To create a unique welcome sign for our nature retreat, I first selected a 1-1/2-inch thick slab of wood that had been milled from a 20-inch-diameter Red Oak tree.Several sketches later I settled on an organic kidney shape and filled it with warped text. Hey, I’m a child of the 60’s!

     I then emailed my final sketch to Graphic Designer, Anniken Fuller, who used Illustrator to fine tune the text and convert it to a JPEG image that I then projected onto the board, using a home movie projector. After that, it was just a matter of tracing, cutting out the kidney shape with a Saws-All and using a router with 3/4-inch radius bit to round the edges. A 3/8- inch plunge router bit allowed me to (very carefully) carve out the text. A light sanding, stain and oil varnish completed the project... just in time for guests!