How To Engrave Wooden Furniture
Not to be dramatic…
This may be one of my favorite upcycling projects ever! I’ve always wanted to engrave wooden furniture, and when I recently found these secondhand drawers at my local tip shop, I knew they'd be perfect for experimenting with this technique using my new Ryobi Rotary Station.
To learn how to upcycle and engrave wooden furniture, watch this video
Before & After
Project Details
♻️ Upcycling: Secondhand wooden drawers
🕒 Project Time Estimate: 4 hours
🪑 Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate
💰 Materials Cost: $$
👷🏼♀️ Safety Gear: Safety face mask, ear plugs and eyewear
Materials
White distilled vinegar
Microfibre cloth
Pencil
Triangle ruler
Wood filler
Timber stain
Satin varnish
Tools
Drill
Orbital Sander
RYOBI Rotary Station with accessories
Palette knife
Palm sander
How To
Step 1: I removed the knobs from the drawers using a drill and decided to keep them (they might be perfect for an future upcycling project!). I cleaned the drawers using a clean cloth, white vinegar and disinfectant. Then I removed the original timber stain using my orbital sander.
Step 2: I used a ruler and pencil to draw the zigzag pattern onto the front of the drawers.
Step 3: I used my RYOBI Rotary Station to engrave over the pencilled lines. If you want perfect lines, you can use a routed piece of timber to guide the rotary tool but I enjoyed using it freehand. The lines aren't perfect because of the wood knots and grains, but I love the wabi-sabi vibes it's giving.
Step 4: I filled the knob holes using wood filler and when it dried I sanded it smooth.
Step 5: I stained the drawers next and after the timber was dry, I applied a coat of satin varnish. I struggled to decide between a chocolate brown timber stain and liming white, but due to the wood filler, I decided to use the brown timber stain because I knew it would hide it better.
Ta daaa!
I spent the last couple of weeks practicing on spare pieces of timber, and after cleaning the drawers (which had a LOT of cockroach poop (yuck!) and a 20c tip from the previous owners for all my hard work lol) I found it helped a lot when I used my rotary tool to engrave over the lines. As they say, practice makes perfect! If you want perfect lines, you can use a routed piece of timber to guide the rotary tool, but I enjoyed using it freehand. It's not perfect because of the wood knots and grains, but I love the wabi-sabi vibes it's giving!
