Cedar signs

Looks so professional, even your photos are catalog ready!

-- Ron, Twain Harte, Ca. Portable on site Sawmill Service http://westcoastlands.net/Sawmill.html http://westcoastlands.net/SawBucks2/phpBB3 http://www.portablesawmill.biz/concrete/

Very nice signs. I would like to hang one in my home.
You said you router them by hand, do you use a templet or free hand. They are very well done. I will asume you have to clean the routing up by hand. And your right the finish does make them stand proud.

-- Dominic, Trinity, Florida...Lets be safe out there.

Thank you for the kind words. These are done freehand, no template. I print a pattern out on the computer then transfer the design to the wood using carbon paper then just follow the lines. I don’t clean up the letters by hand but I do sometimes have to go over and over the letters or design with the router, just barely touching them, until I get the lines straight or get the edges like I like them.

These are the photos I used when I made my business cards. That is why they are like that.

-- The Kings Treasures

Great work.

Wonder if you’d tell us what router bits (sizes and profiles) you normally use for the sign making? And do you use a regular or a trim router to do the job? Thanks.

-- The time I enjoy wasting is not time wasted

Hi ChuckM, I have tried many different bits and found myself always going back to 3-4 different bits. I like the usual v-groove lettering bit for most jobs, adjusting the depth for larger or smaller jobs. I also use a 1/4 inch straight bit or a 1/8th inch straight bit for small letters. If I am doing small letters that only take one pass to finish, I sometimes like the 1/8 inch round bottom bit. The v-groove bit cannot make square corners when I need them so somtimes I will go around the edges of the letters with a smaller to get the nice corners then finish it with the larger straight bit.
As for the router I use, I use 2 machines. I use a regular router for most jobs and for the smaller detail work I us a rotozip tool with small Dremel carving bit. These bits are not made for this kind of work so they get dull real quick. That’s okay with me because when I use a dull bit it burns the wood as it goes, making the line dark. I like that look on some signs, it saves me from having to paint it.
When I paint the lettering and designs I am not really careful about staying in the lines. When the paint dries I just sand the piece again and clean up my mess.

-- The Kings Treasures

Thanks for sharing your sign carving insights. Will give it a try one day.

-- The time I enjoy wasting is not time wasted