How to Make an Easel for a Picture for Mother's Day

A beautiful Mother's Day picture requires a fantastic place for display. A homemade easel is just such a place. With a few materials, a handsome table-top easel can be made in a relatively short time.

Things You'll Need

• Wood, 3/4" x 4'
• Skill saw
• Pencil
• Drill
• 4 screws, 3/4"
• 1 small saddle hinge, 1 3/4" x 2"
• 2 eye screws
• Stain
• Paint brush
• Small S-chain

Instructions

Table-Top Easel

1. Cut the 4' section of wood into five pieces with the skill saw. Cut two pieces so that they are 15" long. Cut another piece so it is 11 1/2" long, and another piece that measures 10 1/4". The last piece should measure 6"long.

2. Lay the two pieces that measure 15" long onto a flat workspace. These sections make up the side supports of the easel.

3. Place the top area of these pieces about 6" apart. Make sure that the bottom side supports are a little greater than 10 1/4" apart.

4. Place the piece of wood that measures 10 1/4" across the bottom of the wooden pieces so that it is about 4" from the bottom of the wood. Make sure that the 6" piece of wood is level, and mark with a pencil the support pieces where the bottom support attaches.

5. Turn the frame over carefully and mark the area again. From the backside of the side supports, screw the 10 ¼" piece of wood to the frame.

6. Lay the 6" piece of wood across the top section of the two side supports on the back side. Screw the top support into the side supports.

7. Place the saddle hinge on the center of the top support. Mark the screw holes with a pencil, then screw the section to the top support. Attach the remaining section of wood to the back of the frame with the saddle hinge.

8. Screw one eye screw to the bottom of the front support. Attach another eye screw to the front of the wood that is attached to the hinge. Make sure that the eye screws are about 1" from the bottom of the back piece of wood.

9. Stain the frame using smooth brush strokes and let the frame dry. Repeat this step to make the color richer and darker.

10. Attach the small chain from the bottom front eye screw to the back eye screw. Display the finished easel on a flat surface.

Tips & Warnings

• The easel can be painted with acrylic paints and decorated to match the picture or left unstained for a natural look.

References

• Emporium Indonesia Woodworking: Build an Artist's Easel
• Blogsharp.com: The Space-Saving Table Top Easels