Making Miniature Road Signs with a Scroll Saw

There are a lot of cool road signs out there and some are fantastic pieces of artwork!  I decided to pick my favorite signs that remind me of road trips with my family or landmarks in my hometown.  Watch my video below to see which road signs I picked and how I made miniature versions of them my scroll saw.

When I was young, my family would pack up the Ford station wagon and head to the beach in Florida.  On the way, we would pass time by playing a Road Sign Alphabet Game.  Start by finding a sign that contains letter A and call it out.  Then look for a sign with letter B.  Keep hunting signs for each letter, then whoever gets to the end and finds a sign with Z on it first wins.  I always wondered if anyone else playing this road trip game.

These signs are made using a technique called "Segmentation".  Basically, you place a cutting template on a piece of wood, then cut the parts of the sign with the scroll saw.  Separate the parts to sand and paint them, then glue them back together to make the finished sign.

If you would like to make some signs yourself, click here to download templates for the signs I selected.  For other signs, a simple Google Images search should find a logo or picture that you can use as a template.

These signs would make great personalized gifts for people.  If you know someone who has a favorite vacation spot, restaurant, hometown landmark, or maybe is passionate about a company that they worked for, then make them a sign.  These could also be used for model railroad displays if you can cut them to scale.  Have fun!

Make 15 Picture Frames with a Scroll Saw!

I created an eBook of 15 Scroll Saw Picture Frames for a presentation I did for the Gwinnett Woodworkers Association.  Check out the video below, and if you like what you see, Click Here to purchase my eBook of all 15 templates!

I made all of these projects using my Dewalt DW788 Scroll Saw.  If you have other tools, such as a tablesaw, you can use them to prepare your blanks and make most of the straight cuts to save some time.  If you don't have a scroll saw, you can use a jig saw for most of the interior cuts and a coping saw for the fine-detailed interior cuts.

Here is a low-res preview of my eBook of 15 Scroll Saw Picture Frames in case you are wondering what's included.  It contains 50 pages of templates, photos, and information for making these picture frames.

Let's take a closer look at each picture frame.  All of these frames consist of a main board with an opening cut for a photo, then a smaller face frame is glued on top to hold the picture in.  Check them out and enjoy!  Happy woodworking!

Alphabet Frame

Baseball Frame

Basketball Frame

Captain's Wheel Frame

Circle Frame Key Holder

Clock Picture Frame

Cube Frame

Curved Frame

Diamond Frame

Football Frame

Gravity Defying Picture Frame

Hinged Frame

Music Note Frame

Rocket Frame

Soccer Frame

Picture Frame with Wooden Signatures

For Mother's Day, I made my wife a picture frame that features our kids' signatures cut out of wood.  The frame is made from Western Red Cedar and the signatures are cut from Eastern Cedar.

I asked each of my kids to sign their name really large on a sheet of paper.  To help keep them the same scale, I drew some guidelines for them on the paper.  I cut around the signatures using my Craftsman 13" scroll saw and somehow I managed to avoid breaking them.

To finish off the picture frame, I cut a piece of plexiglass using a straight edge and a utility knife.  The picture and backing board are secured in place with glazing push points.  I also attached a picture frame hanger so it can be hung on a wall.  

I think it's pretty neat to have our kids' signatures cut out of wood.  This gift can be customized for many different occasions.  The most difficult part of this project was getting my kids outside to take the picture!