While working in a kitchen cabinet manufacturer I found that offcuts of up to 1 3/4 inch were being cut to fireplace length.  So instead of wasting all this wood I decided to build a credenza with all the offcuts I could save glued up like a butcher block.  It turned out really well.  I used maple, birch and cherry to form the core of the box.  I calculated that I saved over $400 in wood.  Note: that it is not all recycled, I wanted the curved front (12 foot radius) to be one piece so I substituted a 4 inch piece of maple in the front, both top and bottom.

The front doors are bookmatched walnut veneer on wiggle board and mdf.  Finished in shellac.  Total time: 178 hours