Keeping track of wood

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spaceengravers

Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2009
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107
Location
Stillwater, OK
All,
I cut up a bunch of blanks today. My question is...How do you guys keep track of all the different kinds of wood that you have and what they are? I can identify most of the domestics, but a lot of the exotics, I can't identify...Right now I've cut the blanks and put them in baggies with their names on the outside, but I don't know if this is going to work out or not.

Also, how do you identify an exotic that you don't know what it is...looking online gives you some pics and ideas, but so many look very similar...

thanks!

Mike
 
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I buy the sterilite brand small containers (the sturdier ones with the neon green handles) from WalMart. They are VERY durable, you can get about 40-70 blanks in one and you can stack them to the dang celieng if you want!! On the whole posting the pics here and we will help you figure out what it is, I agree with Matt.
 
I don't really agree with putting blanks in bags or plastic containers. You want their moisture levels to stabilize with the shop.

After a while, you get to know the exotics, and you can recognize them much easier. I'd spend some time looking at the selection of exotics at your local lumber yard.
 
I write on the blanks with a Sharpie. When I bought some from a member here he numbered them and sent a list.

I keep all of them in a couple of cardboard boxes.
 
I use a fine point white-out pen and write on the end of the blank. I've found the white is much easier to see! All my wood is stacked on open shelves inside my shop. This way I can see what the wood is without having to pull the blanks out. After a while you begin to recognize most woods even though I still run across some I've had awhile and never identified.

Like mentioned by someone earlier I'll post a picture on here if I can't ID a wood...between all of the folks here it usually get pegged.
 
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Write the name of the wood with a marker.. Stack on the shelf so you can see it (silver paint type Marker btw). That's what I do.
 
Thanks guys! all great ideas. I didn't think about the moisture issue...I don't have the room right now to stack them all on shelves, I'm working the other half of the garage, so space is very limited. I think I like the numbering system, then I don't have to write Purple Heart 15 times...

Thanks again!
 
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