Outdoor sign

[banderson]

I need to make an outdoor sign for the church I go to. It will be a 4foot by 4 foot sign with a v carved scripture and the church name. I have read that MDO is suitable for this. I am not an outdoor sign maker so I would appreciate some feedback on this. It only needs to be .75 thick. The second question is: where do I find it in Hartville ohio???? Thanks guys!!!!!!

[sebago_signworks]

Well, I would not use MDO. I assume it is single sided? How will it be mounted? .75" really is too thin by the time you get done routering. Tell us more.

[tuck]

MDO is a bad choice for any kind of V-grooving. It is plywood. Think about that. I would use either PVC or HDU,....probably PVC, depending. In any case your substrate will need to be pre-painted and masked before V-grooving (for painting purposes), and you need to dig deeper before you start buying any materials and attempting to produce.

Nice dimensional signs ain't easy to make, even with a CNC table.

Just sayin'......

[letterman7]

Sub it out to someone who makes signs for a living. 3/4" is nowhere near deep enough for a V-carved sign..

And yes, not enough information. Single sided, double sided, wall mount, etc, etc??

[banderson]

Wall mount onto brick surface, single sided. This is not the main sign for the church. Just near an entry way. Can be as thick as needed. No way I am subing this out (being I have a brand new machine in my garage and no money is involved). I don't know exactly what the text is yet. I'll post when I find out.

How expensive is the HDU or PVC?

[zeykr]

You can cut letters/graphics from dibond, pvc, vinyl etc and place onto the painted MDO, you just don't want to carve into it. Mdo is an OK backer to place carved elements onto for a dimensional sign, you just don't want to vcarve into it.

Extira is another material you might consider for a vcarved sign. Downside is weight. Runs about $75 a sheet here.

White 3/4 PVC works well for vcarved signs also. Stay away from dark pvc.

HDU carves very easily and holds up to weather very well, but can be damaged if within reach of people messing with it and needs to be well supported.

Personally for a vcarved sign mounted on a wall near an entrance, I'd look at pvc or extira.

Around here 3/4 PVC (kleer) runs about $180 sheet, 3/4 hdu 15lb around $250

[ken_rychlik]

I would use exteria. It is a waterproof mdf. Most water based paints won't stick well to it. You can get it thicker than 3/4 if you need to. Depending on how deep the lettering is, I may would use 3/4. My hardwood wholesaler sells it, but you will just have to dig around in your area to locate some.

[cowboy1296]

The only reason i say eastern pine is because that is what i was told to use on a sign that i am making and am really not sure. but i am using an 8/4. the finished sign will be 46 x 24. i fully expect that this will have to be refinished every few years. in this case it does not present a problem because the company it is going to be made for can finish it themselves. Now the question for you experts is quality pine good enough for either sign.

sorry to jump in on your post but it might help us both with the answer.

[zeykr]

I use yellow pine for carved/sandblasted dimensional signs that will be painted, but usually use the nominal 2" material and put braces or cleats on it to reduce probability of warping.

I don't think I'd use it for a 4'x4' 3/4" outdoor sign due to warping concerns unless I could really support the heck out of it somehow.

[cowboy1296]

my sign will be screwed to another larger board, so warping should not be an issue. but i agree on the 2 inch thick.