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Numbering your turned pieces

Paul Lajoie

Paul Lajoie

Joined
Jan 3, 2015
Messages
175
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99
Location
Western Ma.
I was just told not to “date “ my pieces, but come up with a numbered way of keeping track. Then mark them in a diary with all pertinent info. Can anyone expand on this practice? Thanks for any and all help given

Paul
 
Well first, do what you want with your work and not "what you're told". It's your work. :)

For me, what I choose to do is number them in order of completion. I also add the two digit year.
 
Ditto on do what you want.

I name my artistic pieces. When I make similar pieces in sort of a series, I number after the name

I have done quite a few hollow forms patterned after the pottery from the ancient cultures of the south west I call these Southwest and number them.
Southwest 1 , southwest 2....... then to southwest 70

I don’t number utitly bowls
If there is an artistic element they get a name and number
 
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Thanks for the info. Let me explain what ment in my original post. If you “date” your project then try selling it years later, the buyer sees the “date” and thinks wow this is old I don’t want a old piece. If it’s numbered they have no idea when it was made, unless you tell them. Sounded logical to me at the time. Numbering and keeping a diary with a picture or two would be a great way of keeping track of your pieces.


Paul
 
No one wants to buy a used, low mileage, 2016 model bowl. High mileage 1800s bowl is another story. The date only means something to you, maybe one of your kids if they want it. The only ones I ever date now, are heritage bowls from a tree with sentimental value to the family that ordered it. Everything else, just my name.
 
Do whatever you want. It's your creation. Don't feel compelled to follow other people's "rules" (except for this one :D :rolleyes:). I sign my name because I won't kid myself into thinking thinking that Antiques Roadshow will have a catalog of initials or "marks"that identifies something as mine. I usually give my pieces a name or title. Being an engineer, I used to date it with year, month, day, hour, minute, and second ... :D. But now year works just fine. If I know the wood then I usually also include that as well. I've used all sorts of ways to do the marking, but since I have become pretty good at pyrography that is what I usually do.
 
Bill Boehme said:
Do whatever you want. It's your creation. Don't feel compelled to follow other people's "rules" (except for this one :D :rolleyes:). I sign my name because I won't kid myself into thinking thinking that Antiques Roadshow will have a catalog of initials or "marks"that identifies something as mine. I usually give my pieces a name or title. Being an engineer, I used to date it with year, month, day, hour, minute, and second ... :D. But now year works just fine. If I know the wood then I usually also include that as well. I've used all sorts of ways to do the marking, but since I have become pretty good at pyrography that is what I usually do.
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I didn't think about my pyrography set. I may start using that to mark. As of now, was just using a perm marker pen. Lol
 
Bill Boehme said:
Do whatever you want. It's your creation. Don't feel compelled to follow other people's "rules" (except for this one :D :rolleyes:). I sign my name because I won't kid myself into thinking thinking that Antiques Roadshow will have a catalog of initials or "marks"that identifies something as mine. I usually give my pieces a name or title. Being an engineer, I used to date it with year, month, day, hour, minute, and second ... :D. But now year works just fine. If I know the wood then I usually also include that as well. I've used all sorts of ways to do the marking, but since I have become pretty good at pyrography that is what I usually do.
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Bill, your comment made me chuckle. As woodturners we take our work pretty serious, as we should. We've poured countless dollars and time into it and for most of us it has become a real passion. But only about one in a gazillion of us will ever reach celebrity status in any world outside of woodturning. But Bill, you just might be the one.
 
I date mine by year and month, I sign my name and put wood species on it. Never numbered my pieces, just too many of them. Main reason for date is for flash back.... To see how much I have progressed...

robo hippy
 
If you plan to "sell" a date may be a bad idea. If you "give" then a date isn't a bad idea. When I turned bowls in the early 1970's I just put a symbol which was an symbol arrangement of my first and last initials. I was taught to do that with most of my work by a high school art teacher. A few years ago, my wife and I were browsing some antique shops when I happened upon a familiar small teak bowl. When I flipped it over I saw my symbol. The proprietor gave Mrs. and I a story about how the turner was a well known artist in that town and that he passed away several decades ago.. I just showed my wife the symbol and we both got a chuckle. I wish I had gotten that kind of money for the bowls when I made them. Lately I have been putting my initials and the year. Since most everything is small, and perhaps painted, I don't bother about the wood species. However, if I made something from a piece of wood salvaged from an important place, I would probably note that. . i.e. A fellow at my club has some wood from President James Buchannan's home.
 
In pyrography I sign my first name and I date mine by year and month, a dash and the sequential number of pieces that I did that month. In an Excel spreadsheet I also keep track of the wood species and who got the piece (gift or sold). As others mentioned it is a good way to see how much you have progressed.
Bobby it is your work, you should be proud of it, and do what feel good to you.
 
Paul Lajoie said:
Thanks for the info. Let me explain what ment in my original post. If you “date” your project then try selling it years later, the buyer sees the “date” and thinks wow this is old I don’t want a old piece. If it’s numbered they have no idea when it was made, unless you tell them. Sounded logical to me at the time.
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I sign, date, and specify the wood(s) — and I sell them. My reasoning is that I want to know when I made a piece, and, for a sale I can reinforce to the buyer that the piece is stable and won’t crack if it’s from a year prior to present. It’s an assurance of quality in the curing and finishing.
 
Anything I am putting up for sale gets just my name and species of wood. I used to date, but if an item has not sold, I want to be able to place it in a new display, a different gallery, and there are some customers who watch what comes and goes at the gallery, as they shop often, so I like to keep my options open as to re-display, etc. If it is a historical wood like the SJPT [Stonewall Jackson Prayer Tree] then I make sure to include that identification and a certificate of authenticity that our club had made just for that purpose.
 
Richard Shelby said:
My system starts with the year (18) followed by the sequential number. My last piece was "18160" then I add the wood species and a signature medallion in the center.
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Where did you get your medallions? I've been looking around, but most stuff is 1"+ and require huge quantities. I'd like something smaller with just a name or symbol (like the artist formerly know as Prince). I did find a cheap online source for custom rubber stamps, which I'm using right now. https://www.rubberstampchamp.com/
You can upload your own artwork. Turnaround time is 7 - 10 days. (I promise I'm not affiliated, nor do I get kickbacks).
 
I have always signed (Don W-for good reason not the complete last name), dated and listed the species. Since 2015 I have added a 4 digit number starting with the year (5) and the number or the piece made that year, I should have gone with 5 digits but I can do that in 2020. I keep a data base using Print Shop software and add a model number with the first 4 letters being codes for type, wood, finish and special features, then 2 numbers for diameter and 2 numbers for height. The software also allows me to print out a label on clear return address labels stock. This system allows me to keep track of what I sell , or consign, give away, for how much it sold for and when.
 
Interesting thread here. We had our Christmas party for our chapter last night. I got a pepper mill in the silent auction. It was made by a friend who signed his full name and had the date of 11/17 on it. OK, it's a year old but I'm not concerned about that age of the piece. He turns some nice pieces so it wasn't an issue to me. In fact, he was the one who got me interested in turning. There are pros and cons for signing and dating a turned piece, IMHO.
 
I used to number wood blocks as I received them......but, now I have some numbered wood blocks that have been in inventory for many years! Now, I number bowls that have been roughed, and have begun the seasoning process......or otherwise processed in some form, or another. There are a couple hundred roughed bowls that have never been final turned......yet! Current roughed bowls are in the 1,700 range, but realistically, I'm working on finished bowls around number 1,400 +/-, or so.....

I began numbering around 1990, so there are bowls made prior to that which never did get a number......or, inventory card. All bowls get an inventory number, and file card. The file cards are kept in a card file. This is where the monthly weights are logged, along with where, when and who I got the wood from. My costs, sale date, price, who purchased, along with production notes and drawings are on the card, as well.

BTW: I don't number bowls permanently on the bowl.....but, use a temporary sticker with the number and species on it. The only identifying marks on the bowl itself, are my stylized initials......that's all. Once that temporary sticker is removed by the end user, the number is lost, unless written down. I'm one who thinks being a "minimalist" in marking a bowl is best. Yes, I know many turners permanently mark all kinds of information on their bowls.....and that's ok......I just have an alternative opinion about that......:D

There are six card file boxes. Three are in the shop. Of those, one is for bowls in the seasoning process, and other bowls which are W.I.P. (Work In Progress). Another is for bowls which have been seasoned and are on the shelf, immediately ready to turn. The third one is for raw unprocessed bowl blocks, and seasoned bowls in storage elsewhere. In the home, there are three inventory card files. One for bowls given away. One for bowls currently for sale, and another for sold bowls.

-----odie-----
 
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I asked my in-house art critic (Mrs B) and she said that dating turned wood art (or any other kind of art or fine wine for that matter) should not be viewed the same way that we look at a "Best Used By" expiration date. However I realize that we are constantly being subjected to advertising that tells us that new stuff is better than old stuff.

Craft show stuff doesn't need anything, but it would be nice to have the maker's name on it.
 
Honestly, do what you want... We use a system because it helps with inventory control.
B=bowl
H=hollow form
P=platter
M=minature
RP=Rolling Pin
etc
Followed by a 2-digit year and a three digit serial number

So my last rolling pin was RP18027, the next one will be TP19001

also the wood type and name.

One last thing, if it's STRICTLY a shelf item (ie it as a Modern Masters Metal finish) it has the wood "FOOD" with a "no" symbol slashed across it.
 
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