Back in April, my wife's cousin was diagnosed with Stage 4 esophageal cancer. Subsequent testing indicated it had moved into his liver, and there were blood clots.

 

His family and friends organized a benefit for him that was held yesterday. Sadly, Dwight passed away last Saturday morning. He had a lot of friends and they turned out in droves for the benefit. At last count, the live auction had raised over $47K...and almost $4K for the silent auction. BBQ plates - yes many were sold at $10 each. 450 went out to area businesses on Friday, and probably about that many more at the benefit.

 

I contributed to the silent auction by making a sign with the Jack Daniels logo carved into it. As far as I know, it is a one of a kind. It turned out pretty nice and drew a lot of attention. Thirteen bids in all, and yes, some were repeat bidders. My wife said she noticed one lady that kept walking over to check out the latest bid. We think she may have been the eventual high bidder.

 

And the good part is it sold for $240. That made me really happy. But in all honesty, I think it would have sold for more in the live auction, but that wasn't my decision. There were some deep pockets in the crowd.

 

Here are some pictures of the construction and the auction. It was one of my first efforts with the new CNC. It took me longer to design the project than it did to carve it.

RIP Dwight Cahanin.

Mike

What is the white lettering. Kinda think i like white better. Easier to read. Good job

We stained the wood first, then carved the sign. Afterwards, we went over the entire sign with the Van Dyke brown glaze. Not black, but close.

 

I saw a lot of folks touching the sign to feel the finish.

We are sorry to hear of your wife's loss. Cancer is brutal. 

 

I'm glad the gorgeous sign sold for a good price. 

Sorry for the loss in the family Mike. Cancer is brutal, ugly and non-discriminating.

 

I really like the sign and especially the lettering. At least from the pictures, it appears to be burnt in the wood versus cut. It really gives the impression of the old JD logo being branded into their product before silk screening came in. I would have been one that would have had to touch the sign too and especially if you had a "Do Not Touch" sign there. Appears you've got the new CNC working pretty well. Thanks for sharing...sorry for the circumstance though.

Condolences on your wife's cousin. I don't want to sidetrack a somber moment, but those signs are super cool!

Those are nice sighs for a good cause.  Sorry for the loss.

Sorry to hear about your loss. Awesome work on the sign

Nice sign for a good cause.   Sorry about the family's loss.  My condolences. 

After seeing this, I certainly am having second thoughts about buying a old used and probably obsolete Craftsman sign making setup. 

Edited September 20, 20187 yr by CharlieL

Hey Mike, what a nice sign you made and I think $250 is a right nice donation. Jack Daniels is just about 50 miles from me. Sorry about your families loss.