I made this for a family member who has a love for the game Mass Effect. I looked up some steampunkish painting techniques to give it a more beat up look. The cut is made from one solid pine plank. Once I cut away the majority, I tacked on another 1/4" board to the back side to give it some heft and stability.
Much appreciated folks. Now that I am emboldened with this first project, I intend to work on some concepts that are more steam punk using the metallic paints. I was surprised to see how easy it was to accomplish the effect with the right brush strokes.