Pattern by Marcus Cutler

Hogtown, TO, Muddy York, Toronto the Good – no matter what you call it, Toronto is one fabulous city.

It’s the economic hub of Canada; home of the Leafs, Raptors, Jays and Argonauts; site of the world’s largest free-standing structure, and the world’s longest street (Yonge); one of the most multicultural cities in the world; the fifth most populated city in North America; and home of both the Caribana and the Hockey Hall of Fame. Toronto is quite a green city – 20% of it is forested – quite high in comparison to other cities.

At the top of our Toronto skyline illustration is the Ontario coat of arms. It’s comprised of the red on white St. George Cross (England’s flag), and three golden maple leaves on a green background (green representing the land). By the way, the name of the city apparently comes from the Mohawk phrase ‘tkaronto’, which means “where there are trees standing in the water.”

• Print out the pattern at the size you want for your completed project. I chose to make this pattern 8″ wide by 9-7/8″ high.
• Take a straight edge, and trim the pattern along the sides and the bottom, snug against the pattern lines. That way you won’t have to cut out these areas when you do the project.
• Cut a piece of 1/4″ Baltic birch the same size as your pattern. Then, cut 1/8″ mahogany door skin for a backer board. Set aside the backer board.
• Sand the Baltic birch to 180 grit. This will make it easier to finish sand the pattern after it has been cut out, and reduce the chance of damaging the project piece.
• Cover the Baltic birch with masking tape.
• Use spray glue to attach the pattern to the Baltic birch. Use enough glue so that the pattern won’t lift off part way through the cutting. The masking tape makes sure the glue doesn’t get into the wood grain to contaminate the finish.
• Drill blade holes in the waste areas, and start cutting out your project. Start with the smallest areas first and work your way up to the bigger areas. Do not cut out the area on the outside of the top until the very end. The best way to cut the veining lines is to cut out the shaded area first, remove the waste, then go back and cut the lines. When cutting out the leaves in the shield, do them one at a time, it will be easier, and you will have less chance of breaking one.
• Once you have cut out all the shaded areas and the veining lines, attach the backer board with a few pieces of masking tape to hold it in place. Two pieces on each side and two pieces on the bottom will suffice.
• Cut the area on the top part and around the leaves at the top. This will give you a backer board that is custom-cut to fit on the back of the project.
• Fine sand the project and put on the finish of your choice. I used three coats of Krylon clear spray coat to finish mine. I cut out the pattern and backer board separately, and then glued the backer board on to the project. I attached a saw tooth hanger to the back so I could display it on the wall. However, this project can be made to be a free standing piece as well, just by cutting two cross pieces to act as feet.