Wood & Wood’s Craftsmanship Boosts Vermont Businesses

Wood & Wood Signs (Waitsfield, VT) founder Sparky Potter began fabricating signs approximately 40 years ago. When he embarked on his signmaking career, Potter said most shops promoted plastic and metal signage. He firmly believed the public would demand wood, composite-material and simulated-wood signage. Potter’s conviction proved correct, and the company’s building- and monument-sign fabrication continues to thrive.

“When we opened the shop, we had five draftsmen, and, I admit, I’m glad that software and equipment have made drafting every letter for every sign unnecessary.”

As digital-printing equipment and media became less expensive, Potter began introducing it as an option for his customers. However, he noted, “New Englanders are very fond of the traditional sign craft, and many of our customers still prefer painted signs, even though they’re more expensive.”

Potter added that his generally knowledgeable clients deserve credit for “at least half” of Wood and Wood’s designs because “they bring abundant knowledge and clearly articulate their needs. We just fill in the blanks and try to solve problems.”

Wood & Wood masterfully conveyed a client’s vision into a 3-D, building-mounted sign for the St. Albans Dairy Co-Op. The shop devised the letters using Gerber Omega® software, and fabricated them from 18-lb. Sign•Foam® HDU by handcutting them with jigsaws. Then, installers pinned and glued them to an MDO backer panel.

“They presented us with a flat logo on a sheet of paper, and it was challenging to make it into a capti-
vating 3-D graphic,” Potter said.

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Wood & Wood also executed an effective branding statement for Blue Buffalo, a high-end dog-food brand that emphasizes natural or organic ingredients. To create the 3.5 x 4-ft. sign, the shop used two MDF slabs to fabricate the background panels, which were cut on a table saw, and a middle logo panel, which was cut with a jigsaw.

They built the second-surface “Blue” copy from acrylic cut on the shop’s Gerber Sabre 408 CNC router, and the buffalo logo was carved from solid maple on a table saw. Wood & Wood handcarved the letters from maple.

Installers situated the buffalo and diamonds, which were cut out separately, with double-sided tape and glued them to the surface. To build the middle panel, Wood & Wood plotter-cut a paper template and glued it to the MDF in a sawtooth pattern prior to fabrication. Aluminum pinch cleats – two were installed on either side at the top and bottom – secure the panels.