Rob Estes with Brushstroke Signs in Paducah, Kentucky recently designed and built a Precision Board HDU sign with a unique faux wood texture to the background. He used a feature in his software program that randomly creates textures based on a set of variables. Rob tells us about fabricating the Farmhouse sign and how he got that textured background just right.
Rob used PBLT-18 for this sign, which is 30″ wide, 38″ tall and 5″ inches thick at the thickest point and 3.5″ inches thick at the thinnest point (as seen in the photos below). He routed it on his Shopbot CNC. The designing was done in Adobe Illustrator and then imported into V-Carve Pro 9.0 where he added the textured background.
“V-Carve has a new feature in it, Texture Toolpath, so you can select it and design your own grain patterns and different background patterns,” says Estes. He adds, “It gives you some slider values and you can pick and choose and mess with it to find something you like. You can preview it on screen and if you don’t like it, hit the reset button using those values and it will give you a new texture.”
Carving both sides of the Precision Board sign took about 8 hours, including some stops and bit changes, etc. Rob then primed and painted it. “I put a glaze coat on the background to get a darker, richer look for the wood grain,” says Estes.
Total fabrication time? 2-3 weeks total from beginning to end.
In addition to 18lb Precision Board, Rob also likes to use PBLT-30 because it carves cleaner for details on the dimensional stuff. “For me and several of my friends, we try to use the 30lb.” He says, “always choose Precision Board HDU. It’s a superior material for dimensional signs like this.” Rob adds, “you don’t have to worry about dinging a corner up with the 30lb. It’s a hassle getting a dent and having to fill it or have extra sanding time. Precision Board HDU is the only material I have found that the 30lb is a class of its own.”
Brushstroke Signs is located in Paducah, Kentucky. If you’d like to talk to Rob Estes about his work and get a quote, or get involved in Letterheads or Walldogs, give him a call at (270) 442-8665. You can also email him at rob@brushstrokesigns.com or check out their website. Be sure to ask about his portfolio because he definitely has enough talent and experience to help you out, no matter what the need is!
Coastal Enterprises offers free samples of Precision Board HDU. You can also sign up for the monthly Blog Roundup. Need primer or adhesives? We offer a full line of products, including primers & fillers, adhesives, and textures & coatings.
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Meet Rob Estes, Hand-Carving Signs with Style from Paducah, KY!