How to put letters on to wood.

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Harrygary

Established Member
Joined
5 Jun 2013
Messages
21
Reaction score
0
Location
Southend on sea
Hi. I was wondering what is the best way to put letters or pictures on to wood. Would it be Mod Podge or PVA glue? I want to print letters off and scroll saw them out for different projects. Many Thanks Gary (homer)
 
Gary.

The method I use with all patterns, is to first cover the surface with masking tape, then stick the pattern to the masking tape with Ptitt Stick (Staples Brand) as its a lot cheaper than Pritt.

The reason for the masking tape first is for ease of removal from the wood surface after cutting out, Pritt straight to the wood, and it will take you as long to remove the pattern as it did to cut it out.

Hope this helps.

Take Care.

Chris R.
 
ChrisR":afr3hdoh said:
Gary.



The reason for the masking tape first is for ease of removal from the wood surface after cutting out, Pritt straight to the wood, and it will take you as long to remove the pattern as it did to cut it out.

Chris R.


This is true unless you have a belt sander(like me)
 
My method is the same as steves , I pritt stick mine straight on , sanding the pattern off with my makita palm sander takes about twenty seconds far less time than me putting masking tape on(and definatley less time than cutting the piece out) and as I sand my work to a smooth finish it makes sense to kill two birds with one stone , my wood I buy invariably has imperfections in them a mark here a dint there so I like to bring it up smooth ,the Makita palm sander is not brutal and is very good for 65 pound and accepts velcrove and plain sheets I prefer hermes velcrove perforated sheets from axminster and I have it hooked up to my record dust extractor if anyone knows of any suppliers that sells wood that is perfect and smooth ready for oiling then please let me know :)

also with items such as my reindeer that I am making a lot off I stick the pattern pieces down say enough for ten on the plywood board then rough cut around the parts then cut out each piece on the scroll saw , if I was using masking tape I would have to tape the whole board up first before I stuck all the patterns on the board it would take far too much time to do that and as sell my work and time is money it wouldn't work for me.The birch ply I use has a good veneer , plenty enough to take the pattern of quickly and get a nice smooth finish.

Now mount spray if you put too much on that is a pain in the ass to get rid off , prit stick extra strong no problem

mark
 
mac1012":xjp33uzy said:
My method is the same as steves , I pritt stick mine straight on , sanding the pattern off with my makita palm sander takes about twenty seconds far less time than me putting masking tape on(and definatley less time than cutting the piece out) and as I sand my work to a smooth finish it makes sense to kill two birds with one stone , my wood I buy invariably has imperfections in them a mark here a dint there so I like to bring it up smooth ,the Makita palm sander is not brutal and is very good for 65 pound and accepts velcrove and plain sheets I prefer hermes velcrove perforated sheets from axminster and I have it hooked up to my record dust extractor if anyone knows of any suppliers that sells wood that is perfect and smooth ready for oiling then please let me know :)

also with items such as my reindeer that I am making a lot off I stick the pattern pieces down say enough for ten on the plywood board then rough cut around the parts then cut out each piece on the scroll saw , if I was using masking tape I would have to tape the whole board up first before I stuck all the patterns on the board it would take far too much time to do that and as sell my work and time is money it wouldn't work for me.The birch ply I use has a good veneer , plenty enough to take the pattern of quickly and get a nice smooth finish.

Now mount spray if you put too much on that is a pain in the ass to get rid off , prit stick extra strong no problem

mark

After many years experience and trying various methods, I will stick with my masking tape and Pritt stick method.

As for wood with imperfections, obtain wood from a quality supplier and you will not have this problem.

Have just taken delivery of £235.00 worth of Baltic Birch ply from (Woodstock, Falmouth, Cornwall), all sheets, without imperfections, if I was to find any, I know they would replace FOC. =D>

Take care.

Chris R.
 
Martin, very true, I realise how lucky I am to have such a supplier local to me.

Any delivery only £10.00, (Cornwall area) or if order is over £500.00, delivery is free, I used to go and collect with car and trailer, but I could not make the round trip for £10.00, and as it’s a trip of about 20 miles, so its right on the limit of my travel from home. 8-[

Take care.

Chris R.
 
I guess we all have preferred methods chris and I will stick with my method which for me is quicker and easier

my birch ply is good quality thanks but I still like to give it a final sand.

As for quality of wood never had any returns yet , any sort of pine and hard woods do need a final sand to get ready for wax and oil hence my preferred method of having a masking tape free zone.
 
As Mark has said, we all have our own preferences. Personally I prefer to use masking tape as it would take to long to sand the pattern off glues straight to the wood. I only use 18mm hardwoods and when I get my wood from my supplier it has been planed and smooth. Peeling the masking tape off only takes a couple of seconds and then I use my Bosch palm sander with 220 grit to get it super smooth, which again, only takes a few seconds.
 
I agree, we all have our preferences, which now gives the original poster, a few options to try and to see which if any suits him best, job done.


Take care.

Chris R.
 
I use spray mount.
The Works sell large cans of Elmers for £3 iirc.
I found it to be of the same quality as 3M but for a fraction of the price.
Easy to remove/adjust.
 
benjimano":1r2t926k said:
I use spray mount.
The Works sell large cans of Elmers for £3 iirc.
I found it to be of the same quality as 3M but for a fraction of the price.
Easy to remove/adjust.

When I saw this mentioned a week or so back, I paid a visit to both local "The Works" outlets, and no Elmers to be seen.
 
martinka":1g35o4s2 said:
benjimano":1g35o4s2 said:
I use spray mount.
The Works sell large cans of Elmers for £3 iirc.
I found it to be of the same quality as 3M but for a fraction of the price.
Easy to remove/adjust.

When I saw this mentioned a week or so back, I paid a visit to both local "The Works" outlets, and no Elmers to be seen.

Same here!
 
scrimper":2glkjyqh said:
martinka":2glkjyqh said:
benjimano":2glkjyqh said:
I use spray mount.
The Works sell large cans of Elmers for £3 iirc.
I found it to be of the same quality as 3M but for a fraction of the price.
Easy to remove/adjust.

When I saw this mentioned a week or so back, I paid a visit to both local "The Works" outlets, and no Elmers to be seen.

Same here!

Maybe it was a limited offer. I was quite surprised to see it at that price though. The equivalent size 3M can is about £10-£15.
I did see a 400ml/500ml 3M can in 'the range for £10.99 or there abouts. A lot cheaper than I've seen it elsewhere.
 
See... Not fibbing. Lol
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    115.1 KB · Views: 363
Back
Top