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.
Lately, many projects have been created as presents; the latest note pad was a gift to the boss of the house we work in. It is simply time to make something self indulgent. So, here is our toy aeroplane.Some of my friends will not be able to make sense of what we are making. Others…
Stable Work Surface Jobs in wood offer incredible variety. My brief, on this occasion, was to make a strong and serviceable workbench. It was to be big enough and stable enough for multiple workers to use hand planes. It wasn’t to cost too much for it would be disposed of after three days of use….
Simple Machines Blogging takes time and my recent past has involved a sick wife and a new grandchild. Suburban life is rich with texture. It can make blogging take a back seat. Following is a report of a nice afternoon in my shed with my son! My disabled friends haven’t been ignored, the next blog…
I Broke a Promise… …but I also made a discovery. When I began doing wood projects among my disabled friends I made some promises to myself. The promises were a personal, but unwritten, statement of policy. I promise to: do work that is engaging because the thing we make is interesting, never to do all…
Work with my disabled friends depends heavily on efficient batch production. For reasons not worth recounting my workshop is out of action for about a year. So, work with my friends has stalled, horribly! To maintain our hands together relationship I need to invent stuff that requires very little wood machining. Here are two pieces…
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…
