Nova Scotia RCMP Map

If you look back to our second last post on making custom maps, you will see the six maps we made for the Royal Canadian Moutned Police (RCMP). We have done three more of the larger ones since that post and now we have another one to build but this one will be a bit different so I thought I would show you.

This map of NS is for the RCMP officer who was our contact for the nine previous maps. Now she is being transferred. The constable who contacted us for this map mentioned he would like a way to display two new RCMP coins she will receive when leaving.

The coins are heavy at 49 grams (1.7oz) each and measure 50mm (just under 2 inches) in size.

We printed out the paper map and headed out to the workshop to select wood for the map.

Then we chose boards to use for the backer board and cut those down to size on the tablesaw.

While Jim got started cutting out the map…

I started sanding the pieces.

We decided to go with a “ledge” to rest the coins on, and made it longer than necessary so she could display other coins as well.

Jim brought everything into the house so the glue could dry before painting.

Once the glue was dry, we discovered something that wasn’t going to fly. The ledge was too narrow (and already glued on) for the coins to stand up properly. Back to the workshop. Jim used the heat gun to warm the glue so he could get the ledge off. Then built a larger, wider one and glued that on.

This map was to have a badge the same as the last ones we made. And wood burned as well. Thankfully my sister is happy to do these for us. She does such clean work.

With the backer board assembled and all glue dry, I got to work taping it off from the back so just the face and sides would be painted with a clean line on the back.

I even taped around the ledge since we decided to keep that natural and not painted.

As you can see above, Jim had already glued and nailed the spacers for the map into place. So once the paint was dry he headed back to the workshop to do the assembly.

First he took a measurement from the front…

And transferred that same measurement to the back…

And with the map glued to the spacers he nailed from the back through the backer board and through the spacers, into the map. Just for a bit of added strength.

And that’s it! It was all finished.

Time for a close-up!

We really enjoy making these maps. Possibilities are endless really, framed, not framed, painted, not painted, wood burned, not wood burned, solid backer board, rustic backer board, spalted wood, strips of wood. Do you want me to keep going?? Because I can! 🙂

Later.