[flyingpantaloons]

I am making a carved sign for a customer and he wants to hang it outside. I was wondering what would be the best type of wood to make the sign in?

[mark yundt]

Most all exterior signs today are made/carved out of signmakers foam board.Comes in a variety of densities.Doesn't chip,crack,warp,split,expand or contract to cause paint peeling,a cinch to carve,sands smooth beautifully,no grain,nothing,,though you can faux grain it if you want,,,paint lasts much longer on it than wood, and when painted you can't tell the difference.But,,if you really have your heart set on wood, most of the cedars are fairly durable,,,teak ($$$$) or Mahogany work well also.

[flyingpantaloons]

Well my customer is insisting on wood. so i guess i'll look into the cedars, etc. thanks

[flyingpantaloons]

what about obeche wood? I just went to a shop and they said it would be a good option. is it any good for exterior work?

[mark yundt]

I've heard of it but I haven't used it so I can't really say.Apparently this shop has used it,,ask to see signs that they have done, and how long ago they were put up,,and go and look at them to see for yourself how they are holding up.Ask them for a small sample as well to see how it carves,they should give you one as you will probably have to buy it from them if you decide to use it.Some woods are used for sandblasting signs because of the prominent grains they have,,That may be a different story if their signs are done this way,,if you plan on carving,,a sample would be handy

[VAwoodcarver]

yea cedar is very resistant to rot along with sycamore and black locust/which is very hard. White oak and eastern hophornbeam/ironwood and hemlock and redwood..

[arapsang]

Re external carvings

I carve a lot of signs and memorial benches all of which are outdoors all year round. Without doubt the best allrounder is Iroko. This consistently beats all others in the 'graveyard test' and finishes well with teak oil.

All the best

arapsang

[arapsang]

Just got this picture of one of the benches I carved recently. It should give you some more information about iroko and how it looks and carves.

All the best
arapsang