Lynn Kasdorf
04-30-2007, 10:23 AM
I have until this Saturday (6 days from now!) to make a nice outdoor sign for my Mother-In-law's birthday party. She has a farm with horses, and I want to make a rustic sign with the name of her farm.
I am trying to decide on what technology to employ. I figure I'll design the lettering in Photoshop, print on paper, and cutout or transfer the pattern.
Here are some ideas:
1. I could freehand rout the letters so that they would be recessed. Then I'd paint the routed letters black. I should probably buy a 1/4" spiral upcut round bottom bit for this. I do have a fear getting it almost done, and having the router catch and mess it up.
2. Similarly, I could freehand rout the negative of the letters- that is the letters would be above the background. I could then use gouges to carve the relief by hand.
3. I could simply hand carve the letters- I think a recent FWW had an article on this? Or maybe a back issue that I read recently.
4. I could sandblast either a negative or positive of the letters. I'd need to find suitable sandblast mask material.
For the wood, I figure I'll scare up a piece of cedar. Of course, I have scads of white oak 1x12 siding scraps, but that would be harder to carve.
I'd like opinions on what method you folks have used that worked well.
Thanks-
Lynn Kasdorf
I am trying to decide on what technology to employ. I figure I'll design the lettering in Photoshop, print on paper, and cutout or transfer the pattern.
Here are some ideas:
1. I could freehand rout the letters so that they would be recessed. Then I'd paint the routed letters black. I should probably buy a 1/4" spiral upcut round bottom bit for this. I do have a fear getting it almost done, and having the router catch and mess it up.
2. Similarly, I could freehand rout the negative of the letters- that is the letters would be above the background. I could then use gouges to carve the relief by hand.
3. I could simply hand carve the letters- I think a recent FWW had an article on this? Or maybe a back issue that I read recently.
4. I could sandblast either a negative or positive of the letters. I'd need to find suitable sandblast mask material.
For the wood, I figure I'll scare up a piece of cedar. Of course, I have scads of white oak 1x12 siding scraps, but that would be harder to carve.
I'd like opinions on what method you folks have used that worked well.
Thanks-
Lynn Kasdorf