THE TRAPPE, MD BARNWOOD FLAG
Our Barnwood Flag Journey
This is our custom, handmade, century old barnwood flag made by Blueline CNC. We spent many, many, many hours on this flag to get what you see here. This flag can be purchased by clicking HERE. There is only one available.
We purchased a small amount of wood that belonged to a pre-war era barn in Trappe, Talbot County, Maryland. After going through the wood, we were able to find a few pieces that were worth saving and moved them from the garage into our shop to get acclimated.
After going through everything, we were left with 3 good boards. We began planing them down and working them over. They were then cut to length and the beginnings of a flag were started. This flag, 48x26", is a large piece.
The boards were cut into 2" stripes, and sized length wise accordingly. We had a few bowed stripes and had to work them out. We then sanded everything down many times to get to where we needed them. Each strip was then uniquely carved to create our "battlescar" look. We have never seen a battlescar salvaged barnwood flag and knew it would look amazing. A deep char was done on the stripes and then another sanding session was completed.
The Union:
We then began the work on the union. The union, which measures approximately 14x19.5", was created utilizing two separate boards. They were cut to size, jointed, and then ran through the planer many times. We then glued them up, and clamped them for a few days together. Next, we sanded everything down and ran it through the planer again and created one large piece for the union. It was then cut to the exact size needed. A hand carving was done on the edges to complete our battlescar look.
Next it was painted with the blue that we use on most all of our flags (our secret). We took it to the CNC and designed the stars for it utilizing our software program we use in shop. They were then carved and the union was complete.
Having the stripes and union complete, we were ready for assembly. Everything was clamped together and four separate strips were made for the back of the flag to hold it together. We counter sunk holes in the back and screwed/glued everything together because the flag is heavy. After everything was all set, we hand charred the entire back of the flag and added a Blueline CNC branding.
The entire flag was then sprayed in five coats of general finishes Semi-Gloss Polyurethane to seal it.
The Plaque:
Having the flag finished, we wanted to create a plaque to show the uniqueness of such a flag. We sat down and began drawing what we thought would be a good fit. We settled on a barn shaped plaque, with part the Talbot County, Maryland Seal in it, and some words to show where the barnwood came from.
The plaque began as a piece of baltic birch wood, sanded down and stained in black. The plaque was then carved utilizing our CNC and hand sanded to a smooth finish. Here is a picture of it prior to staining the sides below. The sides were then stained black and then the entire plaque was sprayed in General Finishes Satin Polyurethane to seal it.
It was then attached to the flag to make the project complete.
We appreciate everyone looking and hope someone enjoys it and its history as much as we do. If you are interested in purchasing, please visit its product page HERE. We look forward to it going to someone who will enjoy it, as there won't be another made like it!
Thanks for reading, take care, be safe
-Andrew, Blueline CNC