Alison and I have made several of these Wood Burned Growth Chart Rulers over the years. It started as a project for our own family, but right as we were putting the finishing touches on the first ruler, a friend’s baby shower came up, so we stuck a bow on the prototype and delivered it as a gift. Based on the reaction of the ladies in the room, it was clear to see this idea was hit!
There are lots of things that could have contributed to the gift’s popularity. It could have been the appeal of something handmade, the awesome character that comes from the wood burned look, or simply the fact that this decor piece will be used to capture memories of a growing family for years to come. Whatever it was, we knew this was a special build and something we wanted to make more of.
Now that we have finally made enough growth charts to cover all the kids and cousins in the immediate family, I thought it was the right time to build one more and and document the build with video and some instructions in case you want to give it a shot yourself. Don’t let the wood burning aspect scare you off – it’s actually an easy tool to use and leaves a really cool textured finish that vinyl simply can’t replicate!
Top Tip
Make life a little easier by clicking the Download button to get a FREE pdf version of the Tick Mark template in an easy to print format. Just provide your email and a template will be sent right over!
The steps for this build are quite simple. The only real trick to it is getting the tick marks lined up properly. GOOD NEWS – I have included a downloadable template you can print to assist with the layout! Just click on the download button above and you’ll have instant access to a pdf version you can take anywhere.
- Select Material
- I used a 1″ x 8″ x 6′ piece of oak for this build, but normally we have used good old fashioned pine to be more economical.
- Prep the Board
- For this build, I used a 1/8″ roundover router bit on the front surface to add a little bit of dimension. This is completely optional – for most of our rulers, we simply sanded the edges to make them slightly rounded.
- Sand the board to a smooth finish. Since the board was already fairly smooth from the store, I started with a 180 grit and worked up to a 240 grit for a final sand.
- Outline Tick Marks and Numbers
- Lay a tape measure along the edge of the board where the tick marks will go.
- Mark out the 1/4″ increments that will be the width of the tick marks. Start by locating the 1″ mark on the tape measure and then use a pencil to mark a dot 1/8″ to the right and left of the 1 inch mark.
- Repeat this step for the remaining 70 tick marks.
- Use a combination square to mark the length of each tick mark. Refer to the FREE template provided below to see how long to make each line.
- Burn Tick Marks and Numbers
- With all the tick marks and numbers now outlined, use a wood burner to fill in the pencil outlines.
- Stain
- Finish the board with your desired stain. It’s fine to apply the stain over the wood burned tick marks and numbers. Just remember to wipe off any excess stain within a few minutes per the manufacturers instructions.
We experimented with several different stain colors for this project…
…but ultimately landed on a blend of Early American, Briarsmoke and Weathered Grey.
Well, that’s it for this project! Good luck with your own build and please share pictures of your finished product along with any comments or ideas below! I’d love to hear and see how you may add your own twist to this design.
-Chris
