We Made a GIANT Faux Concrete Logo Out of Foam!

This week are covering how we made the Inventables Booth for Workbench Con 2019! The whole idea was to have this as a photo backdrop, but also showcase what the X-Carve can do! We had such a fun time designing this booth, it was something so out of the ordinary! #Woodworking #Make

Thank you to Inventables for sponsoring this week's Project! Go and check out all of their amazing machines and get started on their FREE online software!
Easel Software Free: https://goo.gl/MpCrzT X-Carve: https://goo.gl/MpCrzT (affiliate link)

Our Favorite Tools- https://www.woodbrew.tv/tools-we-use/

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Step 1: Sanding and Cutting OSB Sheets

We wanted to incorporate their logo somehow, so Dylan came up with a really cool design, starting out with OSB paneling. We have a total of 3 OSB sheets and this will be the backdrop of the booth. Even though it is the backdrop, we still need to do some heavy sanding because we are going to be painting on some decals. Dylan went around the belt sander with a lower grit paper and I came around behind him with the orbital sander with a higher grit sandpaper to smoothen it up a bit more. Since we will be taking the van, we needed to cut these sheets down enough for them to fit. We will be attaching them back on when we get to the convention.

Favorite Sanding Products-https://kit.com/Woodbrew_/favorite-sanding-product...

Step 2: Painting on Decals

We had a local sign shop cut us out 3 different decals to go on each OSB panel. With some normal flat black paint we can paint in the negative space, let dry, and then peel the vinyl off for a perfect finish. The "I" and the "N" for Inventables will be painted on the piece we cut off. This decal is really cool, it is their logo turned into a pattern and it will be placed in the back center to break up the words we have going on on the other 2.

Favorite Finishing Products: https://kit.com/Woodbrew_/woodworking-adhesives-fi...

Step 3: Carving the Logo

Now moving onto the logo that will be the main center piece of the booth. After the design was finalized in Illustrator, each piece was separated from the whole design and grouped to fit onto a 30” x 30” piece of foam insulation. Then, it was exported as a SVG file and imported straight into Inventables’ software, Easel. It took around 20 minutes to cut each 30” x 30” piece and we had 7 of them for one layer. We will repeat this process 3 times because we are making 3 layers of the logo, just so it’ll be substantial in thickness. We love how this turned out with each intersection being a dove tail joint.

Our inexpensive CNC Machine Setup:https://kit.com/Woodbrew_/our-inexpensive-cnc-setu...

Step 4: Separating All the Pieces

In Easel, you can add tabs so pieces won't move around while the machine is still carving other parts. All you have to do is cut the tabs to release the pieces when you’re all done.

Step 5: Putting It All Together

We went ahead put together the first layer off camera because it took a while to figure out which part goes where. Now for the second layer, we can just lay each piece on top and know whether or not it goes there.

After all 3 layers where put together, it was time to glue them up. One layer at a time, we laid down glue across the entire logo. Then, we could lay down the next layer, and just for extra security, we screwed each layer together from the back. To make sure each layer was getting a good bond, we added weight with whatever we had laying around.

Favorite Finishing Products: https://kit.com/Woodbrew_/woodworking-adhesives-f...

Step 6: Paint

We let that dry over night, so we could come back the next day and sand all the faces smooth and get the foam ready for paint. Our goal is to make this logo look like concrete from afar, so by default, we are using gray paint. After many layers, we added some spray that gives a concrete texture, this was just icing on the cake. It turned out really well!

Favorite Finishing Products: https://kit.com/Woodbrew_/woodworking-adhesives-f...

Step 7: Carving the Base

Next, we needed to make a base for the logo to sit in so it can stand up freely. In the painting clip, we just made a make-shift one so we didn't get paint on the actual one, and because it wasn't made yet.

So again, Dylan came up with a design in Illustrator, imported the SVG file into Easel, and we started cutting on the X-Carve. We used MDF for the material here to give it a metal look with it being really smooth and with sharp edges. It’ll get this look more when it gets painted black. MDF cuts really well on the X-Carve with really clean edges and corners. The groves here are dados for the end of a piece to go into to make the base thick enough for the foam to sit in. It’ll make since in a minute.

Our inexpensive CNC Machine Setup: https://kit.com/Woodbrew_/our-inexpensive-cnc-setup

Step 8: Assembling and Painting the Base

With a few 3 in wide pieces, they get glued and placed in the dados. They sit at the exact angle the foam logo is so it's supported on both sides and fits snug. Then the other side gets glued and pin nailed in place along with the bottom.

All that’s left is painting the base black, and attaching it to a concrete paver to keep it standing it up, and so someone doesn’t actually tip it over in the booth. The very last thing we did was screw in a few bolts through the base and the foam to keep them both together.

And now off to Atlanta.

Favorite Finishing Products: https://kit.com/Woodbrew_/woodworking-adhesives-f...

Step 9: Booth Assembly Part 1

It’s almost spring time, so we brought an 8 x 10 ft turf rug to cover the entire booth floor, and so its comfy to stand on throughout the weekend. Next, is to assemble a pergola that is going 8 ft high and is the same size of the booth. Before we left, we pre-drilled all the holes for these brackets to make this assembly process go faster. Also, we never put this booth together at the shop, so we are crossing our fingers that this all goes together and our measurements are correct. The 4x4 boards are the front two posts and the 2x4 boards are the front back two posts. We managed to fit 8 ft 2x4s in the van which will be the front to back stretchers, but we still needed 10 ft stretchers to run left to right, up front and on the back side. So we cut them down to size at the shop and then attached them together here using these brackets. Now we can assemble the entire right side and bring it into the booth. Because there was only two of us, we braced this side up with some scraps we brought, so we could bring in the left side and tie the two together with the 10ft stretchers.

Our Favorite Jigs And Clamps: https://kit.com/Woodbrew_/workshop-jigs-clamps

Step 10: Booth Assembly Part 2

Now for the panels and attaching the pieces we had to cut off. The cut off pieces are the top pieces, so they won’t be holding any weight, and they are getting screwed into the pergola to keep them up right.

Last thing is last, setting up the main focus of the booth, the Inventables logo. It traveled nicely in the van and came out with only minimal marks that we touched up when we were done.

Our Favorite Jigs And Clamps: https://kit.com/Woodbrew_/workshop-jigs-clamps

Step 11: Done!

After that, we are calling this project a wrap! Thank you to Inventables for allowing us to build your booth and for sponsoring this project! We love how it turned out and I hope everyone else did to! Lot’s of polaroids and pictures were taken in the booth, so we are calling that a success! Thank you guys so much for watching/reading, we hope you enjoyed and we will see you in the next one!

Our Favorite Jigs And Clamps: https://kit.com/Woodbrew_/workshop-jigs-clamps