DIY Wooden Garden Signs

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 I was shopping for some natural-looking garden signs to add to my garden, but struggled to find something that I liked. I already had some old lathe and extra bamboo stakes laying around, and thought it would be perfect for making some simple wooden signs! It's biodegradable, unlike those plastic labels you get with the typical nursery plants. I had some garden twine (jute, I believe) to tie the bamboo stakes to the lathe. Perfect! I did purchase some special paint markers, since regular Sharpies do tend to wear off in the rain throughout the growing season. 


Here's how I did it:


Materials:


Lathe

Bamboo stakes

Garden twine, jute or similar

Paint markers


Spray polyurethane (optional)


Process:

1. Cut the lathe into desired length. I eyeballed about 3-4". I cut a few with a hand saw, but quickly switched to a battery-powered circular saw!


2. Sand edges and any rough faces.


3. Cut bamboo to desired length. I cut about 12" pieces using a circular saw, which did splinter the wood a little, but I just put the splintered side into the ground :)


4. Tie lathe pieces onto bamboo stakes, using a figure-8 crazy knot. Make sure to tie it tight!




5. Using paint marker, label your signs


6. Spray with polyurethane spray (if desired). I sprayed some with the poly spray and left some au-naturale...we'll see how they wear over time!

I think they compliment the surrounding plants nicely!


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