Question I Was Just Asked To Make A Wooden Sign. Help?

[Wayne2]

Okay, so a little background first. I have been into burning wood (pyrography) for a few years and have sold a few of my art pieces. Yesterday I was asked if I could burn a sign for a park.

I have no experience in signs and am worried that what I create will not last in the outdoors. Here's a few questions I have:

1. Will plywood last if it has a proper sealant/finish?
2. Is the type of wood important?
3. Is there any type of tips you have for me?

Thanks very much,

Wayne Smith

 

[rossmosh]

1. Plywood is NOT the material you use on a sign like this.
2. Yes the type of wood you use is important.
3. Overbuild. Use the right materials and finishes.

 

[Wayne2]

1. Plywood is NOT the material you use on a sign like this.
2. Yes the type of wood you use is important.
3. Overbuild. Use the right materials and finishes.

Thanks Rossmosh, do you have any specific types of wood you would recommend? I was looking at hard maple.

 

[Bradley Signs]

Pine, Oak, Basswood... Pine is the easiest.... then seal it with a nice clear Epoxy....

 

[rossmosh]

Thanks Rossmosh, do you have any specific types of wood you would recommend? I was looking at hard maple.

Cedar and Redwood are the most popular woods to use in exterior signs. How to finish is always a matter of opinion. No matter what, you need to tell them it will need to be re-finished regularly if you don't want it to gray. I believe 2-3 years is typical. I don't do wood signs so I can't give too much details. All of my signs are out of plastics or foams.

 

[OldPaint]

...let me get it right........you want to make a OUTDOOR SIGN, with BURNT IN LETTERS??? ok if that is you end product, real simple.
YOU BEEN BURNING WOOD for a while you say, SOOOOOOOOO whats the best plain wood you can use???? PLYWOOD IS NO OPTION HERE!!!
clear pine or cedar would be my 1st choice. oak, walnut if your for some thing classy. you dont give a size......of the sign. so iam going to assume its not more the 12" tall. as 1 X 12 clear pine is as big as a single board you can by. if its 24" you will have to edge glue 2 - 1 X 12's. now thatis a whole other process.
lets stay with a 1" or 2" thick pine. now the clear pine is yellow white.......your burning of the letters are going to be dark brown, almost black.
Make a pattern of the letters on paper......can be done on single std letter paper. depending on your printer i have 13 x 19......and i have a plotter i can draw the letters on a roll of paper.......trace the back the letter, lay it on the board, with a good hard pencil( google carpenters pencil) draw over the letters. burn the letters.
ME...... i would CLEAR COAT 4-5 COATS..... and it will last 5-6 years for sure.

 

[RyanT]

I've done a small bit of wood burning, but only for interior stuff. Unfortunately, the kind of woods that burn best are softwoods with medium to open grains, whereas most wood signs are rot resistant woods with tighter grains. Not sure how maple burns, but if you're looking for a lot of burnt contrast like you get with pine, you might be able to get away with a pine board (not plywood) as long as you seal it with poly or varathane or something.

If there's time, I'd get scraps of wood and try burning them to see which looks best. Some woods just don't take the burnt effect well. You can have a campfire with the scraps when you're done.

 

[Billct2]

How big is the sign and how is it going to be finished? That would make a difference in choosing the wood. I haven't done any woodburning since I had one of those toys as a kid, but I have done a lot of dimensional wood signs over the years and they can have a lot of issues with the weather.

 

[Marlene]

first off, you'll need a wood that will have some color contrast. most wood that is good for outdoor signs looks like a butcher block as they make panels by gluing together 2" x 4" pieces which doesn't matter as most sign are painted. you would have to go to a good high end wood seller so see what they have and if they could do a matched wood to make you a panel so it wouldn't look so horrid.