DIY WOOD MOSAIC ART

Wood mosaic art

is a fun DIY project for anyone!!!

Don't own a miter or jig saw?! This project can be done with a hand saw, but I warn you that it could take a lot longer and fatigue you much quicker! If you're in the market for buying new tools, I highly recommend checking your local pawn shops before buying a brand new miter or jig saw. You'll save tons of money! That's how I got started, then I upgraded later!!!

Never used a miter saw or a jig saw?! You should definitely watch some how-to videos and get one-on-one instruction before diving in because they are very dangerous tools if you don't use them appropriately and take the necessary precautions.

TO MAKE THIS FUN WOOD MOSAIC ART PIECE,

YOU NEED THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ON HAND BEFORE YOUR BEGIN:

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• hearing & eye protection

• drill

• a flat level surface to work on

• miter saw

• orbital jig saw

• at least one full bundle of firring strips

• one round base with roughly 18" diameter (MDF or plywood)

• rectangular dowel rods

• electric hand sander / medium grit sand paper

• wood glue

• spray paint (black, gold, and white; or any colors your prefer)

• wood stain (whatever shade you prefer)

• small paint brush

LET'S GET STARTED!

The very first thing you need to do is SAND THE FIRRING STRIPS & DOWEL RODS!

~This step is crucial to getting those fine finishes at the end of your project.

~If you try to sand the tiny pieces individually after you cut them to size, your fingers will SCREAM at you! Don't wait to sand! Do it now, even though it will take some time, it's worth it!

~For this project, I used roughly one half bundle of firring strips because there was a LOT of trash pieces that didn't cut right or look good after painted. Plus, I used roughly 8 dowel rods in all.

Once all your strips & dowels are sanded smooth,

It's time to lay out your mosaic design!!

• Since you are working with a ROUND BASE, you'll need to find the center and draw an X (or a "t") to know where to lay your first wood pieces.

  
  

• Cut a few pieces of the firring strips and dowel rods to start laying out your design. I spray painted a few just so I could visualize the color variations as well as the sizes that I wanted each piece to be.

  
  

• Glue down your center wood pieces and work your way out.

  ~I made the 45 degree cut on my first strip. Then I cut the the length of that strip about 2 inches longer than the radius of the circle.

  
  

  ~To place my first piece, I laid the 45 degree cut edge at the center of the circle and lined it up with the x line I drew earlier.

  
  

  

  
  

  ~For the next placement, I replicated the first piece on the opposite side of the circle. This made my design start to take on a pie shape and made it easy to fill in the sections, repeating the same design for all four pie sections.

  
  

  **NOTE: I did NOT cut off the excess wood until the very end of the gluing process!

  ~Also, I painted each piece as I went along, taking time to figure out placement before gluing them down.

  
  

  ~The layout is entirely up to you! I designed my mosaic as I went along, not caring to plan it out ahead of time because I like the surprise of an unexpected outcome! Maybe you prefer to have a template, that's OKAY!!

  
  

  ~You may choose to turn your pieces in different directions than I did and maybe do several degrees of cuts instead of one. There really is NO WRONG WAY to make your mosaic! I found that as long as I used 45 degree cuts, I was able to piece it together into a design I truly loved.

  
  
  
  

**For this project I cut all the pieces at a 45 degree angle every time**

This works like a puzzle once you get going on the different layers and material widths.

AS SHOWN HERE, THERE ARE MULTIPLE LAYERS OF WOOD

IN PAINTED AND STAINED FINISHES.

THIS WAS A VERY LONG PROCESS,

SO BE PATIENT

AND GIVE ALL YOUR PAINT & STAIN TIME TO DRY

BEFORE FIXING THEM PERMANENTLY TO THE BOARD!!!

LAYER YOUR FINISHED PIECES

VARY THE WIDTHS OF YOUR PIECES

ADD PLENTY OF DIMENSION

NOW THAT THE HARD PART IS FINISHED

LET'S SHAPE IT UP!

We want this mosaic to end up a CIRCLE, so now you have to cut off the excess wood

that is hanging over the edges of your round base piece.

GET JIGGY WITH IT!

ALWAYS try out the jig saw on a scrap piece of wood before using it on your project!!

This allows you to see if the blade is dull or not and if the cut is precise enough for fine finishing.

**I recommend using the Bosch PROWOOD jig saw blade set

that has the 20 TPI blade with a T-shank!!

It's a super-fine blade that makes a very clean cut

on fine pieces like your mosaic!

1. Place a mat or soft surface on the cutting table.

   
   

2. TURN OVER YOUR MOSAIC so it is face down on the soft surface, but leave it hanging over the end of the table so you can cut along the edge without snagging the table or mat.

   
   

3. VERY CAREFULLY CUT ALONG THE EDGE OF YOUR CIRCLE. The excess pieces will fall to the floor as you move around the edge. Reposition your circle as needed to finish your cuts.

   
   
   
   
   
   

1. (TSK TSK! NO HEARING PROTECTION😜 )

   
   
   
   
   
   

   **DID A PIECE FALL OFF? That's OKAY! Just glue it back on, wait for it to dry, and cut it later when it's totally cured. It happens to every artist!!

CONGRATULATIONS!

YOU JUST CREATED YOUR VERY OWN

WOOD MOSAIC ART

THANKS SO MUCH FOR VISITING TODAY!

I HOPE YOU'VE LEARNED SOMETHING NEW

&

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