# Cadmium Easel



## Charlie5791 (Feb 21, 2012)

*Main Frame parts*

I'm building myself a new easel. My old one is better than 30 years old and seen better days. This one will be much nicer. Basic construction is a frame within a frame, such that the inner frame slides up and down. This will be a counterbalanced easel. The inner frame will be counterbalanced using a system of weights and pulleys so that an entire canvas can easily be raised or lowered.

This build is all being done in 90/50 cherry. I got it at a great price, so… why not, right?
As I get farther along I may add accents in walnut or maple because I have leftovers of those from other projects.

So far I have the base and the inner and outer frames built.










Photo above is the inner and out frames, nested and fully closed.










And the one above here is the inner frame slid up about a foot and a half. That's all the travel I can give it in its current position and until I get it standing. When done it should be able to travel about 4 to 5 feet up and down and will have the capacity to hold a canvas about 8 feet tall or more. I would usually wall mount a canvas that large, but this easel will hold it if I want. It's more practical for paintings about 4 to 6 feet in height as you can raise and lower the canvas to work on the top or bottom comfortably. You need high ceilings to really extend this.










Above is a picture of the base. It is standing on its back in this photo. The front of the base is toward the ceiling. It is 30 inches wide.

I had to cut a slot in the top of the outer frame vertical pieces. The slot runs the width of the vertical frame stile and is 1/8" wide and 1-1/2" deep. It is made to accept a piece of aluminum flat bar stock that seats in a groove cut in the *inner* frame stile and serves to guide the inner frame and hold it in place so it doesn't just fall out of the outer frame. 

It looks like this:









The piece of aluminum bar stock will be trimmed to fit when I'm closer to completion. Right now it's just easier to have it a bit long so I have something to grab to pull it out. Once we're pretty much done with putting the frame in and taking it out and putting it in and….. then I'll drill a hole and run a screw into it to keep it in place. Oversize hole in the aluminum, and a screw countersunk flush with the face of the stile. I want the aluminum to be able to float a little as the frames expand and contract.

Next I have to mill the stock to make the center post that will actually hold all the things that actually hold the canvas. And I have to make the canvas supports and the angle adjustment for the main frame. Should be fun


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## AandCstyle (Mar 21, 2012)

Charlie5791 said:


> *Main Frame parts*
> 
> I'm building myself a new easel. My old one is better than 30 years old and seen better days. This one will be much nicer. Basic construction is a frame within a frame, such that the inner frame slides up and down. This will be a counterbalanced easel. The inner frame will be counterbalanced using a system of weights and pulleys so that an entire canvas can easily be raised or lowered.
> 
> ...


Charlie, this is quite an undertaking and it looks like you are doing fine with it. Thanks for posting.


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## Charlie5791 (Feb 21, 2012)

Charlie5791 said:


> *Main Frame parts*
> 
> I'm building myself a new easel. My old one is better than 30 years old and seen better days. This one will be much nicer. Basic construction is a frame within a frame, such that the inner frame slides up and down. This will be a counterbalanced easel. The inner frame will be counterbalanced using a system of weights and pulleys so that an entire canvas can easily be raised or lowered.
> 
> ...


AndCstyle,
Thanks! In order to get this all to work right, the inner and outer frames have to mate pretty well. They have to fit very close but still be able to slide. I built the outer frame first and then actually built the inner frame inside of the outer frame. Like using the outer frame as a jig.


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## Charlie5791 (Feb 21, 2012)

*Base and Frame assembled*

I have attached the pieces that kind of lock the inner, sliding frame to the outer frame, hinged the base to the frame, installed the wheels on the base, and now have the easel standing. I have clamped a temporary back brace on it while I make the permanent ones. And I still have to make all of the parts that will go on the center column (sliding canvas supports) and get all of those parts attached.

But it's standing! Yay, me!


















Not sure how much progress I'll make the next couple of days as we're getting ready to host a family get together, but getting it to this point is definitely exciting.


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## Charlie5791 (Feb 21, 2012)

*Center column and canvas supports*

I feel like I'm in the home stretch now.
Today I assembled the canvas supports, cut the center column to length, and got the canvas supports fitted to the center column. Then I set the center column in place temporarily while I checked operation.

Top Canvas support:
A general view of the front of the top canvas support









This is the back. There is an inch and a half wide dado in the center section. That was drilled for a studded knob and a blind nut was recessed into the dado for the knob that goes on the front. The piece of 1-1/2 inch wide aluminum flat stock is 1/8 inch thick. The dado is just slightly deeper than the 1/8 inch.









The aluminum flat stock is trapped in the dado by the top and bottom trim pieces. In this case they're walnut. The aluminum stock will get pressed against the center column to stop the upper canvas support from moving. 









We need a few more pieces …
Here is a view of the side guides that will clamp to the center column when the knob is tightened. In the center, between the guides is a piece of the center column (clamped to the center of the back of the support) that I cut off when final sizing the center column. It will serve as the template for setting the side guides. The center column has a 1/8 inch groove cut into both sides. When I made the center column I also milled another board exactly the same thickness and with a groove in just one edge using the same setup as the one used to put the groove in the center column. This way I know the grooves in the guides will line up exactly with the grooves in the center column. I've added a double thickness of painters tape to the edges of the piece of center column to make sure I have clearance for this all to slide when it's supposed to.









Here the side guides are installed and the template piece of center column is removed. Pieces of 1/8 inch flat aluminum, 3/4 inch wide, will be going in the grooves of the guide blocks and they'll ride in the grooves in the center column, but we have to do something to keep them in the blocks so I glued 1/8 inch thick strips of cherry to the bottoms of the blocks and and for the tops I also used 1/8 inch thick strips of cherry, but I countersunk some small flathead wood screws. This get installed by sliding it down from the top of the center column









The lower canvas support is simpler in terms of mounting. There are no grooves in the guide blocks. I extended the guide blocks above the top of the support and put a big radius on them. For this one the guide block thickness has to be sightly less than the thickness of the center column. This is so that we can put a clamping board across the back, The 2 knobs on the lower support, when tightened, pull the rear clamping board in tight and traps the center column which secures the lower support from moving.


















Why are the top and bottom canvas supports mounting to the center column in different ways?
The *top* support may have to slide past frame members when raising and lowering the inner frame. The bottom support does not slide past any interfering members. Also, using the clamping board in back gives a much tighter grip on the center column in case I want to paint on something heavier than canvas.

So the center column parts are nearly complete. I still have to put the radius on the upper corners of the top canvas support, and also at the very top of the center column. 
I have to trim, shape, and polish the aluminum flat stock at the top of the outer frame and secure them with a screw. Then it all comes apart for finishing and waxing of the parts that slide.

*THEN* I'll get on with building and installing the counterweight system.

Right now, it's starting to look more like an easel…


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## GrandpaLen (Mar 6, 2012)

Charlie5791 said:


> *Center column and canvas supports*
> 
> I feel like I'm in the home stretch now.
> Today I assembled the canvas supports, cut the center column to length, and got the canvas supports fitted to the center column. Then I set the center column in place temporarily while I checked operation.
> ...


Wow Charlie,

That is quite a sophisticated, framed canvas, holding machine… er, Easel. ;-)

I didn't realize that they could be that complex.

My foray into painting usually involves sheetrock, supported by a stud wall.
I have always been amazed by the skills of painters, sculptors and the finer artisans.

I can tie a 2×4 into a Bow and make it look like a ribbon in the woodshop, but i'm artistically challenged with symmetry when trying to trim the schrubs at the front of my home, if you know what I mean.

Your Easel resembles a complex jig of sorts, which I guess mechanically would qualify it as a speciality Clamp.

I've enjoyed your ingenuity and the Easel Blog.

Best Regards. - Len


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## Charlie5791 (Feb 21, 2012)

Charlie5791 said:


> *Center column and canvas supports*
> 
> I feel like I'm in the home stretch now.
> Today I assembled the canvas supports, cut the center column to length, and got the canvas supports fitted to the center column. Then I set the center column in place temporarily while I checked operation.
> ...


Center column installed, and parts finished. Finish is a couple coats of BLO and then Johnson's Paste Wax. I have 3 screws yet to put in, but essentially the wood part of the build is complete. Next instalment of the blog will be the installation of the counterweight system.


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## AandCstyle (Mar 21, 2012)

Charlie5791 said:


> *Center column and canvas supports*
> 
> I feel like I'm in the home stretch now.
> Today I assembled the canvas supports, cut the center column to length, and got the canvas supports fitted to the center column. Then I set the center column in place temporarily while I checked operation.
> ...


Looks like you have been putting in some long days.  Very soon you will be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Enjoy!!!


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## Charlie5791 (Feb 21, 2012)

*Counter weight system installed*

I have installed the counterweight system and it works. I did it according to the plan. One thing I notice is that the weight swings when I roll the easel around. I'll probably leave the weights off unless I know I'll be needing the counterweight feature (when painting a large canvas). It takes 22 and a half pounds of weight to counter balance the sliding section. And I can slide the center section up and down with one finger. And it holds position without being locked in place.

Future tinkering will involve:
- Changing the nylon rope to a plastic coated cable. The nylon is a bit too stretchy.
- Trying to make the weight more skinny. Like making a weight inside a piece of 4 inch pvc or something if I can find enough weight and if the pvc doesn't have to be too long. 6 inch might work. I don't like it banging into the back of the easel. In fairness, it won't swing around when I'm just using it while painting. So this isn't an emergency. I'll just like it better.
- I'm going to see if I can come up with a means to stabilize the counterweight.

Full view









Upper pulleys (rated at 400 pounds each)









Lower attach points and weights









That brings this one to a close. 
Be safe and have fun! 
I hope to be painting again soon…


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Charlie5791 said:


> *Counter weight system installed*
> 
> I have installed the counterweight system and it works. I did it according to the plan. One thing I notice is that the weight swings when I roll the easel around. I'll probably leave the weights off unless I know I'll be needing the counterweight feature (when painting a large canvas). It takes 22 and a half pounds of weight to counter balance the sliding section. And I can slide the center section up and down with one finger. And it holds position without being locked in place.
> 
> ...


I used a 4" PVC drain tube to run the 30lb. weight I used
to counterbalance my panel saw head. One look at those
weights dangling freely and I thought "this is not safe".


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## GrandpaLen (Mar 6, 2012)

Charlie5791 said:


> *Counter weight system installed*
> 
> I have installed the counterweight system and it works. I did it according to the plan. One thing I notice is that the weight swings when I roll the easel around. I'll probably leave the weights off unless I know I'll be needing the counterweight feature (when painting a large canvas). It takes 22 and a half pounds of weight to counter balance the sliding section. And I can slide the center section up and down with one finger. And it holds position without being locked in place.
> 
> ...


Well done Charlie.

Thanks for sharing.

Work Safely and have Fun. - Grandpa Len.


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## Charlie5791 (Feb 21, 2012)

*Modification to the counter weight system*

I wasn't happy With the nylon rope or the way the weights kinda swung around. So I've started modifying the counter weight system.

#1 I built a "weight box". I just whipped one up out of pine to test this and will eventually replace it with something nicer looking. Although this one works really well.

#2 I switched from the nylon rope to 1/8" plastic coated cable. I had a bunch of it from a dog run we no longer use, so…. just bought a couple of cable clamps. I also used the turn-buckle that was on the cable already. It *was* used to tension the cable. It *now* works really well for levelling the weight box as I wasn't sure I could get the cables cut *exactly* the same length and it would just bug the hell out of me if the box sat crooked.

#3 I moved the pulleys to be located over the ends of the weight box. This stopped almost ALL of the swinging around.

BEFORE:









AFTER:




































I have enough cherry left to rebuild the weight box in cherry, but I also might just build it out of some left over baltic birch ply. Or maybe maple…. I just don't know yet. I'm just MUCH happier with it now and it feels really solid where before I wasn't comfortable leaving the weights on. I was afraid the rope would break and the weights would crash down on the base.


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