How to Make a Custom Logo to Brand Wood

Making your own custom steel brand to imprint wood is a finishing touch to your project.

If you make anything at all from wood then you need to "brand them little doggies partner". You may be into cabinet making, wood turning, wood plaques, shelves, furniture, bird houses, bird feeders - whatever you can make from wood - you can sign those babies with your own custom brand with your own logo. With a few hours - or less - investment of time you can pretty easily make your own brand to burn into the wood creations you produce. The one in this article was made to replace one that was made several years ago from brass. The brass finally got brittle and broke from reheating so many times. The new one is made of steel and will most likely outlast the maker. Whether your brand is small or large, simple or complex it will be an added compliment to your wood crafting project. Here's how this one was made in just a few hours.

Things You'll Need

• A piece of scrap steel large enough to suit your design. The larger the brand the thicker the metal should be or it will warp when heated. 1/4 inch thick metal was used for the design of this example.
• A rotary tool with accessories (grinding tips/cutters etc.)
• Hacksaw
• Flat file
• Three cornered file
• Bench vise
• Safety glasses w/side shields
• Permanent marker
• Sketch paper + pencil
• Bench grinder
• One 1/4 -20 hex bolt x 3 inches long
• Wire welder + welding hood
• Wooden handle or scrap wood to serve as a handle

Instructions

1. 

   Make a sketch of your design. If you are not used to working with metal I suggest keeping your design very simple. Remember that complex shapes are more difficult to reproduce in metal and they can disappear in charcoal when the brand is applied to the wood. Be sure to remember that whatever design you settle upon must be the mirror image of the branded wood. This is important so make the sketch the reverse of how it is to look when applied.

2. 

   After you are satisfied with your design you can either trace a cut out pattern on the surface of the metal or draw it on free hand. It will be easier to see the design on your metal if you will first sand or file a shiny surface on the material so that a marker sketch shows up plainly.

3. 

   With your metal clamped in a bench vise begin to rough off the material not used by cutting with a hack saw.

4. 

   Finish up the perimeter of your brand by using files, bench grinder and rotary tool with small grinding tips and cutters. After the perimeter is done then sketch any interior details you want to create. The example made and used for this article consisted of three main items, the shape of a state, a fish, and some initials.

5. 

   Using your rotary tool, lower the area surrounding any interior detail by grinding off metal so that those details stand out in bas relief. Of course this can be reversed so that the detail is "sunken".

6. 

   Weld a hex bolt to the back of your brand with the head against the metal. You can use this threaded stud to attach a handle of your choice. File the branding face flat with a file.

7. 

   For a handle you can buy a ready made wooden tool handle or just make one. The handle for the example was salvaged from an unused tool. A piece of broom stick makes a great handle. Just drill the end with a hole about 3/16 in. dia. and three inches deep and screw the bolt stud in. Add some glue or epoxy if you want to make it little more secure. Don't screw the wood tight against the back of your brand but keep it an inch or so away since it will burn when heating the metal.

8. 

   Now heat up your brand using a propane torch, the kitchen stove gas burner or similar. Practice placing branding scrap wood before branding your works of art. You can always make modifications to your brand with additional file/rotary tool work.

Tips & Warnings

• Try welding your initials on a piece of steel and using it for a brand.

• Spray paint the branding surface and then use it on fabric or other unbrandable materials.

• Try making a simple brand by grinding your initials on the end of a piece of 1 inch dia. steel bar.

• Be careful to always wear your safety glasses when using the rotary grinding tool and bench grinder. Small particles of steel from grinding can be painful and dangerous.