Laser Etch a Wooden Sign

This sign is in the Palo Alto Demonstration Garden and honors a Master Gardener who was an inspiration to many of us and one of the founders of the garden.

The sign is a 17 1/2 wood circle. I created type on curves (hint use "type>create outlines" to convert the time to a vector shape). The interior floral element is clip art.

I used a scrap piece of pine and etched the design on the TechShop laser cutter at 600 dpi (it took almost 1 1/2 hours to complete!)

I used the band saw at TechShop to cut the circle from the wood using the etched line as a guide. The cut circle edges were sanded for a smooth edge finish.

Five coats of polyurethane were applied to both sides and edges of the circle to protect and preserve it from outside elements.

The completed wood circle was attached to a metal post with screws and placed in the garden. It looks great! I made it at Tech Shop in Menlo Park!