How to Make Wood Signs With Router

Custom wooden signs are an ideal way to personalize a space. You can make address plaques, humorous signs or anything else you can dream of. Stencils and template kits ensure consistent lettering on the sign. Freehand designs add a bit of flair to your sign. A routered edge increases visual interest.

Things You'll Need

• Router
• Router bits
• Guide bushing
• Template or stencil set
• Blue painter's tape
• Pencil
• 1-inch-thick plank of wood
• Non-slip pad or clamping table
• Paint or stain
• Paint brush or rag
• Paper and pencil
• Sandpaper
• X-ACTO knife

Instructions

1. Draw out your sign plan to scale on a piece of paper.

2. Place the wood for the sign on a non-slip surface.

3. Choose what bit you are going to use for the edge treatment. Round-over bits give a nice curved edge, while ogee bits give a more detailed cut, or you can use a cove bit for a curved cutout.

4. Copy your design onto the surface of the wood with a pencil.

5. Assemble the stencil for the text. If the text is going to be curved, skip this step since you'll have to place the stencil letters individually.

6. Put the stencil pieces on the work piece and secure them with blue painter's tape. This will keep the pieces in place, yet come off cleanly.

7. Switch bits on the router to the one you are going to use for the design, usually either a V or U shape. Install the guide bushing at the same time; this will keep you from chewing up your stencils.

8. Set the depth of the cut to the depth you want. With the V-shaped bit, the deeper the cut the wider the letter.

9. With the router off, position the bit in the center of a line for a letter and drop the point almost to the work surface.

10. Start the router and gently ease the bit into the wood, keeping it centered so the guide bushing seats in the track of the stencil. Follow the letter around.

11. Pull the router straight up off the completed letter and turn it off.

12. Repeat steps 9 to 11 until all of the letters are cut. Remove the stencils.

13. If you have a freehand design on the sign, remove the guide bushing so the router will sit flat on the wood. Adjust the depth of the cut to compensate for not having a stencil between the router and the wood.

14. Lay the router so the tip of the bit is just above a line on the pattern. Turn on the router and ease the bit into the work.

15. Follow the line of the pattern on the work, lifting and resetting the router as necessary.

16. Blow or wipe all of the sawdust off the sign. If desired, use sandpaper on the edges of the cuts to give the sign a softer or more worn look.

17. Cover the surface of the sign with painter's tape. Using the X-ACTO knife, cut away the tape over the lettering and design.

18. Paint or stain the lettering or design in a color that contrasts with how you are going to treat the surface. After the lettering dries, remove the paint.

19. Paint or stain the surface of the sign. Or you can leave it untreated for a more natural look.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear safety glasses.

• If you are sensitive to dust, wear a mask.

• Go slowly for better control.

References

• readersdigest.com: Router Basics
• rockler.com: Interlock Signmaker's Templates