Thread: Wooden Letters & words... Help Please

If the material is less than about 22mm thick, a scroll saw would be my first choice of tool. Draw the letters directly on the wood, or print from a graphic image, and attach the print to the wood with spray adhesive; for prints that are too big, separate into page-size and mate on the wood.

The 22mm limitation is close to the stroke of the scroll saw, and allows sawdust to clear the gullets. The scroll saw also allows interior cuts.

If your letters have no interior cuts needed, a band saw with very small blade (~1/8") for tight curves, can cut thicker material. Band saws can't make interior cuts except by heroic effort - need to cut and re-weld or braze for each interior cut. Same process for placing the pattern on the wood.

I have a vague recollection of cutting my signature in script, about your sizes, with a scroll saw on a piece of plywood, but I don't know where it is at the moment.

Cheers,
Joe

A scrollsaw and spiral blade would be my first choice if, as Joe said, you only want to cut timber on the order of 1 to 2cm thick.

I usually use microsoft word to print the letters. If you dont have this, wordpad would probably do it as well. With some fonts you may have to draw "bridges" to make them scrollable. With Word you have many fonts to choose from as well as any size you want.

Inkscape is another way. And it's free.


I have done a lot of word art over the years using this method. Also, Steve Good has a piece of software for just this purpose.

Noel

Scrollsaw Workshop

Steve Good can be found along with his free stuff at the above link. He is a great bloke and as Trustinggibbsie says, he has a little programme for doing this sort of thing.

Adrian,
Here are some instruction for using OpenOffice Draw and 'squishing' the text together how you want it. Not sure if you have a scroll saw, as you mentioned needing to access equipment.

You can get OpenOffice package for free here
OpenOffice.org Downloads

i have been after this sort of template/programe to do names will give it a try
Was looking at getting the plastic templates from Symco USA but they will not send to Australia
Graham

Originally Posted by oges

Adrian,
Here are some instruction for using OpenOffice Draw and 'squishing' the text together how you want it. Not sure if you have a scroll saw, as you mentioned needing to access equipment.

You can get OpenOffice package for free here
OpenOffice.org Downloads

How do you download it lol, my pregnant brain is not working lol, I go to your link and then it re-directs me to some "mirror" site but no downloads start. Thinking it will help me out a lot and save a lot of cutting and pasting as I cut a lot of words/names and business logos.

Here for windows

Open Office is no longer supported and the latest free office suite is Libre Office.
This looks and functions exactly the same as Open Office and is a free download.

Can be downloaded here.

This is quite a large download about 180MB but is a great free software.

You can also use Google docs. which is an online free to use software provided by Google. You can do all the things you can do with Microsoft Office or Libre office on Google docs. This is part of the new cloud computing. exciting stuff. You don't need to purchase or download any big programs. Just search for Google docs.