Cataloguing Machinery.

Following a clean up of the garage over the previous week I have found ……
1) A number of tools that I didn’t know that I owned.
2) That the value of the tools that I now own will be quite substantial and I really should recheck the insurance value.

With the two points above in mind I was thinking that I would like to catalogue all of my machinery and hand tools so that I have a record of what I have and the replacement value.

I was thinking of making an index card system which will include the following information on each tool …..

Item
Manufacturer
Model number
Serial number
Photo
Scan of receipt if available
Replacement cost (number of new model if superseded)
Accessories.

The question that I have is which program would be best to set this up in? I have the Professional Office 2003 edition. I was envisaging something like the index card system used for contacts in Outlook, where each tool would have its own card and it can be accessed from an alphabetic system. Any ideas?

access would probably be the best, but it is a bit of a bastard to use.

you could try just a table in excel, you could then add a hyperlink to the receipt image.

you could use the sort functions to get yourself a bit better listing. then if you did decide to convert it to access at a later date it would be fairly easy to import it.

Clint ......

I would have to agree ..... Access looks like it will be the program to use.
I recall having a quick look at Access 97 and it had a fairly simple template to orginise your cd collection but Access 2003 looks like it is a full blown hard to use program.

It might be a few long nights ahead.

Excel will do stinky.
Machinery and toll catalogue is excellent idea. I had a claim a few years ago and the insurance company had absolutely no doubt we were genuine because of our acuurate and organised record keeping.

Cheers

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Originally Posted by conwood

Excel will do stinky.

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I agree with conwood, it's much quicker to setup and make changes to Excel, just setup a sheet called Data with all your "fieldnames" along the top then stick the info in.

Then you can use Auto Filter or Pivot Tables to report on what you have.

You'll lose a lot of time in the shed if you go with Access.:eek:

HH.

I just stuff all of the receipts of everything I buy in a folder in my filing cabinet. A bit low tech I know but it works.

Here you go Stinky this is a simple example to get you started.

I wouldn't bother with photos or scanning reciepts but up to you.:D

HH.

Sir Stinky,

Whilst I have no doubt that Excel will do the job, it really should be in a database to gain the maximum flexibility in catalogueing. :confused:

I run Access 2000 which has wizards to set the thing up but you need some programming nouse to be able to get the best out of it. I would go with Access but only because I worked in the game for 20 odd years. :rolleyes:

Guess it's a matter of whether you want to use the tools available to their greatest performance or are happy to get by with what will do :p

I hate how I have this perfectionist personality :eek:

If you want to go that way I'll set up a database for you - coz I probably need the practice - and email it to you. If so, you might think about giving each item a location to define where it's stored, eg the shed gets done but the garage is untouched. Or you want to find something you had forgotten you had. ;)

Jamie

Barnsey,

I reckon the amount of time commitment should be a factor to, it took me 1 minute to set that spreadsheet up.;) :D

HH.

I use Excel for mine.
Also, another tip I got from a This Old House show...

Take a video camera and pan around your shed, and each room in your house (when clean of course). This will show most of your belongings on tape and provided an excellent reference to insurace claim agents when the This Old House project house suffered from a fire. Naturally make a couple copies of the tape and store 2 of them at external locations... i.e. parents/friends/relatives house. No good to ya if the tape burns with the house :(

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Originally Posted by HappyHammer

Barnsey,

I reckon the amount of time commitment should be a factor to, it took me 1 minute to set that spreadsheet up.;) :D

HH.

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Absolutely agree - set up time is not necessarily the criteria to do it a particular way - often referred to as a quick and dirty - the secret is to think about how it might help in the longer term. For example I would think there are probably thousands of items in my workshops If I need to find what's been pinched then the ability to find them is dependant on the location and the cross referencing of a database is far greater than a spreadsheet. :) And if you are like me - where are those wigets I bought, I thought they were :confused:

Depends on what you want to do with this data and I sense that Sir Stinky is like the rest of us. Where did I put that? Probably doubles the length of time to clean up first time round but with the right classifications you have more power to examine it with a database. :rolleyes:

Having said all that - is the work worth it :confused:

How much time have you spent looking for something you know you had?

Did you lend it to?

Did it get broke?

Did it get stolen out of the car?

OK maybe I'm exaggerating the situations but they've all happened to me and I was buggered trying to remember what was in the back of the Commodore wagon when it was raided and I'm still finding things that I had forgotten to mention at the time. :eek:

Depends on you potential risk ;)

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Originally Posted by barnsey

.....often referred to as a quick and dirty.....

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Have you been speaking to my SWMBO ? :D :o

HH.

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Originally Posted by HappyHammer

Have you been speaking to my SWMBO ? :D :o

HH.

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Nah that was back in the days when water was clean and sex was dirty :D

I used Photoshop :eek:

and a web authoring app like front page or Dreamweaver

Go & photograph all your stuff on a digital.
Dump it all to the hard disk.
Use Photoshop to create a web photo album. :cool:
Open the resulting pages with the Front page or what ever and add the text required. :p

Thanks guys .....

I have the household inventory in excel but I wanted to go a step further on this one.

One thing that does bother me is if the house burns down I wouldn't be able to recall half the things in my garage and I wouldn't be able to claim on insurance. I have mocked up a sample of what I am looking at doing, it was done on Publisher but it will give you an idea.

I like the idea of using the digital camera to take a shot of everything so I have a visual record rather than just text based. This will show the condition of the goods also. I know that it will not be a quick task but it is one of those things that should be done and it can be done at night rather than watching bad summer tv. I would like to be able to click on the photo and receipt to get a larger view but now I might be dreaming.

barnsey .... if you want to have a go at making an Access data base that can do this I am sure that many forum members will be happy to use it. I will give it a go but it may take a while to master Access I think.

I have this perfectionist personality but I rarely pull it off :)

One further advantage is that having the information electronically allows you to store it offsite in case you do have a burglary and/or fire and your PC goes with it.

Some options are:
email it to work
email it to a friend (make sure it's a <I>trustworthy</I> friend)
copy it to an online datastore - eg the ones you get for free from your ISP

Simon

Yo Sir Stinky,

I emailed a copy to my insurance company after I had a chat with them.
They reckon it's an excellent way to keep a record and I update it every now and then.
Photoshop, PaintShop Pro, ACDsee will all do web (html) photo albums and it's an automated process. Just point the app at the folder of pictures and it creates the thumbnails and writes the pages :D http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ons/icon14.gif
That reminds me....... ;)

Sir S

easiest and quickest way to catalogue everything is

A)put all tools and equipment in one location
b)email me the address
c)leave it unlocked and walk away
d)take no notice of the removalist van that turns up at 3am :D :eek: :D

Having very little knowledge of programming I use this program for all lists addresses and other stuff I have to access.

It replaces the old Microsoft cardfile which I kind of liked.

http://www.azzcardfile.com/

What's wrong with a big box, lots of chains and a large dog?

Richard

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Originally Posted by Daddles

What's wrong with a big box, lots of chains and a large dog?

Richard

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Add a stack of pancakes, and youv'e got yerself one hell of a fetish

Quote:

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What's wrong with a big box, lots of chains and a large dog?

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Dogs are flammable.

Sir Stink I like the idea of the page with the current model, purchase price & photo but how often are you going to go to the hardware store to check out current models and prices, usually once you buy a tool you do not worry about the price again till you have to replace it, then you get a shock as to how much it has gone up. It may be allright for your larger tools to do this but think of all the little bits a peices you gather as you go along .
They are the things that really add up over time.
Another problem you have is once the boss knows what you have in the shed it will be hard to say " Ive had it for years" she can go to the computor and check out your purchase date and how much you really paid for it. DOH!!! :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Sir Stinkalot

Thanks guys .....

barnsey .... if you want to have a go at making an Access data base that can do this I am sure that many forum members will be happy to use it. I will give it a go but it may take a while to master Access I think.

I have this perfectionist personality but I rarely pull it off :)

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Barnsey I for one would appreciate it if you would make up a access db I have tried a couple times but ending up swearing cos I missed out bits and I reckon a photo fo the item is a given beats trying to describe tools to a person on the other end of the phone that thinks a butter knife is a screwdriver :eek:
Pete

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Originally Posted by Jim Carroll

Sir Stink I like the idea of the page with the current model, purchase price & photo but how often are you going to go to the hardware store to check out current models and prices, usually once you buy a tool you do not worry about the price again till you have to replace it, then you get a shock as to how much it has gone up. It may be allright for your larger tools to do this but think of all the little bits a peices you gather as you go along .

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Jim I would tend to agree that you wouldn't update the catalogue too often with the new models, but for larger items it wouldn't take long to update when the new annual dealer catalogues (Carbatec, Hare and Forbes etc) come out. The problem with not updating the prices is that if the retail price goes up you are under insured and if they go down you are over insured, under being worse.

A searchable database would be ideal .... Yesterday I purchased a $20 masonry drill bit to drill two holes, thinking it would be something that I wouldn't have in the garage, today after drilling the two holes I found one in a drawer in the garage. If I had of know that I had one I would have spent the 20 minutes to find it.

The database could be as accurate as you like, it could just list the large power tools that are likely to go first at a break in or it could list everything down to drill bits.

Cataloguing your drill bits?!! Jeez mate, you're starting to scare me.... Back away, don't make eye contact :D

It's caused by getting married Darren. :rolleyes:

He's got nothing better to do now. :D

True ..... only a month gone now and I am already looking for a reason for staying out in the garage.

I wasn't thinking about cataloguing every drill bit ..... just the slightly strange ones. :p

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Originally Posted by Sir Stinkalot

True ..... only a month gone now and I am already looking for a reason for staying out in the garage.

I wasn't thinking about cataloguing every drill bit ..... just the slightly strange ones. :p

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That's a good idea - just catalogue the twisted ones. :D

Richard

Perhaps he means the ones for square holes, or for going round corners.

Or does he mean the ones with strange and unnatural tendancies towards pancakes?

Quote :

A searchable database would be ideal .... Yesterday I purchased a $20 masonry drill bit to drill two holes, thinking it would be something that I wouldn't have in the garage, today after drilling the two holes I found one in a drawer in the garage. If I had of know that I had one I would have spent the 20 minutes to find it.



Wouldn't it be simpler to organise it so that drill bits are with the other drill bits, same as nails with other nails, screws with other screws and pancakes with other pancakes rather then have them all over the place.

Peter.

All tools together in a mass organisation ..... Oh I can only dream.

No need for me to dream Stinky. :D I see that whenever I walk into my workshop. :p

Seriously, it should not be too hard to keep the disposables like nails, screws, nuts and bolts, drillbits, glues and putties together on some shelves.


Peter.

Personally, I think it would be best to use a easy relational database. Access is good enough. I have had a quick go at it and created the following database which might meet your needs.

I find it easiest to enter data in directly into the table but others like using a form (I've made an example of each) It is pretty easy to generate reports customised to your needs -- I made up a quick one as an example.

I only spent 15 mins on this so it may be rough. Have a look, I can always edit it to improve it before serious usage :D

Now, as a new user of this forum I just have to find how to attach the file.... Looks like it'll have to be zipped.

Well done Simmering - you did it before I got the chance. :o

Probably need to think about how you might want to treat reports and work out the complex ones that some might have trouble with. ;)

On locations I have twist drills stored separately from brad point drills, masonary bits, forstner bits, brace bits - hard & soft wood, Then i have other bits stored with the pop riveter, the pocket hole jointing jig, Sachy Robertson screw bits. :rolleyes:

Bloody annoying to go out and buy another one coz I forgot there was an option somewhere else. Still they are now in another box where I keep all those that I've bought and didn't really need too :eek:

Now I'm not suggesting that cataloguing everything is the answer but there may be some benefits as described. Cant tell you how many times I've bought something coz I couldn't find it. Most times it's on the way home from the tool store that I actually manage to work out what I was doing the last time I used it and sure enough there it is when I get home in the box with scroll saw accesories because I was using it on a production job I was doing there :rolleyes:

Guess we've all had that happen :D

Enough rambling I'm off again :cool:

Jamie