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Reality Daydream

The Dream is Free, The Hustle Sold Separately

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3D Wooden Geometric Art

November 21, 2016 by Bethany Sy

Awhile back, I participated in a challenge with a group of other ‘buildy bloggers’ to make something out of ONE BOARD (dimensions 1x8x8’). That post may be more than a year old, but it’s still going strong! We love seeing you guys tackling projects and using our tutorials!

P.S… it seems like a lifetime ago that Cypress was that small.

One Board Challenge... geometric wall art

*This post contains affiliate links*

We often get questions about some of the details on this project, so we decided to republish it with easier-to-follow instructions, including a video on how to make the jig!

I knew I wanted to chop this bad boy into a zillion little pieces and make some wall art… similar to my Wooden Kilim Art… but this time I wanted it to be a geometric pattern that appears to look 3D. Something like this inspiration pic I found.

Pattern Inspirationsource

Obviously, the hardest part of this would be THE MATH… ugh. Think cold-sweats and gnashing of teeth. So I shared my idea with Nick and he accepted the challenge! I wanted the art to be as large as possible… while still saving enough for a 2” frame… all from the same board!

One board challenge... into geometric artwork!

The wider board above is 2” and will be the frame. The other three narrower strips are each 1.5” and will be cut down into cute little triangles! This is how our board is divided:

One board a meeeelion cuts = amazind 3D Illusion Artwork! {Sawdust and Embryos}

Nick loves angles… and building jigs. If you’re not familiar, a jig is a contraption that guides your board to be cut at a certain angle. I think I said that right… (Buildy Friends, please confirm).

Angle jig for cutting perfect triangles!

He whipped up this little thing that holds the board in place at a certain angle while pushing it through the table saw. When I originally planned this project, I wasn’t thinking about the fact that miter saws only angle out to 45 degrees, so that won’t work! This sweet jig made things super easy, and we had all these little triangles cut in no time at all!

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If you’re reading this in your email or a reader, you might not be able to see the video. Click here to view in browser! And if you’re NOT an email subscriber but wish you were, click here and you’ll be delighted to find that you receive an email update every time I publish a new post!

It turned out to be roughly 90 triangles, and the next step was to knock off those rough corners with the router. I wanted them to have some dimension when laid out flat, instead of all running into each other. You’ll see what I mean in a sec!

What can YOU make out of just one board

I set aside 3 triangles, and divided the rest into 3 equal parts. One third was stained this light-ish oak shade. Another third got stained Dark Walnut. And the final third didn’t get stained at all! Just raw pine!

Geometric wooden artwork

The remaining 3 triangles that I set aside, I stained a bright fuchsia with my new fave colored stain Unicorn Spit. The color is so rich and smooth! I stained one triangle dark and rich, the second one medium, and the last one very lightly. This part is totally optional, but I wanted to add a little unexpected accent color. A ‘pop’ of color if you will.

BEST colored wood stain - Unicorn Spit!

So since I wanted this to look very geometric and 3-dimensional, I started putting one triangle of each shade of stain together to create larger triangles with all 3 shades of wood. And the same concept for the pop of fuchsia triangle!

This 3D geometric piece of art was made out of ONE BOARD!

I liked this hexagon shape that emerged, but I had more triangles to add… and, naturally I wanted to use the whole board. So I ended up with this large rectangle. LOVE!

Geometric 3D illusion artwork... all pieces cut from one board!

After laying down some wax paper, I slapped on some wood glue to each triangle and pieced the whole thing together nice and snug on the wax paper.

All that’s left was to take that final 8’ strip of wood and make a frame! We used a 3/8” rabbet bit to route a groove for the art to sit in.

Reality Daydream One Board Challenge

After painting the frame white, we popped the now-solid wooden mosaic, spread wood glue all over the back, and pressed on cardstock. Then flipped it over and let it dry!

Note… if we hadn’t been desperately trying to use just one single board for this project, we would have put a 1/4” sheet of plywood on the back as a substrate to add strength.

Fun geometric pattern for our one board challengeWood Mosaic 3D Illusion Artwork

We put one of these beefy picture hangers on the back for easy hanging, but I decided to throw this thing up on the crown moulding ledge in our living room for now. I could just stare at this thing for hours!

3d Illusion Geometric Artwork made from JUST ONE BOARD!

And, since I know somebody’s going to ask, the wallpaper isn’t wallpaper… it’s a stencil! And that post is here. The secretary desk was given a white-wash treatment, and the family photo was taken by the talented Molly Long!

~Bethany

Pssst! If you love this project, you might also enjoy my Wooden Kilim Mosaic Artwork!

TUTORIAL on how to make this detailed Wooden Kilim Mosaic Art!

Thanks for pinning!

TUTORIAL for making this Geometric 3D Illusion Artwork out of wooden triangles!

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About Bethany Sy

Nick and Bethany Sy are the creative free-spirits behind DIY/Lifestyle blog, Reality Daydream. They recently purchased a historic mansion and have been documenting the ups and downs of renovation and making this home their own... all while sharing tips and tutorials along the way! When they found themselves in the trenches of infertility, they started a journey that would prove to be their most important DIY project ever, and have 3 beautiful girls to show for it. <3

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Comments

  1. 33

    James says

    May 24, 2020 at 8:20 pm

    Love this project. I’m wondering what router bit did you use for the triangle. Thanks.

    Reply
  2. 34

    SpiceGirl says

    November 24, 2016 at 5:42 pm

    Wow! I am in awe…I am loving on your blog today. Doing some barnwood style painting …I can’t leave your blog as there are so many great ideas and you are great at explaining the how too’s..Thank you for all the time you have put into it.

    Reply
  3. 35

    Becky says

    October 20, 2016 at 7:43 pm

    This TOTALLY amazing.

    Reply
  4. 36

    Melanie says

    November 6, 2015 at 7:39 am

    I love this! About how big did it end up?

    Reply
  5. 37

    Sandra Henson says

    September 17, 2015 at 12:42 pm

    I just found your blog and am blown away with your work. I will be back. You do truly beautiful work.

    Reply
    • 38

      Beth @ Reality Daydream says

      September 17, 2015 at 7:26 pm

      You’re so sweet Sandra! Thanks for taking the time to comment <3

      Reply
  6. 39

    Jessica Cramer says

    August 3, 2015 at 9:28 pm

    Yowza! This is super cool! The Unicorn Spit is perfect for this project! It was great meeting you at Haven! Our table top turned out beautiful!

    Reply
  7. 40

    shonee says

    July 30, 2015 at 10:34 am

    this is amazing! You guys are so creative! Love how it turned out!
    -Shonee
    http://www.hawthorneandmain.com

    Reply
  8. 41

    Brittany aka Pretty Handy Girl says

    July 21, 2015 at 7:28 pm

    Unreal! I am in awe of your talent and patience. This is beautiful.

    Reply
  9. 42

    My Altered State says

    July 20, 2015 at 10:20 pm

    I love this with all my heart. Amazing and beautiful.

    Reply
  10. 43

    Jenn says

    July 20, 2015 at 1:02 am

    LOVE it!! The pink is perfect!

    Reply
  11. 44

    Sarah says

    July 19, 2015 at 9:15 am

    Brilliant. Love the decision to add the little bit of color in there.

    Reply
  12. 45

    bjnew says

    July 17, 2015 at 8:53 pm

    Any chance you have directions for the jig, and the measurements for making this awesome project? I would love to make this as a gift for my wife.

    Reply
    • 46

      Beth @ Sawdust and Embryos says

      July 18, 2015 at 4:58 am

      Send us an email and I’ll have the hubs give you some more detailed instruction on the jig! sawdustandembryos@gmail.com

      Reply
  13. 47

    Alexis @ Persia Lou says

    July 17, 2015 at 10:48 am

    Beautiful! The routed edges make such a difference, and that pop of pink!! Love.

    Reply
  14. 48

    revital mitchell says

    July 17, 2015 at 9:44 am

    Beautiful!!!!! Such a genius idea! Love the way it came out!

    Reply
  15. 49

    Melissa Slataper says

    July 17, 2015 at 8:17 am

    Holy cow! That’s gorgeous!! I LOVE the hexagon arrangement! Just sayin’ – I’d buy it in a heartbeat if you posted it up on Etsy 🙂

    Reply
  16. 50

    ToolBox Divas says

    July 17, 2015 at 7:56 am

    That is absolutely Beautiful! I love the angles and what you did with a router.

    Reply
  17. 51

    Karla says

    July 17, 2015 at 7:10 am

    Wow!!!! That is amazing, you guys make a great team. Question for you, when you routed the triangles, did you round just the edges or did you actually routed it in an angle????? From the pictures it looks like pyramids. I love it!!!!

    Reply
    • 52

      Beth @ Sawdust and Embryos says

      July 17, 2015 at 9:53 am

      I just routed the edges… but it totally has the illusion of being 3-dimensional, doesn’t it?! I loooove how it turned out. 🙂

      Reply
      • 53

        Karla says

        July 17, 2015 at 10:37 am

        Amazing, it looks like slopes, I’m so totally in love with it! I hope you don’t mind but I’m gonna have to try making my own 3D art with this 🙂 LOVE IT!

        Reply
  18. 54

    April R @ Uncookie Cutter says

    July 17, 2015 at 6:32 am

    This is amazing! I love the way you stained it, it is gorgeous. What a fun challenge!!

    Reply
  19. 55

    bethannchiles says

    July 17, 2015 at 6:26 am

    That is crazy wonderful! You are so doggone talented and I am so impressed. Loved the video of the actual cutting. Man–the man would have had me baffled for this from the beginning and I would have had to have called in my expert. Thanks for another fabulous example of your work. I love your house. And go get some more coffee—I have a feeling you are going to be needing it today! Along with that nap.

    Reply

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We are Nick and Bethany! Welcome to our blog, Reality Daydream where we share our DIY adventures!
Click here for lots of art projects using only wood stain on furniture!!
Please feel free to share or pin my posts! You're welcome to use ONE of my images (no collages or pinnables) with a link back to the corresponding post. Please do not edit or crop that single image in any way. Improper use of my photos, ideas or words is a violation of copyright. Thank you!

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Attention: Almost any do-it-yourself project involves risk of some sort. Your tools, materials, and skills will vary, as will the conditions at your project site. Reality Daydream has made every effort to be complete and accurate in the instructions of the plans on this website. Reality Daydream will not assume any responsibility or liability for damages or losses sustained or incurred in the course of your project or in the use of the item you create. Always follow the manufacturer’s operating instructions in the use of tools, check and follow your local building codes, and observe all commonly accepted safety precautions.

 

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