I got them at Lowe’s on clearance last year. I’ve found something similar on Amazon. These are considerably longer than what you need for the project, you’re going to need about 12-15 feet, but they can be trimmed.
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The board for this sign was part of the back of an old chest of drawers. I used it for the aged look. It could easily be 100 years old.
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I enjoy making cedar Jack O’Lanterns, but I also love carving actual Jack O’Lanterns. If I had to give one up, I’m not sure I could choose.
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I really enjoy doing these epoxy inlays. I have only done a few for friends and family but would like to incorporate them into more of my designs.
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Just realized I didn’t respond to you. I actually use paint and then lacquer over the top of everything.
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I finished up my strop stand today. It started as a piece of manzanita firewood, but ended up having a lot of figure and character in it’s final form.
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My daughter (11) wanted to dress up as Queen Susan from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. She asked me to make the horn that she is given. So I milled it in 2 parts and then glued it together.
So here is my quick and dirty costume prop
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A couple display cases I just finished. The first is Padauk, Maple and Red Grandis. The second is Mahogany and Ash inlay.
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That stallion box is absolutely stunning! I’d never heard of Red Grandis, but learned that it is plantation-grown Eucalyptus Grandis, aka Rose Gum. The color is perfect for that box.
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Thanks Dennis, my local hardwood lumber company carries it. It doesn’t carve as well as the maple does but I do enjoy the grain and color.
Wow. Those carvings are something else!
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Lots of custom lake bathymetry signs.
To tie a couple of forum threads together, these are a niche that I fell into that are a huge income source. I have one or two other people (that I know of) in my area that do very similar work and the market is still healthy for customers.
I’d encourage anyone who wants this machine to provide an extra income source, to explore different items or products and find what sells best in your market. November is HUGE for any type of custom sales or small to mid projects that could be given as a gift.
Areas that I may differ from most people is that I’m willing to take a small “loss” in profit if I can build a connection that has an opportunity for more business. What do I mean? If I’m still exploring what products work for my market then I will have them listed for a smaller profit margin. As the product starts to get some wrinkles ironed out, it becomes popular, and the process gets quicker, I raise prices.
I have had to explain a few times why my prices have increased, but 95% of the time that won’t kill the sale.
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I’m in the process of restoring a 1940’s Delta drill press. The quill uses a 2-3/4" diameter rubber washer as a return bump stop. The washer on this drill press had likely deteriorated long ago and replacements are pretty much non-existent. I had some 1/8" rubber sheet so I decided to try my drag knife to see if I could cut a replacement. It worked great. To create the toolpath, I used the Dragknife Gadget in VCarve. One lesson learned was to make sure the drag knife was pointed in the direction of the cut before launching the toolpath. This eliminated the need for the knife to pivot to the cut path on startup, which on the first washer I cut, created a small divot in its inner diameter.
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Very nice! Are these layered thin sheets or carved from one piece and individually painted?
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