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Hey guys, just thought I’d ask everyone’s opinion and get some advice. I am starting to get into some larger signs along with 3dcarving. Most of my work has all been LED Signs and small projects. I am currently trying to make a 3d sign in vcarve, the sign is 10"tall and measures 21.3792" wide. So I went to my lumber store and bought some 1x12" Pine. Any other wood ( maple,oak etc…) seems to be very expensive so I like using pine for most of my signs to make my work affordable, especially since my town is small and labeled as a retirement town. Anyways I planned the boards to make them flat(er) and all 3 24" long pieces have a nice long crack going across and are most likely unusable to make this large sign.
Just wondering what people do for larger signs, I know some people do glue ups, is there any good youtube video’s on it? My only problem is I do this out of my small basement that has just enough room for the machine so I don’t have a chopsaw/tablesaw/jointer/planer/ etc…
I have found that “Select” poplar is a great material for signs. It is very inexpensive, very flat and free of knots and cracks. I get mine at the local Home Depot.
Would gluing 2 1x6 boards be more advantageous than using the 1x12s? I’ve never done a glueup and was just wondering if it would help prevent the boards from cracking/warping or not.
Maybe look for better quality pieces? I know sometimes the lumber at the big box stores can royally suck and you have to inspect all sides and such of every board before you find a good one.
Look for pre-made panel glue-ups as well. I know I can get 3/4" thick edge-glued panels 12" wide and they come in different lengths. These can be from the big box stores but you’re canadian so no idea what might be available up there.
Be careful when gluing up panels. You need flush edges to make it look seamless and not all lumber is surfaced that way.
I always spend a good 5-10 minutes going through all of the lumnber to find the best pieces, unfortunately they still seem to fall short. I’ve had decent luck with 1x10 pine. I know they sell these large pine glueups but I’ve been told to stay away from them.
Before I got my woodshop gong I would ask a local cabinet shop to joint the edges of boards so I could do a glue up, they would also run the finished panel thorough a plainer or stationary wide belt sander for me. They might even do the glue up. You also asked if 6" boards would be better than narrower ones, probably not since they will tend to cup across their width. Narrower boards, with the annular rings alternated would make for a more stable panel.
Maybe look for a lumber yard vs. a home store for your material and make friends with the operators
