Wood signs

[darylhewston]

Hi all,

What do get someone who has 2 of everything.  Well our dear friends have decided to tie the knot and still have 2 of everything when they moved in together.  As I have made a few of these over the years, we thought it was a great personalized gift.

First off select a piece of timber suitable for job at hand.  For this piece I decided on a piece of Jarrah 120 x 19 x 1150.  Unfortunately I didn't have any offcuts available.  And by all means you can use old timber for that vintage look.

Create the template on your computer with whatever font/text you like.

Position the template and using carbon paper, trace the words onto the timber.

Now the tricky part.  I used a small cove router bit for this one as I like the 3d effect the rounded edges give.  I also use a smaller router/trimmer as it gives me more control.

With the bit set at about 4mm, carefully trim out the letters.

Now with whatever colour you want (the choice is endless), paint the letters with at least 3 coats leaving drying time between coats.  Then sand with 180 grit sandpaper to get rid of any mistakes.  Coat with 3 coats of clear estapol gloss sanding with at least 240 grit inbetween coats.  I always use exterior grade but again, you could use any clear finish you have available.

In this case, I have used purple as it is Simones favourite colour.  Tom doesn't get a say in the matter.

I have hung these by either drilling a couple of holes in the sign and screwing direct to wall, or putting screw in hooks on top and hanging by a nice chain/rope.

NOTE:  I have found that if using white as your letter colour, it will discolour due to the natural pigments in the clear coat.  Of course you could always apply another coat of white if you have steady hands.

Amount of coats is also dependent on the coverage.  I tend to use 3 of each.

Brighter/lighter colours work well with darker timber and darker colours work well with lighter timber.

Remember safety.  Routers are very dangerous machines if you are not used to them.  Use glasses, mask and earplugs.

Cheers'n'beers

Daryl

[Deanna]

That looks fantastic! They'll love it

[darylhewston]

I would forget my head if it wasn't screwed on.  Deb just reminded me of the signs I put up in our rear hallway.  I only go past them every single day.  These will give you an idea for colour choice.

These were made with pine offcuts and varnish/stained.  Each Japanese saying means something different.  I got the idea when visiting Japan back in the mid 90's.

This is the green one.  I put the arrow on it so I knew which way was up.

The choice is endless with what you can do.

Cheers'n'beers

Daryl

[MartyH]

Good work @darylhewston. How long does it typically take you to make a sign?

[darylhewston]

@MartyH

Hi Marty,

Thanks for that.  Usually only about an hour plus painting.  The hardest part is picking what type of font I want to use.

Cheers'n'beers

Daryl

[MartyH]

That's quicker than I thought. Well done. I hear comic sans is a popular font!

[Jackson]

@MartyH - I'm hoping you're joking. Comic Sans is an affront to humanity.

@darylhewston - very cool! Have you ever thought about selling them at markets or on Gumtree/Etsy? You could do commissioned work.

[darylhewston]

@Jackson

Thanks mate much appreciated.  Believe it or not I have used Comic Sans before but usually use MV Boli as I like the curves in the letters.

I have thought about making up a heap and selling them but my 'list' is priority at the moment.  Maybe when I get a bit more time up my sleeve.

Cheers'n'beers

Daryl

[Wayne]

Beautiful work! You must have a very steady hand and a keen eye.

[Bluhuaru]

Very nice work. I'm not very good free-hand routing, I normally use a template but I think that I might just have to give your idea a go.
Well done.