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    Home » DIY » Build It » Home Decor » How to Make a Wooden Letter Board

    How to Make a Wooden Letter Board

    Published by Gail | Published February 24, 2020 | Updated June 30, 2021
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    How to make a diy wooden letter board for your home. Hang it on the wall and change your message anytime you want. Letters are double sided for unlimited message options! #MyRepurposedLife #wallart #challenge #diy #homedecor  via @repurposedlife

    It’s time for our Monthly DIY Challenge project. This month’s challenge was “Wall Art”. I’m not sure that my DIY Wooden Letter Board is actually art, but it sure is fun to arrange the letters and speak my mind! The DIY wooden letter board is also fun to write a message, snap a photo and text family or friends with their very own personal message!

    Be sure to check out the “wall art” projects from my friends at the bottom of this post.

    I Was Inspired By This Letter Board

    letter board from dollar general

    This was my inspiration for this project. I bought this letter board from Dollar General. I can’t find them online in their store. The letters are cardboard. I used the letter configuration to decide how to apply my letters to my rectangle wooden pieces.

    *this post contains affiliate links, read more here*

    Balsa Wood Planks

    balsa wood for letters

    I purchased these balsa wood slats at Michael’s for my letter stickers. Five of these planks with coupons were about $17. However, if I make another wooden letter board, I’ll be using these Wooden Rectangles on Amazon. My friends are loving this project, so I see more in my future.

     

    Easy Stop Block for Miter Saw

    stop block on miter saw

    The wooden discs needed to be approximately 2x3 inches. I used a stop block clamped to my miter saw for quick and easy cutting. The five planks netted me 55 large rectangles, and 5 end pieces that I saved for punctuation marks.

     

    Lightly Sand Wooden Discs for Letter Board

    lightly sand wooden discs

    I quickly ran the discs along a piece of sandpaper to smooth any rough edges.

     

    Route Ledge With Rabbit Bit

    rabbit bit on router table

    Using a rabbit bit on the router table and some ½ inch scrap stock, I created the small ledges needed for holding my wooden discs.

    Rip Ledge on Table Saw

    rip wooden ledge on table saw

    After the edge was routed, the board was ripped on the table saw.

    Cut Letter Board Ledge to Length

    cut small ledge on miter saw

    Then the small ledge was cut to size on the miter saw.

    This ½” scrap stock is baseboard I purchased in bulk at $1 each. Sometimes I prefer using thinner stock than your typical 1x4 (¾” stock) from Home Depot.

     

    Spray Paint Wooden Letter Board and Letter Discs

    spray paint wooden discs for diy wooden letter board

    The 2x3 discs were spray painted with a glossy white spray paint. The thin pieces of plywood holding the discs were left over from my plank ceiling project.

     

    Design DIY Wooden Letter Board

    design stage of wooden letter board

    At this point I wanted to make sure the ledges and the letter discs would fit on the 1x12 board I’m using. Do you see there was a little extra room left over on the bottom?

     

    trim 1x12 on table saw

    I trimmed the 1x12 on the table saw, so the ledges would fit top to bottom.

     

    sand wooden letter board

    So, then I sanded my board using my orbital sander and a sanding sponge.

     

    Assemble Wooden Letter Board

    glue ledges on diy wooden letter board

    I used gorilla glue and clamps to attach all of the ledges in place.

     

    baby wipes remove wood glue

    To remove any oozing glue, I used one of the wooden discs and baby wipes. I dragged the disc along the ledge to make sure there wasn’t any glue that would snag the discs after it set up. Baby wipes are great for removing glue on your project and from your hands!

    No router? No problem!

    make your own wooden letter ledge

    If you don't have a router, you can achieve a small ledge to hold your letters. Use two small square dowels to make your own ledges for the letters to rest on. Simply glue a small and medium size together for the three lower sections of the letter board.

    By doing that and using the Wooden Rectangles on Amazon this would be a great project even for a novice!

     

    Spray Paint Wooden Letter Board

    spray paint wooden letter board

    The ledge on the top and bottom are only routed on one side. The middle ledges are routed more shallow on the top, being a little deeper on the bottom ledge where the disc rests.

    Add Saw Tooth Hanger

    add sawtooth hanger to wooden letter board

    This wooden letter board is very light, so I added a saw tooth hanger to the back.

     

    DIY Wooden Letter Board Fun

    diy wooden letter board MyRepurposedLife

    DIY Letter Board

     

    always choose happy DIY wooden letter board MyRepurposedLife

    Always Choose Happy!

     

    MyRepurposedLife DIY Letter Board

     

    Letter Board & Letters

    letter board sign wall art MyRepurposedLife

    There are lots of options with numbers letters and a few punctuation marks. You can download the letter assignment for diy letter board here.

     

     

     

    make your own diy letter board MyRepurposedLife

    Save & Share on Pinterest!

    Be sure to check out these great wall art projects from my friends:

    Abstract Wooden Wall Art

    Modern Quilt Blanket & Textile Hanger

    Wood & Wire Wall Art

    Tiki Wall Art

    Macrame Plant Hanger

    How To: Painting Wall Art

    DIY Hand Routed Sign

     

    Which is your favorite?

     

    gail

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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Alberta Eiden

      February 27, 2020 at 11:47 am

      I can't wait to do a letter board. It is exactly what I need for a weekly motivational saying.

      Reply
    2. Ellison Made

      February 25, 2020 at 11:48 pm

      This is so fun, Gail! I love how you can change out the message throughout the year.

      Reply
    3. Katie

      February 25, 2020 at 10:54 pm

      I love this project, Gail! I can definitely see you getting a lot of requests from friends for these. This would make a perfect housewarming gift as well!

      Reply
    4. Rachel Joy

      February 25, 2020 at 4:02 pm

      I LOVE this letter board! Definitely have to try it!

      Reply
    5. girlfromwva

      February 24, 2020 at 9:24 pm

      So cool! love the gold!

      Reply
    6. Sarah @ Ugly Duckling House

      February 24, 2020 at 6:03 pm

      Fun idea, Gail! Love the gold too.

      Reply

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    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

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