Over the last few weekends, my in-laws as well as I have been working on a indication for our new cottage in Harrington, Quebec. We’re calling it “Casa Di Tota,” which indicates “home of Di Tota’s” in Italian, which they are. We did rather a bit a research study into having the indication custom-built, however concerned the final thought that a homemade indication would have the ideal personal touch. The indication will be a gift for my (soon to be) father-in-law to mark his birthday as well as retirement. As the cottage’s framing as well as insulation concerned a wrap this past long weekend, we were ecstatic to take a break to expose of our homemade indication as well as enjoy some much-needed celebration.
If you’re thinking about making your own sign, checked out all about our process below.
Here’s what we utilized to make the sign:
Materials as well as Tools
Three red cedar 2″ x 4″
Exterior wood glue
Clamps
Γυαλόχαρτο
Wood paint
Πινέλα
Polyurethane
Γυαλιά ασφαλείας
Measuring tape as well as pencil
Shims
Κυκλικό πριόνι
Λεπτό πριόνι
Roter
Dremel
Sander
Once we finalized our size, shape as well as design, it was time to get to work. security glasses on!
Step 1: cut the wood
We cut three 2″ x 4″s in half to provide us an general size of 24″ x 48″, enabling for additional area for our final size as well as shape.
Step 2: glue the wood together
We put each piece of wood side-by-side, as well as made sure the grain on each piece was alternated from the next — grain up, grain down, grain up, grain down. This will stop the indication from warping over time. After the pieces were glued together (keeping them as level as possible), we utilized tension clamps to hold the boards tight as well as left the indication to dry overnight. The next morning we provided the board a great sanding to smooth out the surface.
Step 3: The design
My fiancé’s sibling is a graphic designer. He took the style we drafted on paper as well as made a appropriate stencil by printing it out on tiled paper. We taped the stencil together, cut out our style as well as traced it on the board. This was much much easier then trying to sketch it out!
Step 4: a lot more cutting
Clamping the board down to the workbench, we cut out the indication utilizing a jigsaw. You can see the cut lines we made right here in this photo.
Step 5: Sanding
We sanded down the oval edge to make it great as well as smooth. We wished to keep a squared corner so we made sure the keep the sander as level as possible while sanding around the edge of the sign.
Step 6: Router time
Safety glasses back on! After getting a feel for the tool utilizing a tester piece, we began carving out the letters. We chosen a router bit that was the ideal width for our text, chosen an proper depth as well as started carving. We altered the bit to a larger one to carve our bit landscape, as well as made a decision not to carve the leaves considering that the smallest bit we had would make them look a lot more like blobs.
Step 7: Dremel the edges
The text style we desired needed squared edges rather than round, so we utilized the dremel tool to square them off. This took some severe time as well as a consistent hand. The speed of the tool likewise made it extremely simple to slip, leaving unsightly marks across the board. We provided the indication a quick sand to eliminate any type of frayed edged the tools left behind.
Step 8: begin painting
Once we were delighted with our carving it was time to begin painting. We utilized routine wood paint from a craft store as well as a small, flat-edge paintbrush. starting on the bottom of the carvings we then worked the paint very carefully up the side edges. We added some contrast to the leaves with two tones of green, as well as made a decision to leave the border unpainted for a subtle detail.
Step 9: completing coat
For the last as well as final step we used a fast-drying polyurethane coat to seal as well as secure the sign. We started with the outer edge, then filled in the tree as well as land. We worked our method out with thin layers, being cautious not to produce any type of bubbles. After the very first coat dried, about 5 hours, we provided the surface a light sanding as well as used one more thin coat. The next morning we did the exact same to the back.
I’m so delighted with all the difficult work all of us put into making this. I only hope it will last as long as the cottage!
Visit our diy & house enhancement guide for a lot more fun cottage projects.
Photo credits:Jessica Howey