How to Make Stretchers for Art Canvases
Whether you are new to painting or an old hand, building your own stretcher bars is a liberating skill, in many ways. Purchasing ready-made stretcher bars, with or without pre-stretched canvas, can quickly become a financial burden. Rather than having fun, you may begin to feel pressure to produce something amazing enough to justify your investment. Hobbyist and professional painter alike can learn to build stretchers and feel the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment that accompanies your new ability.
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Things You'll Need
- Brick molding
- Pencil
- Measuring tape
- Miter saw
- Wood glue
- 2 one-handed bar clamps
- Nail gun (or heavy-duty staple gun)
- Nails (or staples)
Instructions
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Decide upon the dimensions of the painting you are planning to make. These instructions are for a square canvas, which is made from four pieces of wood of the same length. Measure your brick molding into four precisely equal sections with your measuring tape, and accurately mark your measurements.
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With the miter saw handle grip in the center position (90 degrees), align your length of brick molding, with the high rim against the miter saw fence. Carefully cut at each measured mark.
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Now you must mark the angles that will allow the four pieces to fit together into a square. Split your four pieces of equally sized brick molding into two pairs. Line up both pairs back to back (with the high rims of the brick molding facing inward). This will ensure that you do not incorrectly mark the angles and end up with pieces that do not fit into a square. In order for the pieces of molding to fit together properly, the corners of each piece must be cut at a 45-degree angle. Mark each pair at estimated 45-degree angles, tapering inward, away from the high rim.
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Move the handle grip on the miter saw to the 45-degree position. Cut the appropriate angle on each of the four pieces. You will then need to move the handle grip to the 45-degree position on the other side of the center 90-degree mark and cut the remaining angles of each of the four pieces.
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Once you cut the angles on all sections, lay them out on a worktable in the manner that they will be glued and nailed together. Choose a joint to begin with, and clamp one of the pieces to the top of the table, near the edge. Apply wood glue, and fit the corresponding piece to it. While holding the gluey joint in place, firmly clamp the second piece to the table. With due caution, use your nail or heavy-duty staple gun to shoot two or three nails (or staples) into the joint, joining the two pieces. Repeat this procedure on the remaining three corners, and allow glue to dry before stretching your canvas.
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Tips & Warnings
Brick molding is one of the best and easiest kinds of wood to make stretcher bars with. The high rim of the molding provides a thin lip for the canvas to rest on. If you are building stretcher bars with 1-by-2-inch pieces of wood, a thin piece of quarter round must be tacked on to provide the lip that is inherent in brick molding.
Never use a power tool without proper instruction, guidance or experience. Use caution and pay attention to what you are doing.
Large stretcher bars may require additional bracing in order not to warp when canvas is stretched over it. However, precise measuring, generous applications of glue, and accurate and secure nailing should make for straight stretchers.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit peintre image by pucci raf from Fotolia.com
