3D Mountain Scene From 2x4

Greetings! This instructable covers the process of turning an 8-foot 2x4 into a neat little mountain scene. Mine features a couple of bighorn sheep, but it can easily be customized to fit a different animal or style. This was my first time trying woodcarving and there are definitely some things that could be done easier with the right tools. In the following steps I will outline my process for creating this little artwork, but remember there is a lot of room to deviate from the instructions depending on tooling available and aesthetics desired.

The main material needed for this is a single 8 ft 2x4. Everything else is stuff I had in the garage already.

Materials

1. 2" x 4" x 8ft Board
2. Wood Glue
3. Misc. Paint Colors (two shades of blue, 1 white, 1 brown)
4. Tung Oil (or stain)

Tools

1. Table Saw (Circular saw, bandsaw, or similar could be substituted)
2. Miter Saw (or any saw that can slice through 2x4s)
3. Bandsaw
4. Jigsaw
5. Belt Sander (Optional)
6. Sandpaper (80-grit)
7. Router
8. Dremel or similar rotary tool
9. Drill
10. Paint brush
11. Cloth

Remove a 1/4" section from each side of the 2x4.

The reason for this is so that later in Step 3 the 2x4 sections can be glued together cleanly without an indentation between them. The tool I used to do this is a table saw.

Cut the board into eight 1-foot long sections.

I used a miter saw to do this step.

Using wood glue, connect each 1-foot section to another along the long edge. Clamp together and leave to at rest for the recommended time on the bottle. This should result in four rectangles that are approximately 11-7/8" long x 5-11/16" wide.

A few quick tips for this step. Face the better side of each board in the same direction so that each rectangle has 1 decent side. I chose a pretty mediocre 2x4 and so some of the sections had small chunks missing. Also, thicknesses may vary slightly between the boards so mix and match to figure out a pairing that doesn't leave a pair with a noticeable ledge due to a thickness difference.

One rectangle will be used for a base, two for mountain pieces, and one for the animals.

Smooth the edges of the boards using a belt sander or sandpaper.

Corner Removal

Cut the corners off of one of the rectangles at a 45-degree angle. As seen in the diagram, I started the cut where the two boards meet.

Chamfer

Using a 45-degree chamfer router bit, go around the top edge to add a nice touch to the base piece.

Another base shape or router bit could certainly be used. I went for a theme of straight lines and angles with this piece rather than curves.

Cut some triangular mountains using two of the rectangles.

I have included the approximate dimensions of the mountains I cut. The dimensions can vary, but the length should be shortened enough to account for the chamfered edge on the base. It will look best if the peaks of the front mountains and the back mountains are offset a little bit. I used a bandsaw for making these cuts.

Note: I had to remove a small vertically cut edge at the bottom right corner of the front mountains to avoid them hanging over the edge of the base.

Sketch a 2-D side view of the bighorn sheep using internet pictures as a reference. Then use a jigsaw to cut out the rough shape. A drill can be used to provide jigsaw access to the inside portion under the bodies and keep it all one piece, but I recommend just separating the two bodies, which I did later anyway to have carving access.

Feel free to choose a different animal or trees or something else. I thought bighorn sheep would look cool but it is slightly challenging.

Slowly remove wood to carve the sheep to the desired level of detail.

The first photo shows a nice method of cutting slits with the bandsaw along the edge of the body. The small chunks formed by this method can be easily removed in sections by the bandsaw.

The next two photos give a reference for the difference between the 3-D carved animal versus the 2-D carved animal.

The fourth photo shows my primary Dremel bits I used for doing the detailed carving.

This was my first time doing 3-D wood carving. If I do it again I may try a carving knife or similar tool to see if better precision can be achieved. Use caution when carving with a Dremel or carving tool; I actually cut my finger once doing this.

Do a light sanding by hand on all of the pieces to remove any unpleasant rough edges.

Paint some snow caps on the top of the mountains (2 coats) and then the paint the two mountains similar shades of blue. The front mountains should the the slightly darker color.

I used some paints I had laying around in the garage from painting walls in the house. Use whatever you have available to you, but if you're curious about the exact colors I used, here they are:

• Shark - Glidden GLN6011N
• Kingston Aqua - Glidden GLE1011
• Acapulco Cliffs - Glidden GLN9012N

Using a cloth and/or paint brush, apply some tung oil to the entire base. For the sheep, apply it to the base portions and the horns, but not the body.

Stain could be used for this too.

Paint the bodies of the sheep.

Similar to the other paint, use what you've got. Nonetheless, here's the color I had.

• Caramelized Pecan - Glidden GLN9013N

Pro tip: A lot of these paints I have lying around are from the "Oops Paint" section of Home Depot, where they sell paint that people didn't want. It's about 1/3 the price and you can build quite a good collection of colors swinging by there each time you go.

Glue the bottom of each piece to the base and you're done!