Post #746048 by Humuhumu on Thu, Jul 2, 2015 10:24 AM

I just finished my second carving project -- a sign for the tiki bar.

The wood is a hunk of mystery meat pulled out of a dumpster by a kind employee at a landscape supply yard, a bit of scrap left over from trimming some sort of plank. Alder? Unusually pale redwood? I dunno. The grain was subtle. Didn't seem at all like pine or oak.

All the carving was done using a Dremel tool with a flex shaft attachment.

Here's photos of the project as it progressed:

:down: I created the logo years ago, it's based on lettering from a vintage menu of a place called Bali Ha'i. I drew the lower case "h". I printed it on the inkjet, and then traced it onto the board using carbon paper.

:down: I used a pointy triangle bit to edge a smidge around the letters.

:down: I used a nice, big oval bit to get this fun, rough-hewn texture all around the background... until my bit came flying out of the Dremel and landed somewhere in the yard. Whoops!

:down: While my bit was lost, I switched to cutting out deeply and carefully around the letters using some smaller bits.

:down: Found my bit! Here's the sign after all the carving was completed, and after sanding.

:down: Two coats of Dark Walnut stain.

:down: Three coats of satin finish polyurethane.

:down: One coat of primer on the lettering.

:down: Three coats of gold paint, and the sign is finished!

Next comes getting the sign hung. I need to do some work in the stairwell where the sign will live, mostly mounting lighting directed at the sign.

For my next carving project -- I think I might carve the handle on my ice pick.