Home is Where the Dog is - Decorative Sign
A decorative sign for Alexa's mother with a cut out silhouette in the shape of their Great Dane/ German Shepard mix, Max! Alexa, of course, did the lettering.
Required Resources: 3 hours, $70
Size: 12" x 9" x 1"
Materials: Pine Common Board
Finish: Acrylic Paint, Semi-Gloss Polyurethane Aerosol.
Tools: Water Jet
New Techniques: This was my first attempt at water jetting pine. The pine slab we used was a little too thick for the MetaBeam Laser cutter to handle (it probably would have charred/caught on fire) so we went for the water jet. The key to water jetting wood is to keep the water level in the bed far below the base of the work piece. If done correctly, the water jet should barely wet the wood at the kerf. While I wasn't able to lower the water low enough to prevent back splash, which did soak the wood, the cut came out pretty nicely.
Lessons Learned: Initially, I thought the cut came out pretty well. But, as the pine soaked in the back splash, the small features began to swell and crack. Ultimately, I had to glue some of the cracks up to preserve the integrity and aesthetics of the piece. For future project, I would first lower the water level in the bed to reduce back splash, but also modify the design of the cut out to minimize small protrusions that would be prone to breakage.