Letter Routing

[oges]

Without trying to look too much of an apprentice I recently bought a router. Hope im not leaping too fast with things, but how hard would it be to carve one of those signs you see at markets like 'didyabringyagrogalong'? Would it be simple enough to make templates for the letters or can it simply be done by freehand .. or better yet cheaper/easier to just get a sign made?

[gazaly]

Oges, try this link, I think it might be what you are after:- http://www.workbenchmagazine.com/main/routed_sign.html

Hope this helps,
Cheers,
Gazza. http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/cool.gif

[oges]

Thanks Gazza

That looks exactly the thing I have been looking for, will give it a try...

Brett

[Rod]

Have made a couple of signs freehand using a V bit. Drew the sign with chalk then routed. A plunge router is a must, as is a bit of practice. But it's possible to get a pretty good result this way.

Cheers

[ubeaut]

Made hundreds of the B things over the years. Used to use a lettering book and photo copier but switched to the computor years ago.

Choose the font style and size you want and print it out depending on the size of the sign this might take a number of pages.

Use a clag type glue stick to stick the patern to the timber then cut out the bits you don't want with the router. This could be the letters themselves or the background, leaving the letters raised.

Best tip you will ever get for routered signs. Use a U shaped router bit not a V especially if you are using the router freehand.

There used to be a couple of very good books around called: Making and Carving Wooden Signs - Paterns for Wooden Signs. (I think)

Cheers - Neil http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

[oges]

Since putting this topic up I have been directed to this Router Pantograph which apparently you trace over the letters and the router does the carving. I havent tried this myself, but for those that are interested go here

http://www.toolies.com.au/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/catalogue/power/00023450.htm?E+toolstore

[John Saxton]

G,day Oges, There at least 2 different types of letter set/jig arrangements out there as well as the Pantograph which is flimsy but work can be done with sufficient care.www.timbecon.com.au have a set in going for around 60bux, chinese made, so I don't know the quality,but the other one made by Vermont is of plastic lettering doing one letter at a time and can be an expensive exercise if you allow the router to climb or misjudge your profile as I have done in the past.
The original methods mentioned by Neil and Rod, in the above posts is by far the cheapest and the best methods in producing a sign for the home bloke out-side of a computer controlled operation.
Cheers http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

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Johnno

[This message has been edited by John Saxton (edited 11 September 2000).]

[oges]

Yeah Johnno

Seeing as its gonna be a one time thing i'll try Neil's suggestion. Might grab a few of the fence planks that are falling off the fence at my place and see how they go for practising on.

Brett

[STEPHEN MILLER]

Vermont American make a template set of letters in 2 sizes that are plain capitals
and you just use different size sleeves ,guides on your router base if you want to do simple lettering. I have one the only draw back it is a bit time consuming to use .

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[oges]

Was in Mitre10 today so I asked one of the workers what he thought would be a good wood to make the sign with, seeing as it would be on an outside wall and exposed to the weather. He recommended a softwood as opposed to a hardwood as it would be easier to work on - treated pine.Not sure if he understood what i was asking.

Any ideas on this? thought a nice piece of hardwood would be ok, maybe Oregon (geez i hope its hardwood) as a router is mainly used for the work so wouldnt matter about its workability, mainly after a nice looking wood.


~~~~~~~~
Brett

[This message has been edited by oges (edited 23 October 2000).]

[ubeaut]

I think you must mean O'Regan the Irish hardwood.

Oregan is a softwood but is fine for signs, make sure you have nice sharp cutters as it can be inclined to be a bit ragged in the end grain of a cut made with a blunt tool.

I have used plenty of pine for signs over the years. Mostly the signs are painted when finished so it really doesn't matter about the grain. If it has a nice figured grain it will make reading the letters hard. Usually a very bland grain is chosen. Unpainted signs will soon go grey and look pretty ordinary when left in the weather.

Hope this helps a little.

Cheers - Neil http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

[Iain]

As long as it looks good you can apply a weatherproof finish.....back to you.
As to hardwoods softwoods (Neil will probably go off now when he see's this) I have seen two schools of thought. One is on timber density and the other (adopted by the Victorian Plantations Commission) is that all conifers are softwoods, the rest of the species are hardwoods.
eg Pine, Douglas Fir, those tall skinny things that cockies use as windbreaks are all softwoods.
Balsa wood, Eucalypt etc are hardwoods.
Back to your sign, a nice piece of elm would look nice or jarrah if you like it dark.
Unfortunately pine is pine and at the end of the day, regardless of how much work you have put into it, it's just another piece of pine.
My thoughts are that pine is like children, better not seen but you should know where it is.
I hope Roger Peine doesn't take offence http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/wink.gif

[ubeaut]

Jarrah is fine for a sign, a little harder on the cutters but fine.

Elm, nah. Too much grain pattern, the lettering would probably get lost in the pattern. The idea of having a nice patterned piece of timber is fine if that is what you want. However the idea of a sign is to get a message accross and to do that it has to be easily read and usually from a distance.

I have seen signs painted in Old English Capitol letters. Almost impossible to read. The same thing goes for a beautifully grained piece of timber. I have hand carved a plaque for a desk top in fiddleback mahogany that was almost impossible to read. The carving was fine it just got lost in the amazing grain.

That one was fixed by picking out the letters in gold leaf. And even then the timber still overpowered the lettering. But this was what the client wanted, and as we all know, the customer is always right (even if he is an idiot).

The Elm and Jarrah would both look the same if painted. So would pine mahogany or any other timber you care to name.

Have a look around and see how many signs you can find in timber that has not been painted. I'll bet you have a hard time finding one.

Use the pine don't waste good timber on something that will eventually get painted, if not by you by someone else. By the way even signs with a weather proof finish will look pretty ordinary after a while compared to painted ones. Bin there done that.

Cheers - Neil http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

[Iain]

No problem with the painting but how about letter cut outs? There is oles where the letters used to be, could get away with that and still have the grain. Realising youv'e been there done that, and, like you said, the customer is always right, even when they're wrong. (This rule does not apply to Police)

[bobmundy]

Oges,
We use a CNC router to make signs (among other things) to put dripping on the table.
Majority we use redgum (KD), but also blackwood (watch the furniture-makers cringe),KD treated pine, jarrah, etc, at choice of the customer.
Most signs are given the full Intergrain treatment, as we find this lasts well outside,and paint lettering with a good quality exterior acrylic.
Intergrain allows the grain to show and the timber to retain most of its original colour, with a honey-coloured coating.
Have a peek at www.woodnsigns.com.au (http://www.woodnsigns.com.au) to see some examples.
We also have the capacity to make stencils/patterns for routing. The limitation of course is unless you have a pantograph, one set of letters can only make lettering of one size.
Hope this makes some sense to you. If not, contact me.

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Bob-
You won't get a second chance to make a good first impression...

[barrysumpter]

Anyone know what the font they're using on the sign they're routing?

http://www.toolies.com.au/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/catalogue/power/00023450.htm?E+toolstore (http://www.toolies.com.au/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/catalogue/power/00023450.htm?E+toolstore)

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Thanks,
Barry G. Sumpter
Proud Tritoneer



[This message has been edited by barrysumpter (edited 07 November 2000).]

[oges]

Barry,

Looks like it might be Old English as thats one of the templates it says comes with the pantograph.

Brett http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/cool.gif

[This message has been edited by oges (edited 07 November 2000).]

[barrysumpter]

Cool!

Does anyone have Old English font. I've searched the internet for the last two hours to no avail.



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Thanks,
Barry G. Sumpter
Proud Tritoneer

[RETIRED]

Gooday.

Barry, here is a site that you can download the font from.
http://www.hh2.com/dhs/lincoln.html

Have fun.

------------------
Ian () Robertson
"We do good turns every day"

[oges]

Barry,
Check your email, I just sent the font to you .. let me know if you need assistance with it

http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/cool.gif http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/cool.gif http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/cool.gif

Brett

[barrysumpter]

Cool!
Thanks everyone.
She's a happen' now!

baz

P.S. I dudn know we had so many putah litrat feller woodworkers. ;-)

[N Woodcraft]

Hi All
I make routered signs. They are routered freehand and finished with a marine grade laquer - Exterior clear by Cabbots.
I am not really a computer person and was going to attatch a photo but cannot figure out how to do so. any help would be appreciated

Cheers Linda
:)

[scooter]

Gday Linda & welcome :)

When typing your post, down below is a "manage attachments" button. Click that, click browse to the image on your computer, follow your nose then "upload images".

Images must be in the formats listed in the window (most commonly jpeg) & under 100kb.


Cheers..............Sean

[mailee]

I have made a lot of signs in the past and always freehand them. In traditional style here is one I made earlier: http://img319.imageshack.us/img319/5483/z99zzcthesigncompletedmail0et.jpg
I start by printing out the letters from the computer and then using carbon paper to copy them to the wood. I then outline them with a pencil or pen and most importantly cut around the outline with a craft knife to sever the fibres of the wood. I then use a 2mm cutter and a slow speed taking shallow cuts up to the letters and watch the wood curl away as it reaches the kinfe line. I also hold the router by the base plate as this gives more control for fine work. No worry about losing control as they are very shallow cuts. I continue like this until I reach the desired depth and then clean up the bottom of the cuts with a chisel used like a scraper. I hope this is of some help to you. :wink:

[Honorary Bloke]

As this thread is over 6 years old, let's hope Oges has sorted it by now! :rolleyes: :D

[scooter]

Good info nonetheless :)

Thanks for the post, mailee. The end result speaks for itself, terrific work :2tsup:

Would love to see a Work In Progress thread (images with explanatory text) on you doing one of these signs.

What timber did you use for this one? And what finishes have you used for them?


Cheers....................Sean