Just a little sign board complete (lots of pics)

[Todd Burch]

Well, not a glamourous project, but I did make money a little $$ on it! This is a sign board that will hold sandblasted granite tiles for a new library opening soon very close to my house.

I started with a sketchup drawing showing how to fit all 56 tiles on the signboard. I drew it from a fax I receved from the granite tile guy. The sign board final dimensions are 5'9" tall and 13'2" wide.

http://www.burchwoodusa.com/miscpix/commercial/signboard_front.jpg

Then, I used Sketchup to layout how I was going to create the 1/2" plywood back board. It is 2 layers of 1/4" birch plywood glued and stapled togther, overlapping at the seams. I used the same layout pattern on the top layer as the bottom layer, only flipping the top layer end-for-end and top-for-bottom. I left the rough side of the plywood up so the adhesive for the tiles (liquid nails) would have a better grab. It took 5 sheets of plywood and about a hour to make. I used about a pint of yellow glue and a 4" wide paint roller to spread it out.

http://www.burchwoodusa.com/miscpix/commercial/signboard_plyback.jpg

Here is the sign as I was laying out the dividers. I ordered all the hard maple stock S4S sanded to thickness and to width and I merely cut to length. The outer framing members are 1" thick with a 1/2" x 1/2" rabbet to accept the plywood. I used a slot cutter on a handheld router to cut the rabbet. The internal dividers are all 1/2" thick hard maple. Each piece is glued and pinned to the plywood. The vertical dividers in the bottom section are 2" wide, and when I got to the last 3 to install, working both sides to the middle, I test fit the tiles. Good thing, as I had to shave off a little bit on each of the 3 dividers so the tiles would fit properly.

http://www.burchwoodusa.com/miscpix/commercial/sign_layingout.JPG

I finished the maple with a brown stain to match a sample I had been given. 3 coats of satin lacquer and some wax. Here's an overall shot and a closeup of some blank granite tiles set in place.

http://www.burchwoodusa.com/miscpix/commercial/sign_finished.JPG

http://www.burchwoodusa.com/miscpix/commercial/sign_closeup.JPG

Finally, here's the final sign board hanging in place and the granite tiles are being glued in place. It took a day to make and finish and materials were just over $400. I did not have to deliver!

http://www.burchwoodusa.com/miscpix/commercial/sign_mounted.JPG

Thanks for looking. Todd.

[Keith Starosta]

Pretty cool, Todd. My favorite part is the little bit of free advertising you you got by scribbling your web site in the middle of the sign. :D

Hey, free is free...right? ;) :p

Keith

[Wolf Kiessling]

Well, not a glamourous project, but I did make money a little $$ on it! This is a sign board that will hold sandblasted granite tiles for a new library opening soon very close to my house.

I started with a sketchup drawing showing how to fit all 56 tiles on the signboard. I drew it from a fax I receved from the granite tile guy. The sign board final dimensions are 5'9" tall and 13'2" wide.

http://www.burchwoodusa.com/miscpix/commercial/signboard_front.jpg

Then, I used Sketchup to layout how I was going to create the 1/2" plywood back board. It is 2 layers of 1/4" birch plywood glued and stapled togther, overlapping at the seams. I used the same layout pattern on the top layer as the bottom layer, only flipping the top layer end-for-end and top-for-bottom. I left the rough side of the plywood up so the adhesive for the tiles (liquid nails) would have a better grab. It took 5 sheets of plywood and about a hour to make. I used about a pint of yellow glue and a 4" wide paint roller to spread it out.

http://www.burchwoodusa.com/miscpix/commercial/signboard_plyback.jpg

Here is the sign as I was laying out the dividers. I ordered all the hard maple stock S4S sanded to thickness and to width and I merely cut to length. The outer framing members are 1" thick with a 1/2" x 1/2" rabbet to accept the plywood. I used a slot cutter on a handheld router to cut the rabbet. The internal dividers are all 1/2" thick hard maple. Each piece is glued and pinned to the plywood. The vertical dividers in the bottom section are 2" wide, and when I got to the last 3 to install, working both sides to the middle, I test fit the tiles. Good thing, as I had to shave off a little bit on each of the 3 dividers so the tiles would fit properly.

http://www.burchwoodusa.com/miscpix/commercial/sign_layingout.JPG

I finished the maple with a brown stain to match a sample I had been given. 3 coats of satin lacquer and some wax. Here's an overall shot and a closeup of some blank granite tiles set in place.

http://www.burchwoodusa.com/miscpix/commercial/sign_finished.JPG

http://www.burchwoodusa.com/miscpix/commercial/sign_closeup.JPG

Finally, here's the final sign board hanging in place and the granite tiles are being glued in place. It took a day to make and finish and materials were just over $400. I did not have to deliver!

http://www.burchwoodusa.com/miscpix/commercial/sign_mounted.JPG

Thanks for looking. Todd.

That is one cool sign, Todd. Did you do the "Library Legacy Donors" part of the sign also? I've been thinking about getting into that kind of stuff, just can't make up my mind if there is much of a market for that sort of thing in a rural area like this....

[Todd Burch]

No Wolf - just the woodwork. The grantite guy did all the tiles.

Keith - that little scribble was only seen for about 24 hours - mostly by laborers who can't read English. Oh well.