# Carved Signs



## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

It's been quite a while since I've posted anything in "show & tell". It's been a crazy year to say the least. I received my Shopbot (cnc router) just before Chistmas, had a massive heart attack in March, sold my house in July, moved into my new house in August, and got the youngest daughter married off in September.
Now I'm finally getting settled into some sort of normal routine and thought I'd share with you some of the signs I've been making. I've been advertising on Craigslist and have been getting orders on a pretty regular basis.

Eric Erickson
Home Page


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Eric

VERY nice job, what do you sale them for the norm. ? and how about a link to your add on Craigslist...a member or two have ask if some one would make them a sign or a spec. item with a CNC machine.. 

http://www.routerforums.com/service...-i-advertise-my-woodworking-website-here.html
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kartracer63 said:


> It's been quite a while since I've posted anything in "show & tell". It's been a crazy year to say the least. I received my Shopbot (cnc router) just before Chistmas, had a massive heart attack in March, sold my house in July, moved into my new house in August, and got the youngest daughter married off in September.
> Now I'm finally getting settled into some sort of normal routine and thought I'd share with you some of the signs I've been making. I've been advertising on Craigslist and have been getting orders on a pretty regular basis.
> 
> Eric Erickson


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

Eric,

Great stuff, glad to see you made it through your rough patch OK. Love the graphics on the signs.


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## Metalhead781 (Jul 27, 2010)

Very nice work. Check out some of my cnc carved items in the CNC section. Do you mask or surface for the painting?


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Thanks for the compliments guys.

BJ, I'll post a link to my website when I figure out how.

Randy, I just spray the paint on and then sand down the surface. You've got some real nice looking stuff.

Eric Erickson
http://www.cedarsignsonline.com


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Eric

Just copy and paste the URL address in your post, it's just that easy 

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kartracer63 said:


> Thanks for the compliments guys.
> 
> BJ, I'll post a link to my website when I figure out how.
> 
> Randy, I just spray the paint on and then sand down the surface. You've got some real nice looking stuff.


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Ok BJ... I got the link up now.
Thanks, 

Eric Erickson
Home Page


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Eric

Nice, Easy right

Now think about putting in the right place so you can get some orders from it.. 


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## takakaw (Oct 24, 2010)

Nice signs! Glad you're recovering!


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

*More sign photos*

Here's another batch of photos of the signs I've been making.

Eric Erickson
Home Page


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## Metalhead781 (Jul 27, 2010)

kartracer63 said:


> Thanks for the compliments guys.
> 
> BJ, I'll post a link to my website when I figure out how.
> 
> ...


THanks yourself


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Here's another batch of signs I made.

Eric Erickson


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Here are some more signs I've made.

Eric Erickson

Home Page


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

*Here is a few more signs I've made lately*

Here is a few more signs I've made lately.

Eric Erickson
Home Page


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## Bob N (Oct 12, 2004)

More nice work Eric. I especially like the one with the big buck.


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Looks like you have been keeping yourself busy, Eric

Nice work


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Thanks guys ! I'm keeping busy making these signs. But, more importantly, I've having a lot of fun. Hopefully I'll get to start working on some of the other projects my wife has lined up for me too (so I can start posting something besides signs).

Eric Erickson


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## Dr.Zook (Sep 10, 2004)

Excellent work Eric.


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## mailee (Nov 11, 2005)

They really are great Eric. It looks like I am not the only one who doesnt relax often. You have certainly turned out some work there, well done.


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

*Here's a couple more.*

Here's a couple more signs I've made recently. I'm going to have to stop for a couple days so I can get some Christmas shopping done.

Eric Erickson
Home Page


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## Binder (Jan 5, 2011)

Eric it looks like you have some mighty good ideas for making signs. Are they your own creations?


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Thanks Richard. They're all my own with the exception of the "U Otter Getaway" sign. The customer supplied me with the original design. I'd be lying if I didn't say that I've spent plenty of time on the internet looking at other signs though. Certainly may have been inspired by something I've seen along the way.


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Here are some more signs I've made lately.

I made the "Pablo's Pub" for my friend's basement bar.

The next one is the Browning (guns) logo. The black part is a buck with a nice antler rack, and inside of the black part is an image of a doe. Browning calls this part of their logo their "Buckmark". Unlike alot of corporations out their, Browning actually encourages people to make things using this part of their logo. They even have a contest called "show us your Buckmark".

I made the crescent moon for the bathroom door in our new log home.

The Men and Women signs were made for a local restaurant. They had been displaying the cardboard sign on the Men's door for months. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I made these signs hoping they would like them enough to buy them.
... They loved them and didn't even hesitate to buy them.

Eric Erickson
Home Page


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

Nice work, Eric... Did you use templates or cut freehand?


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Hi Jim,

I'm not that talented. These are all cut on my Shopbot CNC. 

Eric Erickson


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## Capt Splinter (Dec 30, 2008)

Shopbot or not, it still takes talent to tell the machine the right thing to do. Great work! And glad to hear your getting back to your normal routine. Keep it up.


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

I made this "19th Hole" sign for a local customer that has his own personal golf hole on his property. This is a huge improvement over the sign he made for himself.

The "Log" sign was ordered by a customer from Canada as a house warming gift for her friend that runs an animal rescue.

Eric Erickson
Home Page


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## jd99 (Jun 17, 2009)

kartracer63 said:


> Hi Jim,
> 
> I'm not that talented. These are all cut on my Shopbot CNC.
> 
> Eric Erickson


Eric:
Which Shopbot do you have? And would you purchase it again? 
Been thinking of getting into CNC, as I prepare for new shop space this year.

Thanks
Danny


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Here's a few more signs I've made lately.

Eric 
Home Page


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## Noob (Apr 18, 2009)

That's a great collection of signs, what wood did you use for most of them?

Edit, nevermind, with a name like Cedarsignsonline, that kind of answers my question... :lazy2:


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## Binder (Jan 5, 2011)

Eric I like the detail of the golf sign .....it looks hand carved and very professional.


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## Julie (Sep 11, 2004)

Hi Eric
Your signs are great. I handpaint mainly pine indoor signs, but I'm curious about two things... Do you put any finish over the cedar? What type of paint do you use?
Thanks!


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Hi Richard,

Thanks for the compliment on the 19th hole sign. That was a fun sign to make.


Hi Julie,

After the sign has been carved, I spray the carved areas with a black stencil ink. After it's dried, I sand the surface with my orbital sander (80, 120, 220) until only the black below the surface remains. I spray on a finish coat of Cabot's "Australian Timber Oil" (natural). It takes a solid 24 hours for the finish to dry enough to fondle.

Eric


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Here are some more signs I've made recently.

Eric
Home Page


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## Julie (Sep 11, 2004)

Great work again, Eric, thanks for posting!


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## Mark (Aug 4, 2004)

kartracer63 said:


> Here are some more signs I've made recently.
> 
> Eric
> Home Page


Very impressive work Eric, thanks for sharing


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Here are a few more signs I've made lately.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Eric, I think you should try building a weather station as seen below.


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Mike, Those weather signs are always fun.

Here's some more completed signs.

Eric Erickson
Home Page


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Here's some more signs.

Eric Erickson
Home Page


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

I would love to have a spot to hang that 'man cave' sign.....LOL


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## Capt Splinter (Dec 30, 2008)

Hi Eric,
Beautiful signs! Love how you've mastered the process. One question,
Now that you have had your Shopbot for a while, are you still pleased with it. The Shopbot is on my dream list to get one day, and I was wondering if you would purchase it again, or go for a different model?
Keep up the great work
George


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Thanks George!

Yes... if I had to do it over again, I'd still buy the Shopbot. I couldn't possibly be any happier with my decision there.


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Here are a few more signs...

Eric
Home Page


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## Mark (Aug 4, 2004)

Hey Eric, your work is amazing, such crisp lines and sharp detail. Very impressive!


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Thanks Mark!


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Here's some more signs I've made.

The "Temple Rodef Shalom" sign was 96"x19". It was crated up and shipped off to Virginia.

The "Diagon Alley" was carved on both sides. That's why there's two photos of the same sign. That sign was made for my wife's garden area. Diagon Alley is the place Harry Potter goes to get all of his magical things.


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Here's another one that got shipped out.

Eric Erickson
Home Page


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

Good to have you back my friend, great work.


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Thanks Jerry!

Here's a couple more I did yesterday.

Eric Erickson
Home Page


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## wbh1963 (Oct 11, 2011)

Hi Eric,

The signs and cribbage boards you craft up are well beyond just impressive. I find myself curious as to whether you are doing your own joining to make larger workpieces and if so what your choices in adhesives are for working with cedar. My interest isn't so much in terms of making signs as cedar boxes.

Thanks,

Bill


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Thanks for the kind words Bill.

Yes, I'm gluing up my own boards for the larger signs. My brand of choice for glue is Titebond. It will depend if the sign I'm working on is intended to be displayed indoors or outdoors as to which titebond I'll use. 

Original Titebond for indoors.

Titebond II for outdoors.

Eric Erickson


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## wbh1963 (Oct 11, 2011)

Eric,

Many thanks for all of the questions you have answered here on the forums. Even more so for pointing out the Indoor vs Outdoor angle. Do you have specific preferences as to specific species of Cedar that you like to work with? Thus far I have only worked with Western Redcedar.


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Bill,

I pretty much use just Western Red for all of my signs. I've got some aromatic cedar that has some interesting colors, but it's hard to get around here.

Eric Erickson


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Here are some more signs I've made.

Eric Erickson
Home


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## wbh1963 (Oct 11, 2011)

Your signs continue to amaze and inspire me Eric. Some of your most 'attention drawing' signs are those where you cut the sign board into a shape of the 'main theme'. (as opposed to carving an image of the theme into a rectangular board.

I am going to have to give this cedar sign making thing a try on a basic level. I don't expect to be picking up a 'computerized carver' any time soon, but am more than willing to blend routing & hand carving to see what I can come up with.

Thanks again for sharing!


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Thanks Bill!

Here's a few more signs to look at.


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## fontae66 (Feb 3, 2012)

Great job on your signs...I can see why business is good...


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## Noob2012 (Feb 5, 2012)

kartracer63 said:


> Thanks Bill!
> 
> Here's a few more signs to look at.



Eric, nice job on the signs. Do you varnish and then carve, then paint the carved area, do a facing cut, and then re-varnish? If you don't mind my asking, what kind of price do you get for those, say the Siefert and Rick & Sharon signs? I'm in the middle of buying parts for my first CNC router build.


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Thanks guys!

Larry, I carve the signs first. Then, I paint the carved areas black. When the paint is dry, I sand the surface ( leaving only what's been carved black). Then, I apply my finish coat.

Eric


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Here are some more signs I've done recently.


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## GussNemo (Mar 16, 2012)

Very nice work, Eric. And you do these signs on the Shopbot?


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Thanks Jamie... Yes, I carve all of my signs on my ShopBot "Buddy".


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

Eric,
do you have the 32 inch or 48 inch buddy? Is bigger better, or just take up floor space?


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Doug,

I've got the 48" Buddy. Yes, in my case, bigger is better. There have been several occasions where 32" would not have been big enough. The BT48 doesn't take up that much more room than the BT32.

I guess it all depends on what you would plan on using it for.


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## GussNemo (Mar 16, 2012)

What criteria did you use when deciding on which Shopbot, Eric? I suppose you already had something in mind even before you started shopping?

How much of the work is your skill and how much from the Shopbot?


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Jamie,

I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be cutting sheet goods. So, I focused on what I was most likely to cut or carve with it. Even though I bought the Buddy BT48 (24"x48" table), I have the ability to cut up to 48"x96" when I install the 8' powerstick.

I looked at some of the smaller benchtop machines. But, I felt if I was going to spend the money to play in that arena, I wanted to have the ability to do larger projects from time to time.

As far as who has the most skill, me or the ShopBot? If I had a ton of skill, I wouldn't need the ShopBot.


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## GussNemo (Mar 16, 2012)

> Eric:
> As far as who has the most skill, me or the ShopBot? If I had a ton of skill, I wouldn't need the ShopBot.


:lol: :lol: :lol: Thanks Eric.


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

Thanks Eric


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## Trimax (Apr 9, 2009)

im just wondering how you paint them with such clean edges?


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Curt,

I just spray paint the signs black and sand the surface after the paint has dried.

Eric


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Here are some more signs I've shipped out recently.

Eric Erickson
Home


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

That Shop Bot seems to be a versatile tool. I presume you use it to cut the profile on the 'logs' as well?


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

James,

The ShopBot carves the letters and images, and cuts out the shape of the signs as well. Makes my life kind of easy.

I still have to do the paint and finish work until I can find a machine to do that too.

Eric


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## wbh1963 (Oct 11, 2011)

And all this time I thought you were slicing them out with a scroll saw....


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

Here are some more signs I've made recently.


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## Mark (Aug 4, 2004)

Wow Eric more great results! Very beautiful.


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## wbh1963 (Oct 11, 2011)

I like the Douglas Cabin one! Peace prongs in a heart instead of a circle...


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## megnin (Apr 14, 2012)

Nice work, Eric. I love the graphics and the different shaped signs.

Can that ShopBot carve deep cuts, say to hollow out a piece to make like a 16" x 9" hollow box 2" deep?

Thanks.
David


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## kartracer63 (Jan 19, 2009)

@ David... Yes it can.

Eric


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