In this final part of the avocado wood sign project, we start with some rough sanding outside, then move indoors to install the hanging eye bolts and test the balance of the sign. After checking how it will hang, we remove the hardware and dive into our guaranteed 4-step finishing process that brings out the full beauty of the avocado wood. The process is simple: Sand it. Dust it. Coat it. Heat it. We repeat those four steps with polyurethane, and the result is a flawless, glass-smooth finish every single time. In this video, we take the slab through multiple coats, sanding and cleaning between each layer, and using a heat gun to pop bubbles and level out the surface. By the final coat, the grain pops and the sign transforms into a glossy, durable heirloom piece.

For this project, we selected solid maple hardwood. Known for its durability and fine grain, maple was the ideal choice to provide both strength and beauty. The clean lines and smooth finish of the wood allowed the craftsmanship to shine, creating a refined yet sturdy stand worthy of displaying such important pieces.

Be agile and do what you can to take on the challenge. Opportunities arise unexpectedly. The way you react to said event, possibly could morph a random event into an opportunity. Large storms in Southern California offered me an opportunity for harvesting my own lumber and firewood. Check out the video below that starts off a new series on this UNIQUE opportunity.

A massive rain storm in January brought down a tall valley oak tree in the Santa Ynez Valley. See link for more info: Starting off a fresh serious centered around a large valley oak tree and opportunity for lumber!

In a recent video on my YouTube Channel, I show how to cut large wooden letters for a giant store sign.

Recently, I was thinking back on 2020 and how crazy it was. Despite all the bad things that happened that year, one good thing that happened to me was I spent a lot of time with walnut and oak wood making wood lock boxes. I made a number of helpful videos on how to make sleek wooden lock boxes with fancy brass hinges, a lock and key, and spline joints. Check out a few of the videos below. This is a great way to make extra cash and clients will love them!

Since Cate took ownership of the Elliston Store, she has persistently been making improvements and I have been fortunate enough to help her out with a number of the improvements, including a custom live edge bar and shelves that I built in 2020. She uses this bar and shelves for her numerous green and lively plants. More recently, I built her a new store sign. Hopefully, this store sign will bring more costumers through her doors and make Elliston feel even more like an alive mountain community. I made the backing of the sign with 3/4” plywood and all the letters were cut from hard walnut wood. This sign took a lot of work and luckily I was able to work in her back storage room during the cold winter days in late 2021. If you haven’t stopped by her store to say hello and see the sign, you MUST do so ASAP. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Unfortunately, none of the local building supply stores in or around Helena and Elliston supplied 10 foot long 3/4” thick plywood, I decided to use a simple trick to make my own.