DIY Name Plaque
You know how sometimes there are pieces you love from XYZ (insert your favorite hobby) and would never get rid of? Each piece of wood in this plaque are like that for me. When Jason and I started unloading all the wood we got from the estate sale, I started a pile labeled “Love, Must Use ASAP, See Peggy Before Touching!” Apparently, I finally found something to hoard. Unheard of for me.
I knew I wanted to create special projects with the wood in that pile. Something I wouldn’t grow out of or want to change 10 years from now. Marriage is sacred to Jason and I. While we may change and have struggles; our love for each other never will. What better way to remind us of that than a visual reminder of our wedding year, the family we’ve built, and how far we’ve come since then. Name plaque it was!
I started by measuring the height and length I wanted on the wall it would be hanging. Then I used masking tape to mark that size area on the floor in the garage. I grabbed my ultra-favorite pieces, laid them out in the taped off area, and then moved them around until I liked what would be showing once cut to size.
There was absolutely no science involved! Just a matter of: I like this knot here, I like the way the grain swirls on this one, let’s stagger them, etc. It was pure heaven for me as I dislike reading a tape measure. I know, I know – kind of necessary in woodworking, I’m working on it!
Once I had that finalized it was time to get working!
Tools Used: Miter Box, Brad Nailer, Brad Nails, Orbital Sander, Sanding Disc, Tape Measure, Pencil
1.) Mark where each board should be cut on both ends.
2.) Cut boards accordingly using the miter box.
3.) Make 2 brace pieces for the back. Measure the overall width of plaque, subtract 1″ (I didn’t want the braces to be flush with the plaque, this way they hide a little), and cut both brace pieces this long.
4.) Flip the boards over so you can nail the braces to them. Important: Make sure you flip the boards as a group to ensure correct alignment.
5.) Position the braces on the backside of the boards. I cheated mine in a couple inches from the top and bottom.
6.) Place 2 nails per board in both braces. (Just one nail per board might be enough, but I didn’t want to take any chances – and I found using the brad nailer fun!)
7.) Flip the plaque back over and give the boards a quick sanding using the orbital sander. Some of my boards were a tad rough sawn, so I used 120 grit to maintain the texture.
Your plaque is now assembled and ready to be adorned with whatever you see fit!
My plaque was water stained, stenciled, painted, and then protected with a polyacrylic topcoat in a matte finish. I couldn’t be happier with it and it gets lots of compliments!
P.S. My finished plaque does have our last name painted across the center – just not shown here!
