Large Wood Map of PEI

We got a message from a family living in Ottawa who have connections to Prince Edward Island. Such a beautiful province. The request was for us to make them a large wood map of PEI, and by large I mean approximately 42 inches long.

Jim sized the map on the computer and we printed it out, bringing it with us to the workshop. Being approximately 42 inches long meant it was going to end up about 18 inches high.

First thing we did was grab a piece of luan plywood which is 1/4 inch thick. We use this for a backboard for the maps. It gives us something to glue the boards onto and helps to keep the boards supported and stable.

Next we went on the hunt for boards. We usually search for weathered boards but since this one is to be painted, the weathered feature wasn’t necessary.

Jim grabbed a 2 x 12 inch board….

…and we took it to the table saw and started slicing of 1/2 inch thick boards.

We cut more than we needed so we could select the best ones for the map. Anything with a big knot got discarded. They make the boards weaker and could release sap through the paint.

We started assembling the boards onto the thin plywood and numbered them as we went.

I took up my usual duties on the sander, sanding all four sides and slightly rounding the edges. Only wanted to remove the roughness but still keep some character. I didn’t need to sand the ends since they will be cut away once Jim begins on the scroll saw. I sanded so fast Jim couldn’t catch me at work.

While I did that, Jim took each board and started the glue up. Using a small brush, he spread glue over the back of each board right out to the edges, and pressed it into place securing it from the back with the staple gun. Can’t staple randomly since we don’t want to run into staples with the scroll saw. Been there, done that. Just stapled around the outside of the map for now.

We brought the map into the house for a few days for the glue to dry completely.

I got the paint out and gave it a dry brush of white. Since their walls are a light color they requested adding some grey to the map, so next I dry brushed a couple of shades of grey and finished up with a bit more white. We decided to paint before cutting this time to keep the edges clean. Time for cutting.

I forgot to count the hours it took Jim to cut out this map, but it was a lot. Who knew such a small province could have so much coastline. Of course, that’s on us for wanting to include as much detail as possible.

Jim said he went through 18 scroll saw blades for this map. Sometimes a whole map can be cut from the same blade. Just depends on the hardness of the wood.

We attached a hanger on the back using a screw instead of nails this time. We also added wood spacers to the back since the hanger had to be over half way down the map given the shape. The spacers keep the map hanging equal distance from the wall.

Here it is all finished and hanging in our entryway. We always send the customer pictures of the finished map for their approval before boxing it up for shipping. Now would be the time for changes in paint color.

Thanks for stopping by,

Later.