The Challenge

Yatala Pies desired a sign that was more than just a “wall sign”. It had to feature Merbau (also known as Kwila) timber, as it was already a featured species throughout their establishment in Yatala, Queensland. It was designed to be an art piece as much as a functional sign, and had to echo the brand’s history, with a throwback to traditional styles.

The Solution

A solid slab of Merbau was not typically available in Australia so we had to create our own. We used several F22 rated beams, which were dressed and glued together with structural adhesive and wood biscuits. This resulted in a very durable backing board for the sign.

The Merbau backing panel was then CNC machined to shape, with channels and holes on both sides. Individually cut sections of Victorian Ash timber were glued into those channels to create a natural contrast between the dark Merbau and blonde Victorian Ash.

The lettering was made from laser-cut and CNC router-cut Merbau and stained darker to contrast against the backing panel. While the “Famous” lettering was structurally glued to the backing panel, the “Yatala Pies” lettering had an aluminium plate set into the rear side to prevent the wood splitting. These letters were then set off from the backing panel using custom-machined aluminium standoffs, creating a shadow effect around the lettering.

In addition to the wall sign, a smaller heading sign was made to look like a wooden rolling pin. This was 3D CNC router cut to form, then “Family” was laser engraved to the front. All surfaces of both signs were applied with at least 3 coats of polyurethane clear.

If you have a challenge, we will solve it.