Painting and Finishing a V-Carved Project

This article accompanies a video I posted on my YouTube channel. If you’re not subscribed to my channel, here’s a link. Come on by and check it out. Hopefully you’ll find something you like.

In this video, I’ll demonstrate how I paint and finish a v-carved project.

I made this sign out of cherry, and it’s one of my favorite woods. As such, we decided not to stain it, as we both like the natural color of cherry – especially as it darkens with age. After looking at a few other examples of this particular file, my wife suggested I not paint the vertical texture lines. In looking at the finished project, I think I agree with her choice. The v-carved texture looks great as is, and adding paint would have just cluttered up the look.

A lot of this goes back to standard woodworking. I use normal sanding, sealing, painting, and finishing techniques. I did use a couple of products that are a bit out of the ordinary for this type of project, but you’ll see more about that in the video. I’ll go over it all step-by-step.

I’ll also show you how I clamp the project to my Gatton CNC and cut a horizontal keyhole slot in the back of the project. I’ve been asked several times why I use horizontal keyhole slots in some projects. Basically, it’s because of the size and shape of this project. On a long, narrow piece like this, the wood density can change, making one end of the piece just slightly heavier than the other. If I were to put a vertical keyhole slot right in the center, I would have no room to adjust the pivot point of the fastener I’m hanging it with. By using a horizontal keyhole slot, I can adjust that pivot point as I’m hanging it, guaranteeing it’ll hang straight.

That’s enough out of me. Below is a link to the video.

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