An artist in my circle wanted to make a frame on which to stretch a canvas.
The joint in the corner of such frames is a complex thing that is not to be tackled by a beginning woodworker. I needed to simplify it.
In the hope that beginners will give it a go I have reduced the joint to four slats. The ends are cut square, at 45 degrees and at 15 degrees.
These slats are layered and their ends combine to make up the interlocking, wedge operated stretching mechanism.
This is how the kit looked when it was ready for canvas.
Layering gives neater and cleaner joints that any amount of machining.
Mitres create a neat square frame to staple a canvas to.
As the wedges are hammered against the 15 degree ends the frame expands.
Four slats are clear in this view. Two outer slats are cut at 45 degrees and the inner cut at 90 and 15 degrees. Mess from the glue is hidden by the canvas.
The clock has been a gentle construction. However, it is about time my friends had some rattle, bang and thump in their work. Using a hammer to thump things together is lots of fun. But our giggles are really a response to mutual trust as we care for each other’s fingers and enjoy each other’s company. This is…
This project was perfect for batch production; the pieces are simple and can be cut in multiples. BUT, the coolest part of all is that when it was done we put our carriages together and created a train of inspiring proportions. We used our usual techniques of dowel hammered into holes that are 0.5mm too small….
Pallet wood has challenges.If patina tells a story, this is a saga of neglect.The milling process was rushed, the drying stage left twists and warps, and nails fixed the stigma of an abusive past with rusty stains.With such baggage, construction needed to compensate by accepting skewed realities. All timber in this table was rescued from dumping…
New Experiences Never Stop Happening in the Classroom For teaching to happen, a teacher must believe that they have something to offer. But no amount of self belief can surmount a brick wall cemented with the rubble of self doubt. Self doubt compacted under decades of hammering. Regular children in regular schools are frequently open…
A woodwork project with children led me to revisit Sam’s basket as an Easter project. Here it is with a bit of upholstery and a few eggs in side. Modifications Making this with dexterous children allowed a few modifications to the original method.The skewers that we laboriously drilled for and hammered in could be simple…
My friends were impressed by the notion that our train’s carriages could be hooked together and towed around. It failed, however, in that each woodworker could only take home a single carriage; they had nothing to tow. At the end of the train project, and experiencing a flush of overconfidence, I asked staff for inspiration. They requested a fire…
