hand carved wood sign (name plate) - house name plate

This is my little hand carved wood from Gui (
Trees Judas, Japan).
Katsura is a wood popular in Japan for relief. (Click on the [i]
You can see the enlarged version in the upper left corner of the photo. )Materials used-
A piece of 11x22 cm Japanese Jewish Wood (2 cm thick)
Cedar, cypress and bass are also suitable for carving.
Make sure you choose wood without knots. Tools used-
Handheld clamp sawRouter (
In this case, the Dremel tool with the router attachment)-
All kinds of chiselsSandpaper (
180, 400, 800 sand)-
Black enamel paint (
"1 gun" is the best but can be any external type)-Clear varnish-
The next step is to design the logo layout on the computer.
I use CorelDraw, but any graphics program or word processor (such as MS word) will be used.
Make sure there is enough white space between the font and the edge of the logo.
Cursive or script fonts may be more difficult to carve, and I happen to like the copper font used on this logo.
Font with serifs (
Small "feet ")
It may be difficult to carve, but the lining in the copper version is small.
The size of this logo is 11x22 cm
Before the transfer design, I first prepared the surface of the wood by sanding, starting at 180, 400, and then polished with 800 sand to get a smooth surface.
Wrap sandpaper around a small piece of wood, or use a small electric sander for even sanding.
Once I have the layout that I am satisfied with, I just print it out with the outline.
Entity text works if you can't just print the outline, but it's a bit difficult to transfer.
There are many different ways to transfer the design to the wood surface.
I use the traditional carbon paper method to track the font (
Pen using red or other colors can see what you are tracking more easily).
Another way is to print the image in reverse with a laser printer (
Or copy inkjet images with photocopier)
Brush with acetone (
It is clear that nail polish defacing agent may work)
Then polish it to the surface of the wood with a spoon.
After the engraving is done, I cut the curved corners with a hand held clamp saw.
Next, I used a Dremel tool with router accessories to place a circular bevel around the edge.
I applied the cut out font with black enamel and brushed it on several layers of varnish (
Gently polish with 800 sandpaper between the coatings).
Most Varnish will eventually fade and peel off for outdoor signs, so I would recommend using enamel paint on the logo surface as well (and no varnish).
If the logo is indoor, stains and/or tung oil etc.
It can be used, and the varnish lasts almost forever indoors (
Unless it's in direct sunlight).
Good luck with your signature carving work!
I have some photos of other logos etc.
On my engraving and signature blog including the logo of the manual route. (
I may make a note on the route flag at hand in the future. )