What’s it cost to produce this 72-by-44-in. overlaid plywood sign?
Cutting the plywood panel to shape adds interest
By John Deaton
Posted on Monday, October 29th, 2018
Materials:
One sheet of ½-in. overlaid plywood: $60
Cutting charge: $25
White Oracal 751 film, 24-by-10-in.: $20
Digital prints: $10
Application tape: $6
Paint: $15
Posts: $22
Concrete: $5
Total materials: $163
Labor:
Sand and paint plywood, paint borders: 90 minutes
Cut, weed, tape vinyl: 60 minutes
Apply vinyl: 45 minutes
Apply digital prints to plywood circles: 10 minutes
Paint shading: 30 minutes
Installation: 30 minutes
Travel time: 60 minutes
Total time: 6 hours 25 minutes
The county government needed a sign for a rescue squad building in a town about 22 miles from my shop. They wanted it installed on posts in front of the building instead of on the building itself. I use overlaid plywood [MDO] on almost all jobs of this type, so that’s the material we are using on this one.
Using the information given to me by my contact, I came up with a design and sent it via email to them. The job was approved and I put it into production. I have a friend who owns a woodworking shop about 45 minutes away who cuts out my overlaid plywood panels on his
ShopBot router. He keeps overlaid plywood in stock, and I send him a .dxf file from the Vinylmaster Pro software that I use.