Growth Ruler

[gbrown4]

I just finished another growth ruler. I made one a while back for my wife's school auction and it was a hit. Request's like crazy started to come in. 1x10 pine with wrought iron numbers.
86852

[mtylerfl]

Nice work! Looks great!

[dbemus]

Nicely done! "Loved Beyond Measure" makes it special!!

[Mike1]

Very nice. How much would this sell for in your area? In my area, I would be lucky to get the cost of the wood.

[gbrown4]

At the auction it went for a few hundred bucks. I am thinking of selling it for $45.00 to $50.00.

[Mike1]

Cool, I just picked up a piece of clear pine. 1" x 6" x3/4 for $20.00 (I decided to go with 1x6). I just put two coats of clear finish on it and I hope to carve it tomorrow. Finish it sometime this week and auction it off at work. I will keep you posted. Thanks

[Mike1]

Well, it did not work out very well for me. What does every one use to seal the board before carving and then painting? I used 2 coats of Varathane then painted then planed and the paint still bled through. Also, what would be the best bit for carving the measure lines? I used my cutting bit and it left a lot of burrs. Thank you.

[mtylerfl]

I don’t seal before carving.

After the board is carved, I apply two or three generous coats of thinned Bulls Eye SealCoat (1/2 denatured alcohol and 1/2 SealCoat). After a quick sanding, I’ll spray on a few lights coats of clear Krylon spray (start with Gloss, end with Flat). This seals the wood very, very well.

Then apply acrylic craft paint, wipe off excess “sloppiness” with a dampened rag. The sealed wood makes this easy. Then apply final clear spray to suit.

[gbrown4]

I only use the carver for the wording. I have made a jig for my router to rout the lines using a 60 degree V bit. I mark the board at 1" increments. I sand to 220 grit. I then stain my board after I carve and hand paint the slots and wording. I then apply a mineral oil and beeswax finish. I also use a heat gun to quickly heat any excess wax then buff to a satin finish.