You Used 11 Feet Last Time and It Wasn't Enough
The cobra stitch dog collar that looked right in the YouTube tutorial required a different working length than the one you made, because your dog's neck is 16 inches and the tutorial dog's was 12. You ran out of cord two inches from the buckle, had to start over with a new strand, and the join shows. You didn't write down the adjusted length. Next time you make the same collar for someone else, you'll do the calculation again from scratch and probably get it slightly wrong again.
This database is where you put the corrected number.
Length × Thickness × Width: The Three Dimensions That Change Everything
The cord specification field captures the full physical description — 550 paracord versus 95, 275, or 750; 3mm versus 4mm diameter; the width of the finished braid when pulled tight on the jig. These three dimensions interact. A wider braid requires more working length per inch of finished piece. A thicker cord — 750 versus 550 — uses more material per knot because each half-hitch has more body to it. If you swap cord types without adjusting your working length calculation, you either run short or waste two feet of a colour you're almost out of.
The Jig size field locks the project to its fixture. A Solomon/cobra on a 10cm jig produces a different finished length than the same pattern on a 15cm jig even with identical cord. When you return to a project six months later and the jig you used is on the shelf next to three others that look almost the same, the record tells you which one.
Four Working Lengths: Where the Real Engineering Is
1e Lenght through 4e Lenght or something else — four strand-length fields. Simple single-colour cobra braid needs one number. Two-colour alternating needs two numbers, often unequal because the inner core cord runs straighter while the outer working strands travel a longer path with each knot cycle. Three- and four-strand projects — king cobra, trilobite, mamba — each need their own calculations per strand, and the ratios change based on knot density.
The experienced maker's number doesn't come from a formula. It comes from making the project, measuring what was left over or what ran short, and writing down the corrected lengths for next time. Pre shrinking cord — Yes or No — is the variable that changes those numbers by 2-5% depending on the nylon content and how the cord was stored. Wet-and-stretch pre-treatment before a project that will live outdoors or get wet regularly isn't optional; it's the difference between a bracelet that fits right after the first rain and one that tightens uncomfortably.
Tools you need is a multi-select field that populates the prep checklist: scissors, lighters, jig, buckles, D-rings, hemostats, tape measure. The Tutorial URL links to the video or written pattern that was the basis for the project — so when someone asks you to replicate a specific knot sequence you made two years ago, you're not guessing what it was.
Cost to make project closes the loop if you sell or gift your work. Material cost plus time is the only honest basis for pricing, and you can't calculate material cost without knowing how much cord each project actually uses.