# Carving PTL Sign



## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

Had a guy referred to me that wanted a sign for his place in Upper. Had to have a deer (it's a deer camp) and a bunny rabbit (he said it was a long story). Made him a few samples up and he chose this design. I found a piece of 2 x 8 PTL right off the truck so it was a good board, although still a little wet. I let it dry about a month in the garage and then glued it up with Titebond Ultimate, skimmed it for a flat surface, loaded the file, and hit go. Finished sign is about 24 x 20 and still fairly heavy (probably 20 # or more). I like the grain the way it is and just want to seal it like this. Up to the customer what to do. I will say, this stuff carves great. Must be the yellow pine instead of the usual Douglas Fir or Spruce I end up with.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

That turned out really well John. Like the horizontal grain look to


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## beltramidave (Jan 6, 2016)

Great job, John! Did you do that design all by yourself, lol?
Does look like it carved really well.


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## Pro4824 (Oct 17, 2015)

Looks great John! and that's some impressive woodworking skill too.
I had a hard time finding the seams.


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## marecat3 (Nov 30, 2010)

wow looks good


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

Pressure treated is almost always yellow pine if it came from the Southeast of USA. With it as wet as it was I hope it stays flat. 

I like the design. Will it be used outdoors? Maybe you should make him another out of a better wood for indoors too.

Charley


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

CharleyL said:


> Pressure treated is almost always yellow pine if it came from the Southeast of USA. With it as wet as it was I hope it stays flat.
> 
> I like the design. Will it be used outdoors? Maybe you should make him another out of a better wood for indoors too.
> 
> Charley


For sure going outdoors at leaqst 8 months of the year. That's why I got PTL. Brutal weather in the Upper. The cedar had too many knots. I've had them hold up pretty good with water seal applied to slow down the graying.


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

CharleyL said:


> Pressure treated is almost always yellow pine if it came from the Southeast of USA. With it as wet as it was I hope it stays flat.
> 
> Charley


It's starting to warp on the top and bottom. Any ideas. Will probably have to make another and got back to the stain and spar varnish.


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## TimPa (Jan 4, 2011)

"Any ideas?"

don't lay it flat for a period of time, unfinished. if you did, lay it on the other face for awhile and it may come back.

finish both faces equally.

I have successfully straightened warped boards by placing them concave face down on a damp surface (after a rain) when the sun is hot and strong. convex face absorbs moisture from the ground (expands) and the convex face gets dried by the hot sun (shrinks). check every half hour or so. 

nice sign by the way! I am a new person to cnc, but am always impressed when you add/mix elements the way you do!


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Once flattened, glue on a cross grain backing, preferable of the same material. if expansion is a factor, then you could glue on something with the same grain direction, but with rings that curve the opposite direction. then after the glue is dry, seal the heck out of it, especially the edges. I like the sign a lot, but it really cries out for paint or stain in the oval to make the critters stand out.


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## ger21 (Feb 10, 2019)

A month in the garage is not nearly enough time for it to dry. And until it's dry, it's always going to warp.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

ger21 said:


> A month in the garage is not nearly enough time for it to dry. And until it's dry, it's always going to warp.


I think this is the real answer. Do you have a moisture meter? I think for anyone making this kind of sign or plaque, that would be a must If the wood is stacked face to face, it will take much longer to dry, and pine is pretty much a sponge for any moisture around.


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

The sign looks great. You are doing a good job with your lettering now. One thing you might consider is composite decking for outdoor signs but that also depends on the brand from what I'm told. Not all of it is made the same and some is just too porous on the inside for 3D.


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## beltramidave (Jan 6, 2016)

MEBCWD said:


> The sign looks great. You are doing a good job with your lettering now. One thing you might consider is composite decking for outdoor signs but that also depends on the brand from what I'm told. Not all of it is made the same and some is just too porous on the inside for 3D.


Mike,

I have quite a bit of scrap pieces of Trex decking that I kept as I was going to try and cnc something with it, but I am not sure what to do with it as it is just black inside. Maybe it would be good enough contrast for text signs, but unless you can paint like Scott, I don't think it would be much good for 2.5d work.


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

beltramidave said:


> Mike,
> 
> I have quite a bit of scrap pieces of Trex decking that I kept as I was going to try and cnc something with it, but I am not sure what to do with it as it is just black inside. Maybe it would be good enough contrast for text signs, but unless you can paint like Scott, I don't think it would be much good for 2.5d work.


Is yours porous on the inside or would it be solid enough to carve well?

Could probably get by on some signs with just basic paint to bring out the highlights and detail, maybe a glazing technique would work, might be worth a try.


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## mitch8 (Oct 17, 2011)

Beautiful work - thanks for sharing. If you don't mind me asking, what machine do you use for this?


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

Well done John. I would have never guessed that it was PTL. How did the bit fare out?


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## Scottart (Jan 8, 2015)

nice John, you made that deer and rabbit look in place tough to do on that scale.


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

John did you do this on the Probotix or did you use the CNCRP Pro?


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

mebcwd said:


> john did you do this on the probotix or did you use the cncrp pro?



cncrp


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

JFPNCM said:


> Well done John. I would have never guessed that it was PTL. How did the bit fare out?


Carved real good -- bit was fine


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## beltramidave (Jan 6, 2016)

MEBCWD said:


> Is yours porous on the inside or would it be solid enough to carve well?
> 
> Could probably get by on some signs with just basic paint to bring out the highlights and detail, maybe a glazing technique would work, might be worth a try.


Got a chance to run a file on Trex decking material. Not real sure why I picked the design I did, but it carved real well. The base material is really solid and I would guess would paint well. I sprayed some spar urethane on it and just wiped it off the outer surface. Not sure, unless you had Scottart's painting skill, how it would work if doing a model.


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

beltramidave said:


> Got a chance to run a file on Trex decking material. Not real sure why I picked the design I did, but it carved real well. The base material is really solid and I would guess would paint well. I sprayed some spar urethane on it and just wiped it off the outer surface. Not sure, unless you had Scottart's painting skill, how it would work if doing a model.


That looks good and I think it would work for 3D jobs as well. Thanks for taking the time to do the test cut and posting the results.


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## artman60 (Nov 22, 2015)

John, I should pay for the tutoring I get here, just reading your posts. I like the design, but have no idea on how to keep the PTL stable.


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## subtleaccents (Nov 5, 2011)

Just a quick question, has anyone tried using the Polywood that"s being used for deck/lawn furniture?


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