Thread: Remembering what timber you have

When I collect a tree to mill, I designate a number for it, every piece of timber from that tree also gets the same number written on the end, usually after I have stacked it to dry. I have a book with the number of the tree, species, date milled, and where I got it.

I write what it is, the date and where I bought it from (and price) on a slip of paper.

Then a piece of clear packing tape sticks this down. The clear stuff sticks like crazy.

It also goes on a spreadsheet and I try to ignore the total

Originally Posted by woodPixel

I write what it is, the date and where I bought it from (and price) on a slip of paper.

Then a piece of clear packing tape sticks this down. The clear stuff sticks like crazy.

It also goes on a spreadsheet and I try to ignore the total

I like the idea but my wife would see the total - and she possibly would be trading me in for a cheaper model...

Hi to you all,
I now have around 92 species of wood. The wood I collect is most likely a lot smaller than most of you wood store.
Wood that is say, 2in. across, then I find it impossible to write say, Pittosporum + the Date. So I use Numbers, & run the date Nos. into one another eg. W12102016. I use a permanent black felt tip pen.
Seems to last a long time.
In The Shed I have hand written on cardboard with all the Nos. & Wood Species written down, but not in Alphabetical Order.
Yes, it makes it a bit harder, but like some of you, you remember some Woods Nos.
Sitting here, I can remember at least 11 Woods & their Nos. Could most likely know a few more if I tried.
Being almost 80 yrs. old, there is no way I will get to Turn it all, so somebody is going to get some fine Wood when I eventually turn up my toes.

I try to mark each piece with the species using a black/blue/red permanent marker, or a white/yellow paint pen. With green timbers I have personally collected I also add the milled date. I have ~11ton now in well over 200 species stored in and around the house on a standard suburban block . Yes no wife

Jees I wish I had been a bit more organised with some of these ideas.
I have "access" to 100+ slabbed logs milled in about 5 different places around WA, a couple of trailer loads of shorts etc on the driveway, and some odds and sods of dimensioned lumber and slabs under the house
Nothing is labelled - but I do roughly know where they are, but I generally have to sand it up to see the grain to work out what exactly is what.

BobL, sounds like you have "firewood"

At the local lumber yard, they have 3 letter codes on everything, just an abbreviation. Its written on the end of each peice. Perhaps this is some industry standard?

Originally Posted by issatree

Hi to you all,
I now have around 92 species of wood. The wood I collect is most likely a lot smaller than most of you wood store.

Being almost 80 yrs. old, there is no way I will get to Turn it all, so somebody is going to get some fine Wood when I eventually turn up my toes.

So many blanks and so little time. I get it, and I get the satisfaction of looking at the accumulated treasure trove. But bugger the next person... start on the best of them and work your way down.

Let's just say that during the relocation earlier this year I found a Northern Silky 250 x 250 x 2.4 that I'd forgotten I'd sawn.

Originally Posted by woodPixel

BobL, sounds like you have "firewood"

At the local lumber yard, they have 3 letter codes on everything, just an abbreviation. Its written on the end of each peice. Perhaps this is some industry standard?

Its some of the best looking firewood I have ever seen
complete.jpg

Originally Posted by BobL

Jees I wish I had been a bit more organised with some of these ideas.
I have "access" to 100+ slabbed logs milled in about 5 different places around WA, a couple of trailer loads of shorts etc on the driveway, and some odds and sods of dimensioned lumber and slabs under the house
Nothing is labelled - but I do roughly know where they are, but I generally have to sand it up to see the grain to work out what exactly is what.

Jeepers, sounds like you're set for life!

I think I need to start getting onto milling my own timber for future projects, my old man has a ton of space on his property for it to sit and dry out.

Originally Posted by BobL

Its some of the best looking firewood I have ever seen
complete.jpg

Wow! That really is beautiful, cheers for the pic.

Originally Posted by bueller

Wow! That really is beautiful, cheers for the pic.

Here's the link to the complete story of that slab
From tree to finished product

Yeah I have so much timber already cut up, and some is indeed slowly turning into firewood.
In the last few years I have been ding more metal than woodwork.

BobL - that was a nice timber top that ended up in the outdoors - not bad for something that was just "lying around" for a few years.

So for those that do mark their timbers, you're using things like paint pens and permanent markers?

I assume those marks are made on the end grain or do you mark on the faces? The issue I have is that endgrain sealer is a pain to write through, but desperately needed for wet/drying wood.