i do plenty of the same.....'dumpsterdiving' scrounging, ect. anyway you look at it, you are being enviornmentaly friendly by saving the stuff from cluttering the landfill. in the end, you get something usefull or decorative from the treasures you bring home. im sure there are many significant others who feel you just 'collect junk'...until you make something for them or fix something they have broken.
my favorite stopping points are a tractor supply and an atv business. both are on my way home from work at 7am. i also get a few bits from work (factory) as they throw a lot of usable tool steel away when something goes wrong with a machine.
many factories dont see the 'potential' of there scraps, so ask around...the worse they can say is 'no', (in some cases it depends on who you ask as well) so try somewhere (or someone?)else.
