How to Make an Easel Stand at Home

Most painters need easels. Pre-fabricated easels can be very expensive, so if you are looking to get your first easel stand or add another to your collection, consider building your own. The carpentry involved is minimal, and you can build a sturdy one suited to your specifications for pennies on the dollar of a commercial equivalent.

Things You'll Need

• Table saw
• Sander
• Screwdriver
• 2 pieces of lumber
• Whiteboard
• Hemp rope, 4 feet
• 2 hinges, 1 inch along axis and at least 1 ½ inches perpendicular
• Screws for hinges
• 8 screws, 1 ¾ inches
• 2 brackets, 1 inch by 1 inch
• Screws for brackets
• 9 screws, 1 inch
• 4 rubber bumper pads
• Tack rag
• Stain, finish, or paint (optional)

Instructions

Cutting

1. Buy the lumber you'll need to build the frame. You will need one board for the legs and braces at 1 inch by 4 inches, of length to be determined by your needs, and a second board for the tray at 1 inch by 2 inches, again of length determined by you. Pine and mahogany are good wood choices.

2. Cut four legs of equal length between 72 inches to 84 inches, depending on your height and the desired slope of the easel. Err on the side of making the easel legs too long, if you are unsure about exact dimensions. You can do a mock up prior to final assembly, and shorten the legs if needed. Cut cross-sectional dimensions at 1 inch by 2 inches, for a nice, sturdy frame.

3. Cut four leg braces of equal length, which will provide your easel with width, at about 20 to 32 inches. When determining brace length, consider your stance while painting. You will want the braces to be sufficiently wide that your feet are not going to brush up against the front legs, or you can flare the easel's legs outward, in which case your braces will need to be proportionally wider. Cut cross-sectional dimensions at 1 inch by 2 inches.

4. Cut two pieces of wood for the canvas tray. The first piece will be the tray itself, and the second piece will be the lip in front. Each member should be equally wide, and wide enough to fit your canvases. 32 inches is a guideline. Cut cross-sectional dimensions on the main piece at ½ inch tall by 2 ½ inches deep. Cut cross-sectional dimensions on the lip piece at 1 ½ inches tall by ½ inch deep.

5. Sand all pieces smooth. Clean with a tack rag.

Joining

1. Assemble the front half of the frame by screwing the two wider braces between the front legs at heights of 24 inches from the bottom and 12 inches from the top. For each connection, use two flathead wood screws 1 ¾ inches in length, stacked vertically and spaced 1 inch apart.

2. Assemble the rear half of the frame in the same fashion.

3. Join the front and rear halves by bolting a hinge into the tops of the left legs and another hinge into the tops of the right legs.

4. Join the left (or right) legs with a rope of fixed length to prevent the easel from widening beyond that length.

5. Screw the main piece of the tray into the front legs using right-angle brackets. Position the tray at the minimum height at which you are comfortable painting, typically 30 to 45 inches from the bottom.

6. Screw the lip piece of the tray directly into the main piece, using a 1 inch screw on either end and a third in the middle.

7. Join a whiteboard to the front legs using the remaining 6 of your 1 inch screws, three on each side at top, middle, and bottom. The bottom of the whiteboard should rest snugly on your tray. The whiteboard should be large enough in dimensions to accommodate any canvases you plan on using.

Finishing

1. Sand down the bottom edges of the legs, so that they will rest more flatly on the ground. Clean with a tack rag.

2. Stain, finish, or paint the entire wood frame as desired.

3. Nail nonstick rubber bumper pads to the bottom of each leg.

References

• Lee's Wood Projects:Building a Wooden Easel
• Wood Screw Lengths and Heads