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Making signs for charity shops. Making signs for the charity shop was process which started with the bird nesting boxes I made and donated to sell. Since timber was scarce it made sense in the summer months to use the wood to make these signs. At first I hand wrote it all on the timber, but I now use the transfer method, much quicker and less error in letter placing. This involves using the PC to print the message you want to carve and position it on the wood with carbon paper beneath, trace out the words and you have an exact copy transferred to your work piece. I use Word Wordart for this, format the letter/word into dotted lines, (uses less ink) enlarge to the size you want, format your page to landscape. You can use the same method for artwork, best to use line drawings for simplicity but you can get good results if you are steady with the router and use a fine point at a shallow setting. Charity shops in the UK are not good at displaying goods so its better to add a hanging string by drilling two holes. They can easily place the item on display so they can be seen. Signs by their very nature need to be seen to be sold. I look for ideas everywhere. I try to steer clear of the long wordy humourless stuff and concentrate on brevity. " The Witch is Home" sells well and has little work in it. I do commissions for house signs and can command a good price on this. The last order was over £60.00. practice first on some scrap. Make sure the timber is secured to the bench/table or use a non slip mat tolay the wood on. Use your commonsense when working with equipment that revolves at over 30,000 rpm. Wear safety glasses and ear protectors at all times. Your sight is precious.	Here are a few. I have improved my technique with experience since these images were taken and now find it a relatively easy thing to do.