This project was made from Poplar with Western Red Cedar splines. I cut a rabbet on one side of each board to accept the 1/4" plywood back. I also cut a groove on the other side of each board to accept the front clear acrylic panel.
This U.S. Army Veteran was a Staff Sergeant, so I added a stripes emblem made from Poplar and Walnut.
The family provided me some information to make a small plaque for the display case. I used my Inventables X-Carve to carve the plaque. It does a much better job at carving letters than I ever could. I sprayed the plaque with a few coats of lacquer, then sprayed flat black paint into the letters. I wiped off the surface paint with mineral spirits and sanded any remaining paint off, then sprayed a few more coats of lacquer to seal it.
I found the perfect U.S Army fabric for the background at Walmart of all places, and attached it with spray adhesive. I attached a picture hanging wire to the back for easy hanging. There is room for the family to add pictures or other items into the shadow box. This was a fun and inspirational project. Thank you Mr. Perkins for your service!
