Grave Marker

I'm carving a grave marker for a close friend of mine who recently lost her fiance.

I'm carving it out of oak, and plan to put SEVERAL coats of spar urethane on it. Any other special considerations I need to take into account, since this will be exposed to the elements 24/7? When I give it to her, I'm going to note that it will either need to be continually refinished every so often or replaced eventually.

Another question I have, since the board is only 0.75" thick is - how to I attache some kind of stake to the back so it'll mount into the ground? I was thinking a small block, cut at an angle (so the carving isn't horizontal) that the carving would mount to. I'd maybe drill a hole into the block as well, to accept a dowel or stake of some kind. As far as attaching the block to the carving, will Tightbond II be enough to hold up to the elements?

Any other considerations I need to think about? Thanks!

One way is to place another 3/4” board the same size as the front, making the marker 1 1/2” thick, but cut 2 slots
what ever width you want for the stakes. Do not come out the top, this will prevent the rain fron entering from the top.
check to see the grain is different in direction from the front, place the stakes in position and secure the to the front by
glue and screws, hope this works out for you. The rectangle is equal to you project
see attached

Cgav34,
Why not consider Corian as an alternative in this case. I do 99% of my work in Corian type products, and it holds up quite well outdoors. Paint the letters, sand, then coat with a rattle can spray lacquer and your good to go. My address sign has been up since probably 2010 and looks as good as the day I made it, just a thought... you can get sink cut outs from kitchen and bath remodelers. A lot of times just asking will get you a piece of Corian.
Gary

I agree with Gary. Also consider Oak turns black when it gets wet & outside in the elements (oak whiskey barrel planters lost their popularity for that reason). I know you said you are going to put a finish on it or need to replace it so make it durable from the start. You could also use cedar or cypress... if you're determined to use wood. Unfortunately markers get stolen or damaged, the groundskeepers at the cemeteries here clean up all markers, flowers, decorations, etc. once a year and throw them away so check into that also. I would give her something she can use or remember her fiance everyday.

Yes Corian is the way to go for outside markers, I have done a ton inside and out side.
you can pick up od sizes from solid surface.com .

Never thought about Corian. Looked and called around the shops in the area, but they all deal only with stone.

What about HDPE? Found a no frills cutting board on Amazon, 12"x18"x1". Kinda wanted something quick, since I was planning on giving it to her the day after Christmas. Not a big fan of the plain white though...

The design does have a recessed, "concrete" textured area, with a USMC logo and his PD badge in the center, with his name at the top, and dates at the bottom. How well with the HDPE take paint? Letters are centerline carved, and the USMC logo and badge will have black paint to bring out the highlights.

I resurched the HDPE material and it looks like a good replacment for Corian, I might order a small sample to test for coasters.

Being a short time span you seem to have, tomorrow being the last day you may find any items you may need. I would lean back to the oak. You stated that there are plans to redo in the future. the spar will give you time to do something else if the oak is not working out so well. Urethane glue hold up very well outside, but can be a beast to work with, and you must plat attention during the glue drying process. Titebond II will work well also, and you don't have to watch the drying process as much. Unfinished oak will turn black in the elements due to the acids in which it contains. If you would like to use wood for such a project, there are a few out there that due very all outside. Ipe is an import that will last about 30 years or more outside with no protection. It has been used on flat bed trailers due to it's strength and longevity. Ipe can only be worked with carbide tooling. This side of the big pond there is black locust, which will also give very good outdoor life span. Black locust is getting more popular in the deck building wood. These are both hardwoods.

I have had good success in carving in MDF and immediately (after the sanding brush) coat it with a two part epoxy to completely seal it. Once it's enscapulated in the epoxy you can paint it with any good enamel and seal it and it will last for years. I have made dozens of house signs with this technique and it holds up well in the elements.

Well, I was going to go the route of the 1"x12"x18" HDPE. Found some stone textured spray paint and was going to paint the letters and graphics black...kind of a faux stone marker.

Did a couple test carves on 1/2" MDF (painted with the stone texture) to get the carving depths of the graphics right. Went to carve the PVC, but some of the text barely even scratched the surface, not even enough to be seen in some spots. Since I can't change the depth of the text without resizing it, which isn't an option, any ideas what might have caused it? Dull bits maybe? Looked great on the MDF.

Since the MDF turned out pretty good, I'm rolling with that until I can get her a more permanent solution. I cut a block, that I'll liquid nails to the back of the carving, that has two holes drilled at 30 degrees that accept a couple metal stakes for placing in the ground, to keep the MDF up off the ground. I'm loading everything up with 3-4 layers of Minwax pro-series spar-urethane. Hoping it will last long enough until I can get something a little more durable for her.

How thick is the PVC? IS it the same thickness as the MDF?

The MDF was 1/2". The HDPE is 1", plus a 1/2" sheet of MDF under it as the sled. Set the total project height to 1.5" in the software when attempting the final carve in the HDPE.

It almost looks like the HDPE block was cupped. The beginning of the wording (on the right) did ok depth-wise, but as it got to the middle...nothing. Then the end was starting to look a little better. It's not cupped, so I don't know whats going on.

The sled had 3" blocks on either side to hold the HDPE in place, and it was set to stay under the rollers. Everything together was pretty heavy...don't know if that played a part in it or not.

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Originally Posted by Cgav34

Well, I was going to go the route of the 1"x12"x18" HDPE. Found some stone textured spray paint and was going to paint the letters and graphics black...kind of a faux stone marker.

Did a couple test carves on 1/2" MDF (painted with the stone texture) to get the carving depths of the graphics right. Went to carve the PVC, but some of the text barely even scratched the surface, not even enough to be seen in some spots. Since I can't change the depth of the text without resizing it, which isn't an option, any ideas what might have caused it? Dull bits maybe? Looked great on the MDF.

Since the MDF turned out pretty good, I'm rolling with that until I can get her a more permanent solution. I cut a block, that I'll liquid nails to the back of the carving, that has two holes drilled at 30 degrees that accept a couple metal stakes for placing in the ground, to keep the MDF up off the ground. I'm loading everything up with 3-4 layers of Minwax pro-series spar-urethane. Hoping it will last long enough until I can get something a little more durable for her.

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In the first post you indicated it was 1 inch thick but then you said the midfield was 1/2 inch. Did you u change the depth on your virtual board and save/imported it to thr card?

In my very first post, I was planning to use 3/4" Oak. Then I mentioned finding a 1" thick piece of HDPE that would be better. Then in my most recent post I mentioned doing test carves in 1/2" MDF then trying it on the 1" thick HDPE with a 1/2" MDF sled under it.

But yea, I changed the depth in the software between the MDF and the HDPE.

I never reset the the project thickness when using a sled.

What is your process in figuring out the retail? What is the thickness you use? Do you use any different in bits for wood or corian? Very interesting!!!!!!! Larry

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cedarwoodworks

What is your process in figuring out the retail? What is the thickness you use? Do you use any different in bits for wood or corian? Very interesting!!!!!!! Larry

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Not sure on how to figure retail as I don't sell much of my work as others do here. Not sure what your thickness question is. If you could add a bit more pertaining info to the question, I'm sure you will get an answer. The bits offered by LHR are carbide and work great with both wood and corian. Carbide bits can cut most any material put in front of it. The machining world is full of carbide tooling to preform the tasks they contend with. Gearing and power are the only real differences.