Adding RSS feeds to locations, categories and searches would be a big help too.