Deer Welcome Sign

[HoosierWood]

Geeting started on the Deer Welcome sign I'm making for my daughter.  Post more when completed. 

 

 

[Phantom Scroller]

Harold very good work on that sign looks great.

 

Roly

[bobscroll]

Harold, Very nice work your doing, Thank you for the photo's,

Bob     

P.S. is the pattern your own, I just wondered.

[LarryEA]

Looks good HoosierWood.

I like

[amazingkevin]

hi HAROLD,you did good on the pilot holes ,no matter wha t I always miss one or two ,you got them all .will be looking for more  soon on this one !  

[browders]

Great looking sign.

[heppnerguy]

way to go Harold, Keep up the good work, It looks like you are getting bit by te scroll saw bug.

 

Dick

 heppnerguy

[HoosierWood]

The deer pattern is from a book I bought recently, "North American Wildlife Patterns" by Lora S. Irish.    The font for the "welcome" message was downloaded at www.dafont.com (Western) .

 

I used Inkscape to trace the deer pattern and to position the "welcome" message.   I used PosterRazor to seperate the 18" final image for preparation on the wood. 

 

I really need to work on lettering and control. I had to do some last minute changes to the pattern because I messed up the rock on the left side by the deer.  I decide to cut the rock out completely.  I've come to the conclusoin I'm not a CNC cutter and my cutting and lettering will get better in time with some practice.    I'm going to use a triangle file to fix the styling on the top of the letters and do a little sanding to square up the letters in general.

 

Overall,  I'm happy with the project. Being handmade the little imperfections give it character.

 

 

 

.

Edited December 1, 2013 by HoosierWood

[HoosierWood]

Need some advice on finishing.  What do you suggest I use to finish the project? 

Edited December 1, 2013 by HoosierWood

[HoosierWood]

hi HAROLD,you did good on the pilot holes ,no matter wha t I always miss one or two ,you got them all .will be looking for more  soon on this one !  

 

 

It's funny you said that Kevin.  To be completely honest that wasn't my first picture of the pilot holes.   When I uploaded the first picture to my computer I noticed one of the cuts on the tree needed to be drilled.   I was like,  I can't have that..  I don't want to look to much like a rookie.  So,  I drilled the hole and took another picture,  but as I was cutting out the letters I noticed I missed another one on the letter M.   Oh well.

[jrpeteo]

That's why I leave a bit in the drill press, always miss some holes...... As for finishing, I'm a fan of spray laquer.

It's awfully hard to get into all those nicks and crannies unless you dunk it. Which I do sometimes with a 50/50 mix of Boiled Linseed Oil & Mineral Spirits.

Pete

[Birchbark]

I like it, i think you did a fine job on the letters, nice work.

 

Russell

[PaPa50707]

That is a great looking piece. Thanks for sharing.

[danny]

Hi Friends....Been a while since I was here.  Promise to come more often.  About putting a Finish on:

                           I have found to NEVER use Stain.  Terrible look on end grain.  Danish Oil works Great. 

           I gave Shellack a go as its a Sealer and Finish all in one Can.  That project was Baltic Birch.

               The Shellacck brought out the Grain and actually turned the wood color a Golden.  Liked it.

             I am also a guy that believes that Lacquer is the best for giving the craft a Glossy shine.

                Normally on the 3rd coat I finish my projects with Good Ole Min-Wax Gloss Poly.  Spray.

                   Anyway this be my 2 cents...................................Danny  :+}

[Ron Johnson]

Hi Harold

 

Fantastic job on the Deer Welcome sign that your daughter is going to love and be proud her dad made it just for her. Very well done.

As for applying a finish to a project everyone has their own preference and liking. As for myself I sand each project starting with a coarse grit working down to a 1500 grit acquiring a silky finish. After the project is cleaned with carbonated water removing all dust I then apply three separate coats of polyurethane (semi gloss), lightly sanding using a 1500 grit between each coat. I usually give each coat a day to dry before applying the next. I then finish by applying a cabinet makers wax lightly rubbing it in using a 1500 grit and wiping with a lint free cloth. This process is time consuming but it is what I like and have always used. A lot of times a person has to go by trial and error to find what works the best for themselves. Good luck with the finishing. Can't wait to see the end result.

[HoosierWood]

Thanks for the finishing suggestions and compliments on the welcome sign. Being my first "real" project, I'm happy with it. I've learned a few things while doing it and Dick helped me with some questions I had.   

 

Everything was put on hold due to catching up with work after the holiday and the winter storm.   I'll get back on it this week and finish it out.

[heppnerguy]

I am proud of you Harold. You did a fine job. Cutting hardwood as thick as this takes a lot of patience. Gald you stayed with it. When you are completely finished with this one, what are you  going to tackle for your next project? Every finish job is only pushing you toward the next project at hand.

 

Dick

heppnerguy