Official Luthiers Forum!

Hey all,

Question for those of you with OCD like me, how do you inventory your stock of wood? I just recently inherited a ton of cut offs and laminate material from my mentor. I want to catalogue it all and have a way to quickly check what I have and what I use. Maybe even grade the pieces eventually.

Anyone have any ideas?

Sort of by variety, sort of by size, sort of by state, sort of by entry date...

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Pat

I keep an inventory folder on my computer. If I have a photo of the thing, I'll use the image file as its entry, but otherwise just create an empty text file. Name files like AdirondackOM_AHix_2012Jun_65d.jpg. Species, what it is, who I got it from, when, and how much I paid. If I have multiple of it, then I'll include the number as well. Then I make a folder for each guitar I design, and move/copy the files for the components I plan on using into the folder, and update the filenames for the multiples. I also have a "sold" folder for components that I sold to other builders.

I don't usually bother tracking small cheap things, but in your case it might be worthwhile to photo each of the pieces and name them by species, to assist in memorizing what you've got.

I don't do anything fancy. I do have a spreadsheet where I list all of my tops sets and back/side sets. Including what the largest size instrument each set will make. I try to keep notes on where I got it and how much I paid for it. If it is resawn in to sets or still in board form. . . So for example, I have a row for all of my cherry sets with that tells me I have 5 sets. # of them I cut from a board I bough from a certain vendor and two that I bought as sets. I also know I have not yet resawn the sides. I can make 3 full size guitars one OO or smaller and the one set I am using for the challenge parlor. There is an empty box for each set and as I use them, I put the name of the instrument it is going to be used for in that box.

I have a looser system for neck, fretboard/bridge wood and sticks that can be cut up for bindings. This allows me to sit at work and think, myabe my next guitar will be an OOO with that beeswing mahagony set and a luts top. I think I'll use that rosewood board for the FB and bridge, what should I bind it with. . . without having to wait until I get home to pick through the stacks to see what I have. I don't yet have enough wood that I need pictures of it but that is a great idea!

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

I may be a little toward the OCD end of the range on this. I keep an Excel spreadsheet that has all materials that I buy for building excluding consumables like glue or tape. The main page lists vertically all purchases of materials individually in categories like tops, back and sides sets, neck blanks, etc. Across the top are column headings: description, source, price, shipping, purchase date, and a check column confirming whether an item has arrived or not. In the next column, I enter the number of the guitar a particular item was used for. Any time a new item arrives, I add a row to the appropriate category and enter the info so it's easy to keep up with. One thing I like about this system is that when I start a new guitar, I can look at the spreadsheet and know very quickly all the materials I have on hand to choose from and what I might want or need to order.

For each guitar, I add a separate page to the Excel file and copy/paste the row for each component from the main page to the page for the specific guitar. That provides a list of everything that went into any given guitar and it sums the cost of the materials for that guitar.

For tops, back and sides sets, and neck blanks, I make Word docs with the seller's photos and descriptions from for future reference.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

I had all my cool lumber stash carefully organized.... And then I moved and the wood was in moving company storage for a year... Then we got them to deliver it to a local storage facility.... Then it stayed there for another year... Till I finally moved in to a house.... Itgot piled up in a big stack the garage...

The stuff that was already sawed/processed is another story... While I have way too many (low grade) tops - I don't really have that many sets of backs/sides. Which are all in a pile...

Thanks

Some solid ideas here, definitely liking the spreadsheet ideas. Right now I have each piece (the ones I've gotten through) numbered with a piece of masking tape. So I can find it for reference quickly in the future. Or if my mentor starts building again and needs something.

But here's a quick glimpse of what I'm dealing with at the moment.

I've gotten through the padauk and maple... Piles of purple heart and in identified dark hardwood is next...

Ive done this so many times...WAS makes for too much work!.
One thing that i did was hyperlink my item to the path where the picture resides, this way a single click brings up the full view photo.

Adding a comment (linked to the picture) to display a thumbnail when you mouse over is handy. something like this.....

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Wake up and smell the rosewood!

I keep an excel spreadsheet that I'm pretty good about updating alouth I don't catalogue laminating materials, just the expensive stuff.

I put in hyperlinks too that go to the Word docs that have the seller's photos and description for the item.

Thanks for posting that trick of putting a photo in a comment. That's slick and I didn't know you could do that.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

Oooh like that photo trick!

You guys make me feel bad, I never touched excel in my life... I just have a pile of wood somewhere.

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

The only excel that I know how to use is the chewing gum.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

I keep an Excel spreadsheet of my inventory and a separate picture file. I've been meaning to embed the pictures into the Excel sheet but never seem to get around to it.

On the spreadsheet I keep records of species, date bought, who from, price, size, replacement cost, and general remarks.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

I know how to use Excel, but I don't especially like it. My system of files and folders works equally well in this case, and at least feels quicker since I don't have to open up a separate program every time I need to make one little edit.

Whites, colors then darks. Separate piles.

Brent