Large piece bracing

[Larry01]

Hi everyone

Just after some advice. I have sewn this silk scarf to lightweight canvas and then stretched it over a canvas. Long story short, I was going to build an acrylic box but am now framing in oak with acrylic glazing. My question is, would it be silly to leave it on the braced stretcher and add the frame, for extra support? Maybe it would then be too heavy with the acrylic? Other thought was to remove the lightweight canvas (with scarf sewn on) and lace over foamcore and frame. Reinforce the corners with flat L brackets? Size is 1300mm x 1100 mm

Many thanks.

 

[wpfay]

That would probably depend on the strength of the frame, but, if my conversion from metric is accurate, I would probably engineer a strainer into that design anyway.
Can you show us a photo or a drawing of the frame profile?

 

[Larry01]

Thanks for your reply, here is a photo of the moulding. It fits the stretcher frame. I also have a brace in the stretcher, frame is 48mm in height

 

[wpfay]

The easiest bracing would be diagonal corner braces that make contact roughly a third of the way in from the corners. they need to be installed so they don't make contact with the fabric.
Using pocket screws to install the stretcher/strainer in the frame will unify the strength of the two frames. The fit should be pretty snug so you don't pull either frame too much. The outer would pinch the acrylic, and the inner would possibly over-tension the fabric. Matboard shims can be used to keep the two frames aligned with one another.
There are other options to pocket screws metal or fabric straps, "L" brackets (depending on residual depth), Fletcher multipoint fasteners with a #4 panhead screw through the hole into the back of the strainer, etc...