How to implement numerous resources in a clean efficient way

Question

I am working on a king of the hill type board game. With it, I have 3 main resources for players, food, stone, and lumber.

In theory, I want these to convert into more complex items that can be in turn, used to create more complex items.

Example:
Wheel <= 2 stone + 1 lumber Wooden Bed <= 5 lumber Wagon <= 4xWheel 1xWooden Bed

Now, Part of the thought process is that based on random chance, players will be able to construct these different items, and would benefit from trading with others.

At this point, im comfortable with that idea, despite it needing some tweaking. The part I am uncomfortable with is the amount of cards(or something) that would be required to be handed out.

Has anyone seen anything that worked in a similar way and was able to do this in an organized fashion?

One of my goals with this game is to keep setup simple (set up board, deal a few cards, GO!). But if people have a full bank of random items, I feel like it would get a bit too frustrating. (I look at dominion and it calms me a bit..but still something i want to avoid).

Answer 1

In the game "This War of Mine" they used plastic pieces (middle right compartment) for basic resources such as Wood, Water, Components and used cardboard printed tokens for advanced resources (other compartments).

The "recipes" are described on cards.

Answer 2

Option 1: Use generic markers to track resource quantity, location where you place them determines type of resources. Examples: resource board in Artificium; buildings in Oh My Goods determine type of produced resource and cards - it's quantity.

Option 2: Use pieces, that easy to tell apart. Games like Caverna have a bunch of different resources. Representing them with different colors and recognizable shapes helps to tell them apart and keep stock size reasonable. They also look cool. Also you can use pieces for basic resources and cards - for manufactured goods and parts.