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I got to try out the schaaf chisels I got a few weeks back. A guy I work with requested a sign with his last name for his wedding gift so this is my best shot. I have never done any sort of carving before so it was quite a journey. But im quite proud of how it came out. This is a peice of maple(I think) that I pulled out of a dumpster its painted with house paint and then fished in satin spray poly.


I actually got the picture posted the right way! Woohoo! Never knew about the preview button.

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That's fine work, especially for the first time! Well done!
 

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I guarantee my first carving didn't turn out that good!
Good job on both the carving and painting!

How did you lay out the letters?
 

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Thanks guys! It was definitely trial-and-error the whole way. I printed out the letters and used spray adhesive to stick them to the wood. Then I just carved around them with a v gouge.
 

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Thanks guys! It was definitely trial-and-error the whole way. I printed out the letters and used spray adhesive to stick them to the wood. Then I just carved around them with a v gouge.

- Thedustydutchman
Looks great, I am planning to do a sign as my first project to put the name on my shop "Tinkerbox".
Were you able to print the letters together or did you do them one at a time?
 

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I had to do them one at a time. I used a straight edge to get them lined up. They are not perfect put once its hung up you won't notice it.
 

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You've done a good job! Carving letters in wood presents many challenges including font design, kerning, alignment. It gets more complicated when the letters are intertwined, curved (as on the rim of a plate), incised vs raised. You could make a whole career in letter carving.

 

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If carving letters appeals to you, I recommend Chris Pye's book: "Letter Carving in Wood - A practical Course" from Fox Chapel Publishing, 230 pages.

Here's an interesting lettering design by Scott Kim, done as a woodcarving:

https://www.lumberjocks.com/projects/392537
 

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Oh I love woodworking books! I'll have to pick that one up. Thanks for the tip
 

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Jerry if that's your first sign! You are off to an amazing start. You got nowhere to go but higher.
 

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Thanks! Now my wife wants one with our name on it so I guess I'll get some more practice.
 
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