Every year the night before Halloween we set up a ton of decorations outside for the kids. Last year I decided I wanted something inside for the month of October for us to enjoy.

One of our favorite TV shows is Parks & Rec. After watching the show in entirety for the 3rd time I got the idea to make this tomb stone.

Supplies

Piece of Wood
Jig Saw
CNC or Router
Paint brush
Paint
Sander
Sand paper
Wood Glue

Step 1: Cut Down the Stock Material

First step in this project is to cut down the material your using. I made mine from wood but the project could be duplicated using anything including cardboard, foam or wood. I cut the wood down to 9" wide by 14" long using a miter saw, this will keep from creating very much waste after cutting out the shape.

Step 2: Print the Shape

This step is straight forward print the shape of the tomb stone you want or download my shape below and trace it on to the material. For mine I removed the cracks and outer lines in MS Paint and just used the inner one.

Step 3: Cutting Out the Shape

Next I cut out the basic outline I want. For mine I use a Jigsaw and just follow the pencil line. I got a little free hand creative. There really is no wrong shape for a tombstone.

Step 4: Adding the Details

I used a CNC machine to cut my words and skull. You could easily cut them by hand with a router and a v-cut bit. If you don't have those just simply paint them on free hand or with letter stencils.

Once Mine were cut I filled the grooves with paint to add a pop of colour.

Step 5: Sanding

Sand the entire tombstone. Remove any excess material to make both sides even and then finish sanding the rest smooth. I used an orbital sander and worked through 80,150 and 180 grit sand paper.

Do not sand the paint to deeply or it will gum up and look dirty. If you do just lightly paint over the spots using a small art brush.

Step 6: Add the Stand

I wanted mine to stand on its own on the front table so I added a stand. I cut out a piece of matching wood into a triangle and then sanded down the face on the bottom until i got the angle I was looking for. I attached the stand with wood glue and let it sit until dry.