Plywood letters: use, preparation of material and tools, cutting and finishing

All photos from the article

Strange as it may sound, plywood letters and entire words appeared along with the invention of plywood itself. Despite the fact that quite a few years have passed, these products remain in demand to this day. Making letters from plywood with your own hands is technologically quite simple, and the result will please not only your family, it can be the real start of a small business.

Photo of an inscription made of plywood.

Making letters from wood

The growing popularity of eco-products is not slowing down. The facades of shopping centers, restaurants, hotels and other establishments are increasingly decorated with inscriptions made from natural materials (cardboard, paper, wood). Letters made of wood (plywood) are much more durable than those made of fabric. The appearance lasts longer, even if the inscription is placed in the open air, where the inscription is seen and touched by passers-by. The decor, which uses natural materials, emphasizes the value of the brand itself and its style in an environmental direction.

The Australians were the first to decorate their homes with such inscriptions, and the rest of the world picked up the fashion.

What are interior inscriptions made of wood?

Essentially, these are pieces of wood or plywood from which letters or entire inscriptions were cut and aesthetically processed using a number of tools. They are painted in a certain color, decorated with ribbons and other materials.

Products can be either with or without fastenings. This can be a stand or special hooks. Sometimes they order products with a thickness of about 12 mm, which stand independently on any flat surface.

What is needed to open a home business for the production of decorative letters from wood: equipment, raw materials, an established manufacturing process and sales channels. Such products are expensive, and buying new ones every time for a photo shoot or a themed event is expensive, so photographers and event agency owners who are forced to save the company’s budget often do this part-time work.

On video: Words made of wood, step-by-step instructions for making

Production of interior letters and inscriptions

Advantages of decorative letters made of wood

1. The letters are easy to adjust to the customer’s wishes: color, texture, size, font type can be easily adjusted. It is allowed to supplement the decor with lighting and assist in an attractive arrangement on the wall of the customer’s apartment.
2. A wooden inscription sets the desired tone and mood for a room or photo shoot.
3. Wood, which is used in the production of plywood, is a natural material that does not cause allergies, is safe and brings a share of homely warm comfort to the room. A child can play with wooden letters - they are strong enough for this. Words for decor made of wood or plywood are not becoming less popular. Moreover, customers willingly buy individual letters and decorative words and phrases.
4. Photos from a wedding, children's photo shoot or maternity photoshoot, in which decorative inscriptions made of wood were used, end up looking more attractive. More often, inscriptions are used at weddings in eco, retro, rustic, and Provence styles.
5. The color scheme and decor of the inscription adapt to the celebration of different style trends - there are 250 shades in the palette of acrylic paints.
6. Decorative letters made of wood are easier to transport. They are less susceptible to deformation compared to foam plastic, and are not afraid of moisture if coated with a special water-repellent varnish. This product will appeal to craftswomen - modern craftswomen themselves want to decorate their personal scrapbooking albums and interiors, so they are happy to buy blanks ready for painting. The surface of the product is primed at the request of the customer or not.

On video: How to make money on laser cutting

Basic techniques for creating letters and inscriptions

Letters can be made in several ways:

• glue from cardboard (disadvantages: easily deformed, can come unglued over time)
• cut from polystyrene foam (the material crumbles, the letters are easily deformed)
• cut out of plastic (the material gives a lot of possibilities in terms of choosing a shape, but not so many in terms of decoration (for example, it is difficult to cover plastic with paper or fabric, it is not easy to drill it so as not to crack), besides, this material does not fit into the concept of eco-friendly -Houses)
• carve from wood (an expensive pleasure, although very durable and beautiful!)
• cut out of plywood (perhaps the best option: full scope for imagination in terms of choosing shapes and decorative options, economical and environmentally friendly!)

There are a lot of font options

Absolutely any word or phrase written in absolutely any font can become the highlight of your decor!

The only thing that can prevent the idea from coming true is the lack of unique inscriptions for sale. It is much easier for manufacturers to make blanks in the form of standard words and phrases that will be sold out with a 100% probability.

However, do not rush to get upset! Those who like an individual approach to interior design can turn to an illustrator for help, who will develop a digital design layout of the desired inscription especially for you. All you have to do is find a production facility where a digital product will turn into a physical one, in other words, a workshop with laser cutting services.

Technology of cutting letters from wood

Craftsmen use manual and automatic technologies for the production of carved letters .

High-precision milling machines will provide:

However, such machines are not cheap, although this reduces the cost of the finished product - the manual labor of a craftsman is more valuable, but it takes more time to manufacture. In this case, an inexperienced master can ruin the workpiece with one careless movement.

To increase the cost of work, you can offer clients to cover the advertising lettering with a special anti-vandal coating, which will protect the letters from accidental or intentional scratches and damage, and also create additional protection from the negative influence of atmospheric phenomena.

Price

The price of shaped cutting of letters consists of the cost of the material, the complexity of production (the thickness of the base and the complexity of the cutting lines), as well as related services: design, delivery, installation.

The price list indicates the cost of classic versions of products, simple cutting lines, thin bases. For detailed prices and terms of purchase, please contact our managers. We also recommend that you pay attention to the prices indicated for finished products, you will find them at the links below.

CHECKOUT

We provide pleasant discounts:

-15% on space design projects.
If you want to comprehensively decorate an office, store, beauty salon, cafe, building, then we are ready to discount the entire order.

-15% for serial production of products.

If you plan to place a bulk order for several pieces of the same product, the cost per unit will be lower.

-15% for partner projects.

For architectural studios, design bureaus, advertising agencies, with regular work, we are ready to provide exclusive prices for all our products.

Shipping and payment

Deadlines. The average order production time is 2-3 working days. The minimum period is 1 day. Complex and large projects 5-7 working days.

Delivery. We work throughout Moscow and the Moscow region; for regions of Russia there is an option to send the order by a transport company. The average delivery price in Moscow is 400-700 rubles, depending on the distance, dimensions and weight.

Installation. The average cost of installation (delivery, consumables, installation) is 2,500 - 4,500 rubles. High-altitude work and electrical connections increase the cost.

Payment. All forms of payment for legal entities and individuals: invoice, card, etc.

How to increase your earnings by producing wooden letters

The following types of letters made from natural wood are most often used in advertising campaigns:

1. Inscriptions with diode strip along the contour. Such letters are used not only to attract customers to various establishments, but they are also ordered for apartments and houses - they serve as a very original night light.
2. Illuminated letters made of wood with light bulbs. The design looks very presentable and impressive. They are ordered for boutiques, restaurants, large living rooms, and photo studios. Most often ordered as an addition to loft and pop art styles. These decorations appear in glossy themed publications, holiday and regular photo shoots, serve to attract customers in catering establishments or hotels, and are also sold in gift shops.
3. Many television projects use these wooden decorations as interior decoration for the studio or apartment where filming takes place.

Where can interior letters be used?

• Decorating the interior of an apartment or cottage

The product looks good due to its emphasized simplicity. Nowadays, rustic style, eco-style and the like are in fashion, so wealthy people strive to decorate their home with the latest fashion. Inscriptions can be mounted on walls, a mantelpiece, or a book table.

• Background for photo shoots

Inscriptions and letters create an additional mood at a festive (wedding, children's or corporate) photo shoot. Today, a photo session can be held almost anywhere - it all depends on the capabilities of the photographer and the level of wealth of the client.

• Along with balloons and flowers, such letters have become attributes of the festive mood. Young fashionable mothers are happy to order wooden decorative letters and numbers made of wood for their children’s birthdays.
• Wood letter signs are widely used in marketing campaigns for food service establishments.

How to organize a home business producing decorative letters from wood?

Where can these letters be used?

• The question is quite relevant, especially if you plan to organize a business in the production of such inscriptions. Let's start by decorating a living room or office. Each of us has seen many times the names of different companies and logos attached at the entrance to the office. But few people think about the fact that most of these products are made from plywood or wood. The secret to the luxurious look is the quality of the finishing;
• Such letters of different sizes, styles and configurations are widely used to create original interiors in professional and not-so-photo studios. Against the backdrop of the selfie craze, such inscriptions will definitely be in demand.

Photo frames.

• Inscriptions at weddings, anniversaries, corporate parties and other festive events are now rarely complete without a clarifying title or congratulations against the background of the celebration.
• And finally, a huge layer of signs for restaurants, pizzerias, bars, and shops. These are also originally designed relief billboards or paraphernalia for exhibition halls. In this case, we can safely say that there are no limits to perfection.

Equipment and raw materials

You will need plywood sheets of different thicknesses. If the client desires an individual approach, it is possible to order logs of natural wood of a certain thickness and width from a sawmill or special departments of hardware stores. Sheets that are too thin can be quickly deformed, so workpieces with a thickness of less than 6 mm. It's better not to use it at all. Most often, craftsmen use acrylic as a coloring material. It dries quickly, is non-toxic and lays beautifully on the surface, while looking very presentable.

Equipment

Each craftsman cuts out letters from plywood with the tool he likes best. Or he uses the tool for which he has enough money. Let's start with something simple.

Jigsaw

With its help you can cut out fancy winding shapes. It is inexpensive, highly accurate, and easy to use if you have some experience with it.

Disadvantages of using this tool: it can only produce small-sized inscriptions. With a large piece of plywood more than 12 mm thick, additional difficulties will arise. Still, a jigsaw is a completely manual tool that requires a lot of time and accuracy. Price is about 1000 rubles (the most “advanced” model of the instrument).

Files: you will need several types, each costs from 200 rubles.

Electric jigsaw: using such a tool will significantly speed up the production process. Allows the use of 40 mm thick plywood sheets. A branded instrument will cost 4-6 thousand rubles.

Jigsaw machine. There are two types - a home mini-version that can be mounted on a table (price is about 3,000 rubles, the dimensions are similar to a sewing machine) and a machine that requires much more space and is better placed in a garage or other separate room. The price of such a tool starts from 15,000 rubles.

Automated milling machine . Suitable for professionals and those who cut glass, wood, metal and other materials. The tool is very expensive and provides a guaranteed flawless result. It costs about 150,000 rubles and is not suitable for home business due to its size and noise.

Varnishing and burning

After sanding with sandpaper, apply a layer of varnish according to the instructions for use of the material, dry it, and remove the excess using a rag. The process should be repeated several times. The more layers of varnish a product is coated with, the darker its tone becomes. If you want to give the surface the color of wood and highlight the texture, after cutting the workpiece, apply a water stain and sand it. When the wood texture should not be emphasized, you can use water-based enamel.

Apply the first layer of primer and dry for 8-12 hours. Then apply a second layer and dry again. The disadvantage is the duration of the drying process of the paint and varnish material. Varnish and enamel form a protective film that protects the plywood surface from dirt and damage, dust, changes the color of the treated surface, emphasizes naturalness, imparts aesthetic qualities, and extends the life of the product.

A good idea is to paint the surface of the lettering with bright, water-based acrylic paints. Acrylic paints have a service life of up to 8-10 years, have high performance characteristics, and do not crack. When it is necessary to paint letters made of plywood, the operation is performed after cutting out the plywood blank; sanding does not need to be done. If necessary, paint in 2 layers. You can decorate the letters using a burning machine. They burn on plywood along the contour of the applied ornaments and designs.

Manufacturing process

Install any graphics program on your computer; Photoshop is a good place to start. As your business develops, you will be able to upgrade and use paid versions of the program. Download a variety of fonts - you can use paid and free versions.

The program creates a sketch of the desired inscription, size, and selects the appropriate font. You can add elements that will later become part of the composition. If the workpiece will be in the form of a phrase or a whole word, make sure that there are points of contact between the elements, otherwise the work will turn out to be of poor quality.

The template can be printed on several sheets if the phrase is long. Using transfer paper, transfer the template onto the plywood. We cut along the contour, sand, paint and decorate with decorative elements.

Plywood letters

Letters made from plywood are widely in demand in home interior design and decoupage creation. They decorate children's rooms, living rooms and bathrooms, terraces, gazebos. The variety of modern decoration methods allows you to create an individual focus, emphasize the originality of the interior, and bring charm and charm to the space.

To create original products you will need:

To create a letter from moss you need moss on a backing, a glue gun and plywood.

• sheet plywood;
• jigsaw;
• a device for burning;
• milling machine;
• reciprocating saw;
• sandpaper;
• fasteners;
• roulette;
• light varnish on wood;
• sponge;
• brush;
• acrylic varnish;
• stain;
• acrylic paints;
• cotton fabric or material matching the color of the interior;
• beads, ribbons, other decorative elements;
• foam;
• pencil;
• ruler;
• drawing set;
• line;
• whatman;
• scissors.

First you need to make a sketch of letters or words indicating the sizes, this can be a color version. Letters can be written in various fonts and also printed on a printer; Letters can have any size. Using a drawing set and a drawing board, we draw on whatman paper the required letters (words) of certain sizes according to the sketch. Cut out the resulting letters with scissors, attach them to the plywood, and trace the outline with a pencil. For beauty, patterns and drawings are applied to the letters. The result was a blank. You can cut out the letters with a reciprocating saw or jigsaw. The blade is fixed on a jigsaw, and the workpiece is cut out strictly along the contour. Using a milling machine or jigsaw you can make cute through patterns. The workpiece is cut out, leaving small allowances. It is given the desired shape, the edges are smoothed, and sanded (sanded) with sandpaper on all sides for high-quality application of paint and varnish material.

Business promotion

Take photos of the inscriptions that worked best for you. Create a portfolio of completed work. Create groups on social networks, participate in handmade fairs and offer your services to photographers and studios.

Scope of application of carved wooden letters