It's finished! [Pics]

[Bart Sharp]

Okay, here is the final project. Thanks again to everyone who contributed ideas in my earlier threads. I decided "in for a penny, in for a pound" and went with the more complicated font. The results aren't perfect, but it turned out better than I had expected. It took me around 6 hours to do all the carving. The finish is a few coats of water based satin polyurethane.

I learned a lot from this first go:
1. A sharp knife is just as important as everyone says, and my knife was never sharp. I am planning on looking up the local carving club for some hands-on lessons.
2. This is related to the first, but my hand isn't as strong as it will need to be. By the end, any improvements from learning the tricks of the font were lost to a tired, unsteady hand.
3. Sprayed finish has a hard time getting all the way into the bottom of the deep v's. I may think about using a small brush to hit the deep spots before spraying next time.
4. Zeroes look easy, but they are tough to carve.
5. Letter carving is cool, and I will be doing more.

Any comments or criticisms are welcome, I'd like to figure out how to do better next time. Thanks for looking!

Bart

P.S. The fuzzy kid in the one picture was the first addition to the Sharp family.

[Doug Shepard]

I love the sign AND the cat.

[Bob Noles]

"Any comments or criticisms are welcome, I'd like to figure out how to do better next time. Thanks for looking!"

"Better next time"? I hardly see how. That is a masterpiece. Nice photography too.

Good job!

[David Klug]

Only in my wildest dreams could I think of doing something like that. I like it.

DK

[Carl Eyman]

Ya done Good

[Jason Tuinstra]

Very nice! Perhaps you could incorporate this into your furniture projects as a method of signing them. I know that Christian Becksvoort does this on his pieces. Regardless, you did an excellent job!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Excellent Bart! I tried that once..........

[Bart Sharp]

Thanks everybody for the kind words. David, trust me, if I can do this then you can too. I've wanted to try for a long time but just couldn't get past my perfectionist I'll-probably-screw-it-up-so-I-won't-bother-trying attitude. I'm glad I finally did.

Bob, web-sized photos hide a multitude of sins! I appreciate the compliments. I used to make a living as a photographer, and it's another passion of mine.

Jason, that's a great idea. I will definitely plan on doing that when I finally get a shop again. Part of why I wanted to learn this was to add a little special touch to the furniture I build. What would normally be a simple jewelry box or blanket chest could really be dressed up with a carved monogram or such.

Thanks again!

[Ken Shoemaker]

When I "grow up" I'll give that a try.

[Jim Becker]

Sharp project!!! (I just couldn't resist saying that... ;) ) Seriously, you did a great job on this work. The carving looks great!

[Bob Hovde]

That really is a great sign. The layout is perfect and the execution is as good as any professional would do (although it probably took a bit longer :rolleyes: ). You made a good design choice in the font. Very simple letters show every nick. (Generalization - I don't see any nicks on your sign. :) )

Bob

[Dave Richards]

Bart, that is very nice. I think a sign like that is a real cool thing. Do you plan to hang this by the front door or just display it where it is?

That font is a good one for carving and you executed it quite well. I think you did an excellent job.

I do have one suggestion for you if you would like to improve your work. You might take a look at the library or at bookstore for some books on typography. You should be able to find some interesting stuff regarding the way letters and numbers work.

As an example, rounded characters such as O, 0, S, C, Q and G as well as o, c and s should slighly overshoot both the top and bottom guidelines. Actually, for lower case letters the rounded portion of letters like d and b overshoot the lower guideline along with a guideline for the top of the rounded portion.

Another example has to do with the spacing between letters. It is isn't consistent between them except in monotype faces such as those you'd see if you were working in DOS. Spacing is normally proportional.

A lot of this stuff would be taken care of automatically if you use your computer to do the layout and just copy it. If you want to do your own layout or create your own fonts, this stuff would be useful to learn.

By the way, the newest addition looks good, too. I think it is hoping you'd put the camera down and open a can of tuna, though. :D

[Bart Sharp]

Bart, that is very nice. I think a sign like that is a real cool thing. Do you plan to hang this by the front door or just display it where it is?

That font is a good one for carving and you executed it quite well. I think you did an excellent job.

I do have one suggestion for you if you would like to improve your work. You might take a look at the library or at bookstore for some books on typography. You should be able to find some interesting stuff regarding the way letters and numbers work.

As an example, rounded characters such as O, 0, S, C, Q and G as well as o, c and s should slighly overshoot both the top and bottom guidelines. Actually, for lower case letters the rounded portion of letters like d and b overshoot the lower guideline along with a guideline for the top of the rounded portion.

Another example has to do with the spacing between letters. It is isn't consistent between them except in monotype faces such as those you'd see if you were working in DOS. Spacing is normally proportional.

A lot of this stuff would be taken care of automatically if you use your computer to do the layout and just copy it. If you want to do your own layout or create your own fonts, this stuff would be useful to learn.

By the way, the newest addition looks good, too. I think it is hoping you'd put the camera down and open a can of tuna, though. :D

That's all great advice Dave, thanks. I would have never guessed that letters should go above and below the baselines. I will check out some books, see what I can see. What about calligraphy books, would there be any help there? This one was all done on the computer. The only tweaking I did was expanding the letter spacing on the "Sharp" and "Family", if for no other reason than to make the sign bigger. See how sophisticated my design process was? ;)

We live in an apartment, so hanging this on the door is out. It will probably just go on the wall in our living room. As to giving that furry monster tuna, it happened once and only once. I won't go into too many details, but it had an effect very similar to what a night of beer and chili has on me...I've never smelled anything so foul in my life! :o

[John Renzetti]

hi Bart, I'm always late catching up on these things. Never can seem to beat Jim Becker. :)
Really nice job on the sign. The picture of the sign with the cat is priceless.
take care,
John

[Dave Richards]

Bart, calligraphy books would indeed also be good places to look.

Type out words with a combination of round and straight letters. Print them at say 120 pt and lay a straightedge along the bases and tops. That will give you a good illustration of what letters do what.

I've seen signs where Os are done so they don't drop below the baseline. If they don't extend above the upper line, they look to small and if they do extend they look like they aren't sitting on the baseline.

[Keith Christopher]

Very well done bart !



Keith

[Lincoln Myers]

Very nice job! You should be proud of it.

After reading Dave's comments, I looked back at the sign and could see the font spacing "problem". But I think 99% of people looking at the sign will not notice that and probably compliment the work.

I could see how one could get into this type of thing and spend all day on each little nuance. I guess that's just the nature of most of us woodworkers; constantly striving for perfection.

--Linc

[Mike Scoggins]

Bart,

Nice job in your first attempt at a new skill. I've wanted to try carving for some time, but still have not done so.

I'm curious: did the sign project require just one knife or multiple tools for the carving. If you don't mind, could you list that/those tool(s)?

Thanks,
Mike

[Donnie Raines]

Nice project.....and pictures.

[Bart Sharp]

Bart,

Nice job in your first attempt at a new skill. I've wanted to try carving for some time, but still have not done so.

I'm curious: did the sign project require just one knife or multiple tools for the carving. If you don't mind, could you list that/those tool(s)?

Thanks,
Mike

One tool, just a chip carving knife. I bought the Wayne Barton version, but from comments I've heard from real carvers the Flexcut is just as good, and quite a bit cheaper ($18 vs $35 if I remember right).

That's my favorite part about getting into this, it is a very inexpensive way to work wood. Less than $50 for a knife and sharpening stones and you're in business. Plus it's completely portable, so you can do it anywhere. I think I'm hooked.

[Tom Scott]

Bart,
Great job. I'm glad you posted the final results.
It should only get easier from here.

Tom

[Jerry Olexa]

Pretty sharp!! Great job!:D

[Corey Hallagan]

Beautiful sign. Very nice work!

Corey

[Jerry Clark]

Bart, Nice job! The finish problem in the bottom of the letters may have been caused by the "end grain" soaking up the finish. Great sign!

[Bart Sharp]

Bart, Nice job! The finish problem in the bottom of the letters may have been caused by the "end grain" soaking up the finish. Great sign!


Good point Jerry, I hadn't thought of that. Do you think the solution would still be to brush a little extra finish into the letters before spraying the whole sign? I wouldn't want to have a heavy buildup on the flats from trying to spray enough to saturate the exposed endgrain.

I think some variation on this is going to be my primary Christmas gift for family and friends this year. Definitely need that sharpening lesson!