Scavenging station

A scavenging station is a workshop crafted item in Fallout 4. It generates a small number of random junk items and raw materials every day. It is located under Resources, then Miscellaneous.

Characteristics
The scavenging station generates a few random items and automatically add them to the workshop inventory, once a day. It costs 5 wood and 3 steel to be crafted and one settler to function.

Once assigned to it, the settler will gather raw resources and junk items. These items will be automatically added to the workshop inventory. The more stations you have, the more items you get. The settler will not physically leave the settlement, making the origin of those resources somewhat nebulous. Presumably, refuse is trafficked into the settlements in a behind-the-scenes fashion similar to that in which stores are supplied with goods, and the scavenging station allows a worker to extract junk of a potentially useful nature.

The specific items you get and the amount seems to be random. Ordinary construction resources such as steel, wood, rubber and concrete are often found, but some rare components (such as nuclear material) are also reported to be found. Also reported are the generation of crop food items. However, surplus food from harvesting crops are placed into the workshop as well, which may be leading to some confusion.

To assign someone to work at the station, enter the workshop view, select the settler then go to the station and press "Assign". The settler will not immediately react to any of this. You can verify by checking the settler icon while highlighting the station on workshop mode, it will change from red to the current UI color. By highlighting a settler, the station he's assigned will also be highlighted (assuming both are within line-of-sight).

While the player is at a settlement, assigned settlers will periodically interact with their station by using a blowtorch on it. Unlike workers assigned to crops and defenses, settlers will not work multiple scavenging stations even if they are placed in close proximity.