4½ years since this video was shared, but I didn't see it before now, and that's the beauty of youtube videos; they are always just right there and just for you to find the good ones - like this one! Wanted for a long time to try carving letters with a router, but other videos took the courage to do it away. They all start out fine, but after leaving so many details out, things that were not explained, or using words you've never heard before, you just ended up feeling stupid. Or at least I did! Until I saw this video. It's exactly the kind of videos many of us newbies want to watch and think: "I know it's not that easy as it looks, but also it looks as I can learn to do this if I just start practicing on some old pieces of wood and take it easy and step by step". And that's exactly what I'm going to do! :D Thank you so much!! (y) (y)
He is pefectionist, he said it's not perfect...yes it is. I like him. To see somebody to show you what a router do the best way. Hope to see part 2 and see it painted.
Thanks for this - This video is ace. Especially the tip about not routing to the pencil line until you have removed most of the stuff inside the letters - as it makes it easier to be more accurate. I also like the way you have described the process and then shown us the bits you used the end. I am going up the shed now to see if I got any bits like the ones you showed.
Great work. Even if you own a cnc, it has to be satisfying to make it by hand. It also helps us who haven't made their 1st sign or very few. So thank you for sharing your talent
Thank you for the encouragement Rodney - I really appreciate you watching! Indeed it was a very satisfying project, especially on Install day. This project actually was basically my first real sign. Done some small logos on the CNC for little trinkets and bottle openers and stuff, but they actually didn’t come out as well because the machine wasn’t accurately adjusted/setup. Go figure, huh? Haha.
Thanks! Definitely not my original idea though. This design is based of the Paulk Workbench designed by Ron Paulk. In turn, he based his hole idea on the Festool MFT which I also use and like.
Thanks, I have been looking for a video on how to use a router to make signs and this is the best I have seen yet. The close up of the router at work was awesome 👍
Just so you and others know Rockler--and I am sure others --Have a template kit for sign routing that would have let you stay a bit further away from the router but you did a really good job on the letter routing! Also the Festool domino helps to keep the boards aligned but add NO strength to the glue-up at all. The glue bond is stronger than the wood--been proven many times. Just so others know there are Non Festool options and they don't have to be getting all heated up that you have such cool tools. Nice job on the sign! :)
+Terry Hi Terry! Indeed Rockler and others sell router templates. They’re pretty limited on font choice (usually really blocky fonts with lots of straight lines), but they definitely are more precise and probably a lot faster though, haha! In regards to the Domino, indeed it’s not a necessity at all. :) Funny how people get so worked up about it. I mostly used it because I had it and to aid with alignment as you suggest. That said, I would suspect it does add at least a little strength over a straight glue joint in this application, or perhaps more longevity really. My thinking for this project was that it’s going to be outside, and eventually, the edge glued joints will start to fail along the seam, and perhaps the glue that goes down into the mortises will hold onto the dominoes and keep the sign boards together a little longer before needing a repair. That’s just a guess though - may very well not do anything at all, haha. :)
Very nice job! Nice to see you use face and hearing protection.....breathing in all that dust isn't good. I tried a bit of freehand a while ago (my wife wants a sign for her garden shed) but it didn't come out nice at all but you showed me two things to try. First, work away from the line first and don't try to do it in one pass, and 2, raise the work piece higher so I can get a clearer view of the bit. I have a good dust collection set up for my work bench when I use my router so that should help. Great tutorial, thank you!
Thanks for the video. I am going to be making a sign for my friend's cabin. I plan on just using my dremel tool and plunger router attachment. I hope it turns out 1/2 as good as yours! :)
Wow - you've got a steady hand with that little router! I only have a bigger one (that's old and heavy) and I can't follow a line with it to save my life!
You did an amazing job on that sign came out beautiful I would love to get into making signs here in Connecticut's just little ones like people watch signs that says there man cave or save a good family's name for fun of their house That who will be living there Please comment back nice job
Great video. Thank you for putting it together. I do a lot of scroll saw work which requires applying patterns to wood similar to making your sign. The easiest way I know of to apply a pattern is to lay a layer of blue painters tape on the wood first then glue your pattern to it with spray adhesive Once your done the tape peels off very easily with no residue or glue. Just passing on a tip.
actully really liked your vid. as just starting out my self and trying wood carving with the dremel pro and just bought my first routing tool n bits too. lots of hints a tips in your vid thank you. loving this very theraputic.
This was Really cool to watch. You did an Awesome job on this. It looks Amazing and Now I need to go over and watch Part two :) Thank you for sharing and You have just gained another Subscriber.....
You do a lot well. Video production is great, content is great. But the biggest thing is you was late putting your respirator mask on. Remember your lungs are so precious. And use a push stick as people have already said. Keep up the great work
Funny, the same thought was going through my mind. In high school woodshop, our teacher taught us to always use push sticks. And even now, at age 50, I still use them.
If I feel like my hands are far enough from the blade I never use one. My fingers gotta be an inch or less to use one. I personally feel like I have more control over the board handling it directly. You should always be comfortable over anything using a power tool.
Lot of work. I did some letter routering almost 40 years ago. I have the Home Sweet Home walnut tree cross cut sign on my living wall. I'm getting into crafting now (retired) and I'm looking for an easier way to do lettering on driftwood and weathered boards. I'm a house painter and I'm thinking of painting on stencils. I'm not in to the big dust mess and loud tool thing. I've noticed that spindles are quiet but may be part of a CNC set up. I will learn more. I'm also looking for a quick way to do letter burning.
I don't mean to preach, however, you may want to get a table saw push stick. I had an unfortunate accident with my table saw and I learned a valuable lesson.
+Christopher Kennedy thanks for checking it out, Christopher! It's a handy tool to be sure, but there are a lot of ways to work without one. Dowels are MUCH cheaper and similarly strong. While it's a fantastic tool and I'm happy to have one, of it were stolen I'm not sure I'd replace it to be honest. If that happened I'd probably work and being proficient with using dowels precisely.
Brother nice work!!! Researching what bit I like to cut out my sign, and I absolutely love the bit you chose, I can't seem to find the bit you're talking about? Thanks again
Haha I laughed so hard when you went and put on the motorcycle helmet, good choice though man I always recommend wearing eye & lung protection when working around saw dust for long periods of time.
+Stuart Culley Nothing wrong with doing it old school, but you can get a router pretty cheap just to give it a shot! At Harbor Freight you can get a little trim router for $30 and some inexpensive router bits just to have some fun and experiment.
Looks great mate i will definitely watch more of this video. I'm sure that the church will be very grateful for your work 👍👏
Nice job. You are a great presenter/teacher. No wasted time watching saws cut wood over and over. You made the routing look easy.
+JeGe Artworks Thank you for the kind words!
4½ years since this video was shared, but I didn't see it before now, and that's the beauty of youtube videos; they are always just right there and just for you to find the good ones - like this one!
Wanted for a long time to try carving letters with a router, but other videos took the courage to do it away. They all start out fine, but after leaving so many details out, things that were not explained, or using words you've never heard before, you just ended up feeling stupid.
Or at least I did!
Until I saw this video. It's exactly the kind of videos many of us newbies want to watch and think: "I know it's not that easy as it looks, but also it looks as I can learn to do this if I just start practicing on some old pieces of wood and take it easy and step by step".
And that's exactly what I'm going to do! :D
Thank you so much!! (y) (y)
He is pefectionist, he said it's not perfect...yes it is.
I like him. To see somebody to show you what a router do the best way.
Hope to see part 2 and see it painted.
I have the same opportunity to make a routed sign to replace a broken sign in our community. This was a good reference. Thanks.
I’m glad it was helpful, Wayne!
the "Router cam" was deeply satisfying.
It sure was!
Frightening! You simple must use a push-stick -- you have a duty to 'teach' others with safety your number-one commitment.
Great camera angle !!!! Thanks for sharing the bit pictures too.
Just bought the bosch router you used because of this video. Looking forward to having some fun. Thanks.
Awesome. Thanks for the video. Like the free hand work!
Good eye, quality work. Worthy cause. Much respect to you. ⚒🔨📐
Nice looking sign, Carter.
Thanks for this - This video is ace. Especially the tip about not routing to the pencil line until you have removed most of the stuff inside the letters - as it makes it easier to be more accurate. I also like the way you have described the process and then shown us the bits you used the end. I am going up the shed now to see if I got any bits like the ones you showed.
Great work. Even if you own a cnc, it has to be satisfying to make it by hand. It also helps us who haven't made their 1st sign or very few. So thank you for sharing your talent
Thank you for the encouragement Rodney - I really appreciate you watching! Indeed it was a very satisfying project, especially on Install day. This project actually was basically my first real sign. Done some small logos on the CNC for little trinkets and bottle openers and stuff, but they actually didn’t come out as well because the machine wasn’t accurately adjusted/setup. Go figure, huh? Haha.
I love your work table top with the holes, what a clever idea!
Thanks! Definitely not my original idea though. This design is based of the Paulk Workbench designed by Ron Paulk. In turn, he based his hole idea on the Festool MFT which I also use and like.
One of the better ones I've seen. Great job and good detail.
Thanks, I have been looking for a video on how to use a router to make signs and this is the best I have seen yet. The close up of the router at work was awesome 👍
A sensible video for once. Great to see how the router moved gives me the confidence to have a go. A fair bit off quality kit you got there .
$$$$
Nice work. Was really cool to see the close up routing
You said not a professional but you seem very professional to me! I enjoyed the video.
WOW, THIS IS VERY COOL, I REALLY APRECIATE, GOOD TEACHING!
Your narration, ie voice tone and narration, is excellent.
Love the router cam bro big shout outs from all the way in New Zealand 🇳🇿
A very clear explanation and advice. Wonderful how you share and it is obvious you put a lot of time into making these videos. Thanks
The tools you have and the ability to use them properly are impressive! Great stuff. Thank you! Learned a lot.
I've never used a router from the top down, so this gave me a great view to see how it looks. Thank you!
Good job my friend!
I could not tell that this is your first time, you held the router very steady👏🏽👏🏽
I've watched a few of these videos, this one looks great, real professional look.
Just so you and others know Rockler--and I am sure others --Have a template kit for sign routing that would have let you stay a bit further away from the router but you did a really good job on the letter routing! Also the Festool domino helps to keep the boards aligned but add NO strength to the glue-up at all. The glue bond is stronger than the wood--been proven many times. Just so others know there are Non Festool options and they don't have to be getting all heated up that you have such cool tools. Nice job on the sign! :)
+Terry Hi Terry! Indeed Rockler and others sell router templates. They’re pretty limited on font choice (usually really blocky fonts with lots of straight lines), but they definitely are more precise and probably a lot faster though, haha! In regards to the Domino, indeed it’s not a necessity at all. :) Funny how people get so worked up about it. I mostly used it because I had it and to aid with alignment as you suggest. That said, I would suspect it does add at least a little strength over a straight glue joint in this application, or perhaps more longevity really. My thinking for this project was that it’s going to be outside, and eventually, the edge glued joints will start to fail along the seam, and perhaps the glue that goes down into the mortises will hold onto the dominoes and keep the sign boards together a little longer before needing a repair. That’s just a guess though - may very well not do anything at all, haha. :)
Very nice job! Nice to see you use face and hearing protection.....breathing in all that dust isn't good. I tried a bit of freehand a while ago (my wife wants a sign for her garden shed) but it didn't come out nice at all but you showed me two things to try. First, work away from the line first and don't try to do it in one pass, and 2, raise the work piece higher so I can get a clearer view of the bit. I have a good dust collection set up for my work bench when I use my router so that should help. Great tutorial, thank you!
God bless you! I loved your work brother!. perfect. I could fell the love you put into it! . wonderful.
Thank you for the kind words and for watching!
Thanks for the video. I am going to be making a sign for my friend's cabin. I plan on just using my dremel tool and plunger router attachment. I hope it turns out 1/2 as good as yours! :)
Thank you. I learned a lot from this. I need to get a palm router soon
You have a huge talent.
Very respectable production and build. Good on you.
Thanks sir!
Great video Carter, I did laugh just before you put on the full face mask, good explanation re hogging out, great tip, thanks for posting.
+Ruski Ryan thanks for checking it out Ryan! Should've seen me at the end of that project. It was a HUGE mess - head to toe covered in sawdust.
Wow - you've got a steady hand with that little router! I only have a bigger one (that's old and heavy) and I can't follow a line with it to save my life!
You did an amazing job on that sign came out beautiful I would love to get into making signs here in Connecticut's just little ones like people watch signs that says there man cave or save a good family's name for fun of their house That who will be living there Please comment back nice job
Great video. Thank you for putting it together. I do a lot of scroll saw work which requires applying patterns to wood similar to making your sign. The easiest way I know of to apply a pattern is to lay a layer of blue painters tape on the wood first then glue your pattern to it with spray adhesive Once your done the tape peels off very easily with no residue or glue. Just passing on a tip.
+Charlie B that's a great idea with the tape, Charlie! I'll have to give that a try sometime.
Great video, I enjoyed it very much!
Thanks for the tips man always like watching videos like this as I always learn something new thank you
Nice handheld work with that router Bradley! The sign is looking great!
+Steve Carmichael Thanks, Steve! Sorry for the late reply! Can't wait for your next video.
Excellent video! Subscribed!
+Cornelius Creations thank you for checking it out and thanks for subscribing!
Very helpful video. Well done and thank you!
One of the best tutorials I've ever watched (and I've watched a ton). Thank you for sharing this. Subscribing to your channel. :)
A ton you said?
looks awesome and some nice tools you have there buddy nice job
Thanks, Henry! I've got a tool problem, haha.
learned a lot from this. just getting into woodworking. cheers
actully really liked your vid. as just starting out my self and trying wood carving with the dremel pro and just bought my first routing tool n bits too. lots of hints a tips in your vid thank you. loving this very theraputic.
Awesome job and tutorial. You've gained a new subscriber.
You did a good job
Great Video man! Great work with the router! Looks great!
Excellent presentation, exactly what I was looking for. Excellent work.
Man awesome job freehand Bro, really enjoyed the video!!
This was Really cool to watch. You did an Awesome job on this. It looks Amazing and Now I need to go over and watch Part two :) Thank you for sharing and You have just gained another Subscriber.....
Thank you for checking it out, Terry! Glad to have you following along.
Carter Wilson Workshop Your Very Welcome and I'm Happy to be on board...
thanks mate, a good informative video (UK)
You do a lot well. Video production is great, content is great. But the biggest thing is you was late putting your respirator mask on. Remember your lungs are so precious. And use a push stick as people have already said. Keep up the great work
Nice brother God bless you and all your family.
It looks great!
nice steady hand great job i know how hard its is to do
just a heads up please use a push stick please
Funny, the same thought was going through my mind. In high school woodshop, our teacher taught us to always use push sticks. And even now, at age 50, I still use them.
If I feel like my hands are far enough from the blade I never use one. My fingers gotta be an inch or less to use one. I personally feel like I have more control over the board handling it directly. You should always be comfortable over anything using a power tool.
Great work
Nice work.
Lot of work. I did some letter routering almost 40 years ago. I have the Home Sweet Home walnut tree cross cut sign on my living wall. I'm getting into crafting now (retired) and I'm looking for an easier way to do lettering on driftwood and weathered boards. I'm a house painter and I'm thinking of painting on stencils. I'm not in to the big dust mess and loud tool thing. I've noticed that spindles are quiet but may be part of a CNC set up. I will learn more. I'm also looking for a quick way to do letter burning.
Excellent work
I don't mean to preach, however, you may want to get a table saw push stick. I had an unfortunate accident with my table saw and I learned a valuable lesson.
Wow great job!
Good vid, enjoyed it..
Very detailed man! I learned a lot from this!
+Cornelius Creations Weaponry Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
Great job, thanks for sharing
well explained and the sped up video is great
editing dept gets an A
Great work really enjoyed the video 🇬🇧
Great video sir😀 i like the Festool Domino . I wish i could justify buying one.
+Christopher Kennedy thanks for checking it out, Christopher! It's a handy tool to be sure, but there are a lot of ways to work without one. Dowels are MUCH cheaper and similarly strong. While it's a fantastic tool and I'm happy to have one, of it were stolen I'm not sure I'd replace it to be honest. If that happened I'd probably work and being proficient with using dowels precisely.
Nice video. The editing and camera angles make it very easy to watch. I liked and subbed.
Brother nice work!!! Researching what bit I like to cut out my sign, and I absolutely love the bit you chose, I can't seem to find the bit you're talking about? Thanks again
Great job, I love it.
Haha I laughed so hard when you went and put on the motorcycle helmet, good choice though man I always recommend wearing eye & lung protection when working around saw dust for long periods of time.
Cool project! It looks really good!
Nice work!
I rout my signs with my Makita trim router that has dust collection and I've installed some small LED lights for illumination.
Wow you do beautiful work.
Fantastic video, and we'll done sir! Subscribed and look forward to watching more video.
Thanks for the video, I learned a lot from you today 👍🏾👍🏾
Picked up some good tips, I've been asked to make house numbers, being old school I use a rounded chisel. Need to get a router.
+Stuart Culley Nothing wrong with doing it old school, but you can get a router pretty cheap just to give it a shot! At Harbor Freight you can get a little trim router for $30 and some inexpensive router bits just to have some fun and experiment.
Sweet sign... Going to get me a cheap trim router
I’m going to try that when I get a trim router.
Great video!!
Nice job!!
Thank you for watching!
That’s good work
Good job.
Hey Man! Your video production is pretty good! Great action and angles. Loved It!
+The American Craftsman Workshop Thanks, Todd! That's nice of you to say!
nice art work.
Cool video dude ! 👍🏽👍🏽
+Nick Zammeti NZ WoodTurning Thanks, Nick!
Very nice..just check your hands when cutting the wood on that big machine..though a few times that your hands were too close for comfort...pieter SA
Very nice work!
Thank you!
Great job and it looks good, to me!
Really great video! I loved the tips you threw in there!
+Static Unit Thank you!
Good video!
nice work
Dude!!! That’s awesome
Thanks!