Wood pile documentation or who is crazier than me?

You know I only thought of this because it would just be like a solar kiln for your wood considering how much it is. Then you having more than enough room for extras(providing you have the acreage!) you're on your way! When you get it set up, show it off boss!

 

Excel or similar spreadsheet is not ideal for this kind of thing. Have you considered using a database like MS Access instead? That would allow you to sort any which way that you want with a single data entry and appropriate queries. You would still enter each pallet date, species and expected drying time but you could then select what to burn based on the expected ready date, for example. I am always amazed at what people do with a spreadsheet that would be so much easier using a database. Yes, I am database literate so I do not find them difficult to use. I suspect that familiarity with spread sheets has led to their use when a database would be so much easier in this kind of application. Heck, these days Microsoft does not even include database functions in their basic 0ffice packages because people just don't understand how powerful it can be.

 

I have a hard enough time with Excel. I've never used a database program. What would you suggest I try?

 

You and me both!

 

If you have learned to use Excel as if it was a database, go with it. It took me a little time to learn to use Access for sorting and consolidating records. Not sure it would be worth learning to use a database just for this one application. I use mine for a listing of all of my books, all of my investments, all of my DVR movies and so on. When I want to know all of the books by so-and-so author I just use a simple query against my data table. If I want to know where my DVR records are stored, I enter a part of the name of the video I want to find, etc. Once you build it a database is very user friendly, but building one is not for a beginner if you already have another way to find your answers. I think the ready availability of spreadsheets like Excel is the reason that so few people know how to use a database. In a lot of places they overlap functionally.

 

And here I thought I was being ECD (excessive compulsive disorder) because I was going to color-code my stacks with spray paint using the ROY G BIV color scheme. You guys almost make me look normal.

 

Hmmm. Queued stacks. Hadn't thought about it in those terms.

 

I just write the date on a couple of splits when I finish that particular stack. To many stacks and I will forget what got stacked and when.

 

The way Mom's wood is stored, we have a diagram on the wall in the basement showing which wood shed is to be used in which year. As one is emptied and filled, the year on it changes. campinspecter has also used spray paint to put the year on the face of the splits.

 

C'mon man, iirc your an Engineer. This is 2017 and I'm surprised that you don't use...
.

 

Why could a person not do the same thing using the Excel Sort Function and the search features of Excel as well? I am not being an antagonist on this, as you said there is a lot of overlap, but there is a lot of powerful potential on Excel once you understand logarithms and how to write them out.

 

Where ya been neighbor? Maybe I've just missed seeing your post's

 

As I said, lot of people have learned to use Excel quite well and do not see the benefit of using a database. A simple spreadsheet's data tables can be attacked using SQLs and deliver up much of the results that I can get out of a database effortlessly. The difference is not so much what can be done as it is how easy it is to pull it off. I could even store all of my records on file cards and filter them into piles to get the results but I think we would all agree that is far more effort to get a result.

The real power of a database is being able to do multiple sorts all at once to get a result. As an example if I want to know all of the titles in my video collection with a particular actor made in a particular year or time period and of a particular genre with a PG or R rating, the sorting involved is easy to string together without disturbing the underlying data and without creating a new page the way I would if I wanted to do something similar with excel by just copying the main table and then filtering out everything on the copy that did not meet my criteria. Even more fun is that if I want to do it again in a database and I have set up the query to do it, I can change any of the parameters of the search using prompts that ask what I am looking for and just push the GO button to get my answer.

 

Interesting...it was a serious question as I am always looking to do things better.

My farm is set up on an Excel Spreadsheet, and I am happy with it, but its getting huge in size. 2 years ago one of my foresters did a Forest Plan for my farm and so I converted her paper documents into more usable spreadsheet form. Now as I cut wood, I note what I cut for wood for the day, and where and it automatically deducts it from my Excel Spreadsheet Forestry Plan.

It is a real asset. I can tell at any moment what I have for forest products growing in my forest; by species, by stand, by cord/thousand board foot, and by updating the values of what those cords/BF are worth; the overall value of the forest (and individual stands) as well.

The reason I did this was, the forester used data that had no bearing on real world information I can use. For instance, she did it based on tree species, well as you know, it does not matter if a tree is Yellow Birch or Ash, it is considered firewood or hardwood pulp. So I had to combine species into different products that I sell.

It is surprisingly accurate and I did the numbers 30 years out as at 42 years old now, it allows me to plan until I am 72. Naturally my American Tree Farm System certification requires that I do a new forestry plan every 10 years, and for good reason, but when that is done in 8 years, I'll be able to have a lot of data for her as the computerized system automatically keeps up with my daily logging activities. As it was, 75% of the forestry plan was derived from information I gave her. Kind of a waste of $1700, but such is life I guess.

 

The spreadsheet is the pickup truck of data management - it is the cat's meow for certain small jobs, but woefully inadequate as the requirements increase; I agree that tracking a few (hundred) stacks of firewood is well within a spreadsheet's sweet spot.

 

*beep* 2017 oak bin 1 of 10 .....FREE please see tractor attendant for assistance.