Sign For Microbrewers
A young local couple, who are microbrewers, wanted a sign for their basement where they do their brewing and occasionally hold gatherings for other microbrewers. They placed the sign on a wall above the staircase leading to the basement. They both thought it was awesome. Originally, they wanted a sign with images and lettering on a black matte background. However, as we discussed a negotiated several ideas, this is what we ended up with. Their only stipulation was that the sign had to include their "motto," (Breaking German…). I found the left-hand image on the internet (brewer's sign). They suggested the two mugs on either side of their logo (W in a diamond). They liked the simplicity of calling their activities a Basement Brewery. I chose the font. We finally settled on a maroon color for the lettering and shadowing on the brewer's image and light buttermilk for the highlighting. I used a 15 x 30 inch piece of oak veneered plywood, carved everything with a CNC router, varnished the board (no stain), then hand-painted the images and lettering. It was nothing like they originally envisioned but they were extremely happy with the end product. Even I thought it was pretty awesome.
Type
- wood
Material
- oak
Finish
- painted
- black
Function
- basement
- wall
Meet the Maker
Michael Olson
The Old Man's Woodshop
About Me
I'm a 70 year old guy, retired in 2007, after 30 years of college teaching. I wanted to a good teacher, certainly better than most of the schmucks who taught me. I did OK but wasn't the "great" teacher I wanted to be. Then health issues forced an early retirement. I had always been interested in woodworking of the carpentry type, which I still do for personal projects. But I also discovered "creative" woodworking of a more artistic kind that I describe below and that's what I've been doing for the past 8 years.
My "Business"
I don't really have a company nor am I really in business. I'm a one-man hobby operation. I just use "The Old Man's Woodshop" on my non-business cards. I do rustic, simple wood projects: walking sticks and canes, small signs (house numbers, welcome, business, etc.), artistic wood carvings (can be hand-painted), small furniture, among other things. I also grow and decorate gourds as bowls, vases, birdhouses, animals, little people, creatures). What I do is not my livelihood and I'm not trying to make a lot of money. Mostly, I just want to make things that will please my customers. So far, so good. People seem pleased with the results of the 5 CustomMade projects I have completed. Similarly, that holds true for other people I done things for, e.g., several small business signs.
(To be continued)
Customer Reviews
Edward Miggins
Apr 7, 2016Mike Lovett
Nov 15, 2015Michael was excellent from start to finish - couldn't be happier with the end result.
Alexander Van Berg
Nov 4, 2014Can't really think of any negatives. It was very easy to work with Michael. He was interested in getting the product done the way I envisioned it, and he was eager to hammer out all the fine details. I was even able to provide a custom font for use in my project. This definitely exceeded my expectations. The amount of time he spent on the project was very reasonable. Last but not least, the final product I received in the mail is great.
Kevin M
Oct 29, 2014john
Jul 17, 2013Very difficult describing the exact dimensions that we needed; Mr. Olson did a fine job with the workmanship and choice of wood and stain
