Finishing text carving

[stoneandtimber]

Re: small plaques, bird houses or similar. For awhile now I have been using a 22 degree bit for centerline text carving that needs to be small text. I have found it to be very good when doing small signs or very small lettering. For example I put small signs on my bird houses to give them a light-hearted theme. With the 22 degree bit I can make the signage as small as about 1/4 inch and still come out very sharp. When finished I sand lightly on a mop then give a light coat of shellac to seal. Selecting a preferred stain color I finger rub across the lettering and out to the sign edges making sure the lettering is completely filled with the stain. Then immediately rub off as much stain as possible which leaves the lettering still filled and the sign board very very light colored. When dry it is ready for final finishing with clear. Have found the 22 degree bit using small lettering to appear as sharp as though laser carved. Applying the stain accents the text and it really stands out and rubbing away the stain leaves the lettering impressively sharp. I buy that bit from MLCS for about $9. Wish CarveWright would get into some of these bits in a pressure fit collar for convenience. I have a slow learning curve so most of you will already know all this.

[fwharris]

Thanks for sharing! What bit do you select in the software?

[cestout]

What bit do you tell the machine you are using?
Clint

[stoneandtimber]

I select 60 degree and what you will find is that the font has more to do with the outcome than the 60 or 90 degree selection. Some fonts just don't do well in the CW and some are just better with the 22 degree than others also. That said I haven't found too many that just don't work with the 22. Generally the plainer the better. I used a western font on some small bird house signs that came out quite well. The sealer/stain/wipe off is really what makes the success. Without that the text would be lost but with the stain the text just jumps out and looks good. Have tried large signs and texts with 60/90 degree and have tried to fill in the text with color which is a pain and always with errors to fix. If your project will look good with a wipe-off stain it is hands down the best way to go. I like using Sage or similar color for the stain as it is hardly noticed when wiped dry from the flat surface but darkens nicely when filled in the centerline text. Have tried routing through masking tape and staining the whole finished board and then running it through the sander or planer to leave the colored lettering but the wipe-off is my choice of poison at the moment.

[fwharris]

Thanks for the bit info. The 60* bit would probably be a good match/look for what you want on final carve.

I agree with the look you get with the flooding of the text to darken it up versus the rest of the board. With the lighter colored board the text does show very well.

[stoneandtimber]

I said previously that the text came out nearly as clean as though laser carved. Of course in coarse wood such as pine that is a little overstated but I did a more formal plaque in cherry and it was as clean as stated. Here is a front of the POM cabin birdhouse with the signs I put on it. The DUSKY SPARROW text is about 1/4 inch. Surprise myself sometimes with accidental discoveries so had to share.

[Wood Art 1]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I do a variety of plaques and have been reluctant to screw up a finished carving. Have done carvings in oak, walnut and cedar, and find the text could use a little more "pop". Your staining idea will get used on my next carving, and as soon as I can track down the 22 deg bit, it will get initiated.

[SharonB]

Haven't tried the 22 degree bit to date but will certainly put it on my list to try. Thanks for the idea.

[rmock]

we use a 30 degree
also just upgraded to designer 3 for the improved centerline text.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/30-degree-an...item58c11ca0dc

[Canemaker]

I;m really impressed with the log cabin bird house, it came out great. Thanks for the information on the bit, however what is the diameter of the shaft or are you using a press on sleeve? Maybe, I missed something in your article.