I could quite find the right gift idea for my youngest son and his newlywed bride. Everything I like required a CNC and I wasn't ready fro that investment. Maybe Ryobi will come up with one? Anyway, I finally found one I liked that was from a CNC but could be done with a scroll saw and router. The lettering wood was scraps from a work project 1/2" birch plywood. The backer board was literally an aged skid that I liked the look of. The frame was leftover from my adirondack chairs. I love how the different woods came together. Aging the skid lumber turned out to be a lesson. I tried vinegar and steel wool. The coat wasn't bad but had a blotchy look. I touched up those spots. That was a mistake. Surely a second coat would do the trick. Now it looked brown instead of grey. A fresh batch and heavy coat turned it a rusty brown. Not the look I wanted. Ebony stain took me back to black and a white wash over the whole thing was the look. I did need to touch up the lettering at the bottom since the stain made it hard to see. In the end, I'm happy with the result and hope they love it.
I could quite find the right gift idea for my youngest son and his newlywed bride. Everything I like required a CNC and I wasn't ready fro that investment. Maybe Ryobi will come up with one? Anyway, I finally found one I liked that was from a CNC but could be done with a scroll saw and router. The lettering wood was scraps from a work project 1/2" birch plywood. The backer board was literally an aged skid that I liked the look of. The frame was leftover from my adirondack chairs. I love how the different woods came together. Aging the skid lumber turned out to be a lesson. I tried vinegar and steel wool. The coat wasn't bad but had a blotchy look. I touched up those spots. That was a mistake. Surely a second coat would do the trick. Now it looked brown instead of grey. A fresh batch and heavy coat turned it a rusty brown. Not the look I wanted. Ebony stain took me back to black and a white wash over the whole thing was the look. I did need to touch up the lettering at the bottom since the stain made it hard to see. In the end, I'm happy with the result and hope they love it.
