Another Anniversary....Hmmmm. What to make? Well, I didn't like the picture over the fireplace so I decided to come up with a design and make one. This involved a CNC. After I finished it, I wasn't too impressed with the outcome. This led to a resin fill which incorporated some natural colors.

Step 1: Materials

Material List:

1. Thick wood

2. Wood glue (if not glued together already)

3. Planer (optional if not flat)

4. CNC, with router bits

5. Stain

6. Paint Brushes

7. Resin

8. Colored Powder for Resin

9. Heat Gun

Step 2: CNC Setup

I use a Shop Sabre CNC setup. I shopped around and, for the money, it's high quality and I have no complaints.

I like this because it isn't too noisy except for the extra strong vacuum system.

Step 3: Design

First step is Designing. I used Vcarve for this and it works fine. Yes, there are some more expensive software programs out there.

Step 4: Wood Selection

Wood Selection Process: I selected a large piece of butcher block made up of hardwoods that were glued together. This is available at any reputable Wood Supply place (Ganaults Lumber). I selected this piece because I wanted a more massive, masculine look. I figure I could offset this with some swirly font.

Step 5: Bit Selection

Router Bits: I used a 1/4" flat bit for clearing away everything except the written text. Since I don't have an automatic tool changer ($10K extra), I manually changed the bit to an 1/8" flat bit. Yes, I could've used a 90 degree point but it is all subjective. You just have to explore different designs when using this machine. Some turned out good and some, well, you know...

Step 6: Paint/Stain

Stain vs Paint: I went with a dark stain. Painting is probably my least favorite activity but it provides more bang for the buck. My intent here was to hide blemishes and flaws in the material. There were many. I used a small paint brush for the majority and took my time. Then, I set it on the mantle and took it down after staring at it for several minutes from different angles. It was not worthy of t he spotlight. Back to the shop...

Step 7: Resin Fill

Now what?? How to hide stain? Pour a colored resin over it of course. This wasn't my original plan but it turned out way better than before. Again, I took my time and poured the resin in 3 thin layers, taking a heat gun to it between applications to clear the air bubbles. Color choice was dark brown. I was extra careful not to get the resin on the top of the text though.

Step 8: Let It Dry

Results: As can be seen, the resin color was appropriate in that it hid the dark stain. But even more important, and unplanned, was the oil from the stain that produced light blue streaks for a hint of color. This was great! Why? As I told my wife, I planned it that way to bring out the colors in the light blue candles on the mantel. Ha! Compare these 2 pictures with the previous ones. Notice the stain with flaws in the first picture vs. the resin fill? Better!