Can't make enough steel tools...

[valley29]

The populace keeps stealing the coal because I can't chop down logs fast enough to produce enough firewood to keep them warm during winter. Now I can't even produce enough iron tools because I have 400 plus people and they keep increasing...

Maybe if I added more coal mines and had more schools to slow down the growth of the laborer pool? Also I try to buy tools each time a trader offers them but it is too little to help.

How do you handle this?

[Kalex]

how many laborers and woodcutters do you have?

[Banisha]

Have as much woodcutters as you can get surved by 3 foresters and tweek up the amount to 1200 per cutter. Make sure you've educated them

Don't expand your town to quick

Uneducated - Reach a pop. of 300 citizens without building schools
The tricky part here is to have enough tools..
Your original 8-12 adults are educated - make the most of those settlers before they die off to build up a good stock of tools ( about 350 ) whith educated blacksmiths. Once you have a good advance stock, it is easier to keep the stocks up with uneducated blacksmiths...it gives you a little bit more time to react if you see the stock of tools starting to drop.
Don't mine for iron - you'd be really struggling to produce enough iron to replace the tools broken in the mine.You can also trade for iron.

[valley29]

Thanks. Sadly I am now in ..what can only be called a 'stravation-death-shortage cycle'. God grief, I find Dwarf Fortress easier then this.

[ebrumby]

Educated workers produce more than uneducated workers - a BIG reason to make sure all children are educated. An educated blacksmith makes 2 steel tools from 1 log, 1 iron and 1 coal; uneducated only make 1. If you don't have enough coal, make iron tools. No iron? Make wood tools until the trader comes. I know that once you go into a death spiral, it seems there are no merchants willing to bring you any tools, but I've worked my way out of some bad shortages.

[valley29]

Wood tools? I don't use mods.

[Grace1957]

I think they are called crude tools.

[mpd1958]

How many Foresters and Woodcutters do you have. As for the coal situation, your citizens will continue to take coal for heat because it is more efficient than firewood. What you may have to do is multiple mines (fully manned) producing coal. You have to get to the point where it is being mined faster than they can burn it. Also make sure everyone is living in stone houses as they use less fuel.

EDIT: My last game I had over 300 pop, 2 forester lodges producing 2500 logs, and 2 woodcutters producing 3000 firewood and they had no problem keeping up with my population. The key is to get a good/large stockpile of logs and firewood before your population explodes.

EDIT: Option 2 - Forget about steel tools, with enough iron production and blacksmiths you can keep your population equiped with iron tools and will have no need for coal at all.

[Grace1957]

Personally,I don't like mines.I usually trade firewood,herbs and wool for iron,stone and coal.Put your blacksmith next to the stockpile at your trader so he gets the coal first.

[waTTe]

Consider also, that stone house are more efficient than wooden ones.
So if your people grab all your coal and even firewood so quick you might consider building better houses.

[jensenthecat]

Originally posted by valley29:

The populace keeps stealing the coal because I can't chop down logs fast enough to produce enough firewood to keep them warm during winter. Now I can't even produce enough iron tools because I have 400 plus people and they keep increasing...

Maybe if I added more coal mines and had more schools to slow down the growth of the laborer pool? Also I try to buy tools each time a trader offers them but it is too little to help.

How do you handle this?

Go back to the start and try again. More slowly. Your people cannot be rushed. Walking before running.