Wood Guide - Ray's Wood Signs

Wood Choices:

Make sure the bits are sharp and skills are ready for different species!

Check nominal sizes 1st! Nominal sizes may affect patterns and sign sizes

1. Species Selection
   • Clear Pine or Cedar (light, soft wood, inexpensive)
   • Cedar: Red, Eastern, White, Spanish, Yellow
   • Hemlock, Poplar
   • Redwood (Red & White mix)
   • Hardwoods
   • Specialty woods
2. Quality and variety - next column

Flawed boards with narrow stock, checks or knots are inexpensive alternatives

3. Light colored cedar pickets usually up to 1x6

inexpensive - 24" sign pays for wood

4. Clear Pine or Cedar (best carving choice for general signs)

Light colored Cedar pickets; Only need a 24" blank or 2 to pay for the wood

5. Clear pine 1x6, 1x12 ()

Light color, soft wood comes wider but cups & warps easily

6. Hemlock, Redwood - good carving but watch grain directions

laminations - Red & White mix

7. Hardwoods - Oak, Beech, Maple - difficult to carve and control fine lines. Sharp bits only and plan on re sharpening often.
8. Specialty woods - watch the grain and color contrasts
9. Check for light colors, good contrast, close grain, few knots

Wider than 6" = cupping, cracks or warps. Wide boards should be backed with 3/8 Maple or Birch plywood and edged together

Wood

NOTES;

Creating patterns,sign shapes and preparing wood ahead of time = huge time savings

For signs strength is not an issue

Wide boards should be backed with 3/8 Maple or Birch plywood and edged together.

Planks, Fencing Pickets, Pine boards

Select for quality:

1. 1 x 6 or wider (3/4 usually)

   Comes wider but cups & warps easily

2. Check over each piece for:
   • Cupping, warps (view lengthwise)
   • Cracks, checks
   • Twists, bends
   • Knots: tight / locations, low counts
   • Light color, good contrast, close grain
3. Grain direction

Flat sawn = less /no vertical grain

4. Start with semi-finished 5/8 min
5. Store straight, flat & square
6. Try to use a drying cabinet (30w bulb) for pre-cut blanks
7. Final check for:
   • Quality, color, variety
   • Grain direction (no vertical)

     Flat sawn = less grain

   • Knots: tight / locations, low counts
   • Light color, good species contrast, close grain

   Plywood, laminates, Hardboard, mdf

8. Quality plywood (maple, Birch) clear 4 x 4, 1/8 for lettters & patterns, 1/4 for shapes
9. Hardboard - 1/8 - 1/4 = patterns and shapes
10. MDF 1/2 & 3/4 = templates & shapes
11. Surface best side only to save thickness

Do not run signs through any style of planer! Causes edge chip-outs and planes all surfaces evenly. Surfaces can be adjusted with a sander.

12. Use sanding sealer before any layout or carving on all pine boards
13. Use sanding sealer on any worn, aged boards or with divets or loose grain
14. Cut to lengths
15. Use stickers for straight, flat, square

Methods

Creating patterns,sign shapes and preparing wood ahead of time = huge time savings

1. Check moisture (less than 6%)
2. Use stickers for straight, flat, square
3. Cut to lengths; standard sizes:
   • Rectangles: 4 x 18, 4 x 24, 6 x 18, 6 x 24, 6 x 30
   • Live To Ride: 9.75 x 4, 6 x 15, 8 x 20
   • Gone Fishing: 7.25 x 14.25
   • Another Day In Paradise: 5.5 x 24
   • My Favo(u)rite Hangout 5.5 x 24 (Edwardian Script)
   • Dog Bones: 1.5 x 4, 2 x 6.5, 2.5 x 9, 3 x 10
   • Ribbons: 3 x 12, 4 x 16, 5 x 24
   • Welcome: 5.5 x 15
   • Scrolls: 2 x 9.75 (and 9 inset outset pairs)
   • Arches: 4x14, 4x18, 6x24, 12x24
   • use standard shapes
   • sanded and / or sealed
   • edges done and sprayed in batches
4. Surface best side only to save thickness

   Do not run finished signs through any style of planer!

   • Causes letter & edge chip-outs
   • Removes too much wood to remove sprayed areas
   • Planes all surfaces evenly; exposes flaws in cups and warping

   Surfaces should be adjusted with a sander.