Chain of custod?

I think it is important to verify who purchased the raw wood material. If the small shop only provides the labor the fabricator does all of purchases and sales, and then i think it's OK to skip documenting about the fabricator.

Jim is right. If the fabricator with FSC CoC maintains physical and legal possession of the certified wood and brings in contract labor to do some or all of the work, it's not an issue. There is even something called an outsourcing agreement where a CoC company that maintains legal possession of the material can send it to another company that doesn't have CoC to have specific services done (e.g. kiln drying, custom milling, pressure treating) without breaking the chain of custody.

Jason – Questions like the one above seem to come up a lot.
Am I right to say, when in doubt, check the invoice?
When a supplier or fabricator receives a COC Certification, they sign on to abide by FSC rules for handling, tracking, selling, & invoicing FSC products. They are subject to annual audits to ensure that their practices are in line with FSC policies. Their invoices should be reliable, or they risk their standing with the FSC.
An FSC-Certified vendor will be versed in the special circumstances, like the ones that you & Jennifer mention, that allow flexibility while maintaining the COC.
Therefore, if the invoice for FSC products is issued by a COC-holder directly to the end consumer (building owner or contractor), the COC should still be intact. If the invoice comes through a non-Certified intermediary, COC is broken.
Is it as simple as that?

Yes, that's right!