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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Posts
    8082
    Quote Originally Posted by Joe Crumley View Post
    Looking forward to seeing what your up to.

    Like you, I'm always open to sharing information. It may take time to find volunteers to join in this forum since most contributors are technicians and not artists.

    Joe Crumley
    www.normansignco.com

    Uh oh, you got me pegged with the not-an-artist thing Joe.

    I would have to draw ideas from other people's work initially but that's how we bootstrap our way up the education ladder and become an artist - eventually. I'm getting too close to the "eventually" end of the scale to become Michelangelo but yet I still want to work at it until my name is called.

    Which size and model EZ router do you have? My homebuild machine is just 49" x 62" x 6" travels, so my signs will be limited, or pieced together.

    CarveOne
    CarveOne
    http://www.carveonecncwoodcraft.com

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    202

    Creative Signs Makers

    C one

    I'm working with a 5'X10' EZ. It's a good buy. I started out with a ShopBot.

    Creating signs with the assistance of a CNC is a good way to make a living. However it's not the equipment, by itself, that makes a sign business go.



    This photo was take three years ago. The fellow in the snap, Terry Lane, was my faithful employee. He passed away a year ago.

    Much of this business relies on a firm understanding of layout and design.

    Good to have you aboard.

    Joe Crumley
    www.normansignco.com

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Posts
    8082
    Though ShopBot is only about 150 miles west of here, I have looked longingly at the EZ site many times. A couple of friends are jointly building a 5'x10' MechMate. All of these machines are what I want for one reason or another, but are out of reach for now. I know of one 4'x8' ShopBot locally but as far as I know the owner has not been using it extensively.

    All I need is a "stimulus check" and I could drive over to Durham, NC and pick up a ShopBot and be back by dinner.

    I'm not proficient with any kind solid modeling software, but will need to get started on it after completing my second CNC machine.

    Maybe some others will find this forum and it will grow in interest. I'll be checking in from time to time. Primary effort for me right now is to complete the machine as it is and collect material to expand the X axis length and build a steel frame for it similar to your EZ next year.

    CarveOne
    CarveOne
    http://www.carveonecncwoodcraft.com

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Posts
    149
    Quote Originally Posted by CarveOne View Post
    Uh oh, you got me pegged with the not-an-artist thing Joe.

    I would have to draw ideas from other people's work initially but that's how we bootstrap our way up the education ladder and become an artist - eventually. I'm getting too close to the "eventually" end of the scale to become Michelangelo but yet I still want to work at it until my name is called.

    Which size and model EZ router do you have? My homebuild machine is just 49" x 62" x 6" travels, so my signs will be limited, or pieced together.

    CarveOne
    CarveOne~
    Please keep posting here. I have learned a lot from your posts on this site. This can be a very symbiotic relationship. The technicians can learn from the artists, who, in turn, need to learn from the technicians.
    A 4'x5' sign is still a fairly large wood sign. There is a lot of work within that size range. Starting at $45 to $65 per sqFt, I am sure you can figure out the profit potential.

    As an experienced sign maker, I have found most customers, thus the majority of sign work, want large capital block letters covering every inch of the sign face. Ugly, but, if you're running a business for profit, you give the customer what they want. Beautiful signage, such as the examples from Joe's site, come at a premium price, and most customers will not want to pay for it. "Just make the letters real big" is what you will hear most of the time.

    Many years ago I had a friend in the business, Chuck Craft, who specialized in glue chip, etched, and gold leafed signs. He made signs for many micro-breweries, pubs and bars. His craftsmanship and design work were second to no one. Most of his work was still "large capital block letters covering every inch of the sign face." That paid the bills. The icing-on-the-cake was the beautiful signage he was able to do for the high paying customers that came along once in while.
    For you newbies that are seriously considering entering the sign business, that basically means not to expect, just because you have this neat cnc machine that can create all these beautiful pieces of art, that your customer is interested. You may be thinking of fantastic 3D lettering, graphics, and designs, while your customer is thinking "large capital block letters covering every inch of the sign face."

    Anyway, enough rambling.
    Just add your own 2 bits worth and keep this section of the site growing.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Posts
    8082
    Quote Originally Posted by tjskcnc View Post
    CarveOne~
    Please keep posting here. I have learned a lot from your posts on this site. This can be a very symbiotic relationship. The technicians can learn from the artists, who, in turn, need to learn from the technicians.
    A 4'x5' sign is still a fairly large wood sign. There is a lot of work within that size range. Starting at $45 to $65 per sqFt, I am sure you can figure out the profit potential.

    As an experienced sign maker, I have found most customers, thus the majority of sign work, want large capital block letters covering every inch of the sign face. Ugly, but, if you're running a business for profit, you give the customer what they want. Beautiful signage, such as the examples from Joe's site, come at a premium price, and most customers will not want to pay for it. "Just make the letters real big" is what you will hear most of the time.

    Many years ago I had a friend in the business, Chuck Craft, who specialized in glue chip, etched, and gold leafed signs. He made signs for many micro-breweries, pubs and bars. His craftsmanship and design work were second to no one. Most of his work was still "large capital block letters covering every inch of the sign face." That paid the bills. The icing-on-the-cake was the beautiful signage he was able to do for the high paying customers that came along once in while.
    For you newbies that are seriously considering entering the sign business, that basically means not to expect, just because you have this neat cnc machine that can create all these beautiful pieces of art, that your customer is interested. You may be thinking of fantastic 3D lettering, graphics, and designs, while your customer is thinking "large capital block letters covering every inch of the sign face."

    Anyway, enough rambling.
    Just add your own 2 bits worth and keep this section of the site growing.
    I'll keep checking and posting here for sure. Thanks for the compliments too.

    Just reading this forum made me start looking at signs without actually reading the message. I'm just looking at the layout and the lettering now. So far, I have been able to avoid having collisions while doing so .......

    CarveOne
    CarveOne
    http://www.carveonecncwoodcraft.com

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    272
    I agree just becouse someone has Super router without skills and due to customer requests signs will not be as we wish. That goes for colors etc. I can suggest to my clients few aspects and they usualy follow my directions, but budget is major constrain.
    I can see that you guys have skills and talent. I have a lot to learn, so keep posting few tips and tricks, please....
    Over last year I have made tromendous stride with huge learning curve starting with my own build 4x4 router.

    Happy new year!!!!!!!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    202

    Books and Design

    Happy New Year,

    CarveOne & Big-tex

    One of the advantages of dimensional signs, over flat painted panels, comes during the painting and finishing. No longer is it necessary to mask off the background in order to spray or roll paint. And it's quiet easy to add a little decorative shade or highlight to individual letters. If you don't like the look, no problem, paint it again.

    To develop skills in this area, I suggest looking for a couple of old books, on line, by Samuel Welo (Studio Handbook), or any of the lettering books by E.C. Matthews, and Sign Painting by Atkinson. These were published back in the 40's & early 50's. The Welo book has some great panels. I purchase the least expensive since I'm not a collector.

    Here's a panel using some of the idea's from Matthews and Welo.



    Joe Crumley
    www.normansignco.com

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    202

    Panels

    Here's another work in progress.

    I received a call from the local Hookah Bar requesting a new sign. Untill the phone call, I never heard of such a thing. They wanted a sign that depicts something like Ali Babba and the seven therves. What I really wanted to do was a floating carpet but the city wouldn't approve a moving sign. In the final analysis we focused on a double sided waterpipe.

    This sign is nothing more than pieces and part all fabricated together. Painting was easy and fun. To keep the hose in a perminent shape I filled it with colored Epoxy.



    Joe Crumley
    www.normansignco.com

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Posts
    8082
    Happy New Year to you Joe!

    Very nice examples. Keep them coming while I continue to gear up.

    The local TV news had a blurb on the new anti smoking law here in NC that just went into effect and they interviewed an owner of one of these outfits. This country just keeps getting stranger every day. I didn't know that this was getting popular here either.

    I'm getting closer to having a working machine now. My smaller machine jogs at close to 50 ipm max. As of today the new one is 375 ipm on the Y/Z lead screws and 780 ipm on the X axis dual pinion drives. The Y will be changed to pinion drive when the weather gets warmer again.

    CarveOne
    CarveOne
    http://www.carveonecncwoodcraft.com

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