Canvas Stretchers

Making your own canvas stretchers is a cheap alternative to buying them. Building your own will cost you about a third of the price. You will need the following materials:

1 standard 2x4
4 corner clamps
4 wooden clamp blocks
wood glue
paintbrush
marker/pen
heavy duty staple gun

You will also need access to a woodshop and a good attitude!

Step 1 Take your measurements

Before starting any cutting, measure out the desired length for the dimensions of the canvas. Make a mark where you will cut the wood with the minor saw.

Comments

[Noddie Molder]

Very neat way of making canvas stretchers. One snag.. How do you tension the canvas as the time goes by. I don't see any means of putting in corner wedges, which are used for tensioning the canvas when it sags. And they do. regards NM

[04mewm]

I realise this was posted almost a year ago, but thought i'd comment anyway for the help of others. To stretch the canvas without corner wedges, first wet the back of the canvas with a damp cloth. And then dry it with a hair dryer and repeat the process. It works on the same principal as when you wash cheap jeans they get tighter. Same idea. Hope this helps.

[alibird]

This is great! - Next I need an easy method to stretch the canvas on evenly please? Any instructions for this?

[canida]

Nicely done, with some very useful tips. I'd love to see one on canvas stretching, too.

(btw, it's a mitre saw, not a minor saw.)

[jongscx]

better than a minotaur saw!

[jongscx]

I thought you meant how to make a stretcher... like the kind to carry people with... my second thought was... If you had to move somebody quickly... do you really have time to turn on the table saw?

[Noddie Molder]

if you need a stretcher to carry someone in an emergency, you can always use a ladder. If you haven't got a ladder, then you'd have to make one! I wouldn't know where to start! Two large coats with poles through the sleeves make an emergency stretcher too

[frollard]

Not a bad instructable - I would have personally found the actual canvas application method more interesting -- I would love to see that added as a few extra steps.

Great work, and keep up the good work!