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(L-R): 1. An overview of the tools that were used for building
added stability), in order to move the heavy HDU around the
the aluminum framework of the sign. 2. Setting up the blank
shop. 4. The “Indian Hills” letter template crafted out of Luan
Precision Board HDU panels in-shop prior to carving. 3. Stade
material and nailed to the Precision Board. 5. Hand-drawn pat-
took three four-wheeled dollies and connected them together
terns for later carving. 6. The “Gifts” lettering and scrolls were
using 3/4-inch plywood along with a wider piece of plywood (for
created via a CNC router.
Because his shop space has low ceiling height in the daylight basement of the building he owns, Stade determined that he was going to have to build this sign as two separate pieces. The top half would feature the canoe and nature scenery and the bottom half would be the logs. Stade crafted everything out of multiple sizes and thicknesses of Precision Board™ high-density urethane, which he’s been using for a long time now. However he first had to build the supporting aluminum framework that would also serve as the sleeve for mounting to the existing posts. When gluing this piece together, Stade placed a piece of plywood inside it, in order to distribute the added weight evenly while the adhesive dried. Stade also cut 6.25-inch OSB spacers and placed them between the framework, in order to maintain proper spacing support for the custom-cut 5-foot-by-10-foot-by-4.5-inch-thick Precision Board side panel. “I wanted to have that true flat face, so those spacers in hold the aluminum framework the right dis-
tance apart,” he explains. “This way, they wouldn’t sag.” Stade then inserted a vertical piece of aluminum, which would be later used when sliding the piece over the poles on-site. In order to move the two un-carved block sections of Precision Board around his shop and allow for carving on all sides, Stade took three four-wheeled wooden furniture dollies and connected them together using 3/4-inch plywood along with a wider piece of plywood in the middle for added stability. “This way, they wouldn’t tip over,” he explains. Stade mounted and braced six-by-six post pieces onto the dolly base, keeping the exact-same distance as the spacing of the poles on-site. These custom-made dollies also enabled Stade to move the two sign pieces outside and onto his transport trailer for temporary attachment. This method allowed him to make the necessary transitional carving. “I had to make sure that they were carved accurately at the bottom of the top piece and the top of the bottom piece, to make sure they’d fit tight. I also had to carve the transition of the log where they met,” he says, noting that he would then take the pieces down and move them back inside his shop for further work. Most of the sign was hand-carved by Stade. One notable exception was the “Indian Hill” lettering, which was CNCrouted with an extra-bit of hand carving). In order to figure out the depth of the letters, Stade laid out all the letters in his design software program and viewed the sign at side-profile. This helped him realize what kind of relief he needed on the canoe for letter placement. Stade created a template for mounting the Indian Hill let-
“I find myself designing things and later saying, ‘Now how am I going to build this?” — Tom Stade, Moosehead Signs 46 42
Sign Builder Illustrated // July 2013 July 2012
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