Stretching Challenge

Bandsaw

MGF, Master Grumble Framer
Joined
Feb 17, 2006
Posts
973
This week's framing challenge was making stretchers and stretching 2 Giclee canvases 20 inches high and 14 FEET wide. They came out perfect.

Next week's challenge is to frame them.
 
How did you join the two halves of the long sides of the stretcher together?
 
How did you get it out the door? Mine are only 6'8" tall.


Sorry

How many support struts did you have to use? Is there going to be a frame around it? What is the image of?
 
The Images are panoramas of an ocean shorelines - They are to be displayed in an airport by the Chamber of Commerce.

The stretcher frames are very light using stretcher materials about 1 x 2 inches. Went to the lumberyard and bought long wood. Back to the shop and ripped to size on table saw. Then shaped on the router table. Some sanding. Miter cut 2 pieces 168 inches and 2 pieces 20 inches. The corners are strengthened using 1/4 inch plywood triangular gussets 6 x 6 inches screwed in from the back. These are screwed to the short pieces before the corners are joined and used for alignment as the corners are glued and nailed. The corners were clamped to a carpenters square while being nailed. There are 7 strainers at about 20 inches which are attached with pocket screws - the pockets are drilled using a Kreg jig. The center strainer also has plywood gussets. The corners are sanded and it's ready for stretching.

Then it had to be transported to the artist's studio. Put an extension ladder on my truck for rigidity and taped the stretchers to the ladder with electrical tape.

The artist and I stretched them - he used the pliers and I used an air stapler - took about half an hour each. The Giclee canvas is quite stretchy and it should stay nice and tight.

With the canvas on it's rigid enough to remove the plywood gussets before framing.
 
It would have been easier and sfer in the end to use a Labron or expandable bolt stretcher. Then it could be transported and framed a bit easier. Then again not too many folks do them.

Pl
 
A bolt stretcher would have required much heavier wood bars. In our experience there will be no need for future stretching - this poly/cotton inkjet material is quite elastic. This entire stretcher frame only weights a couple of pounds.

In our shop we use various mechanical hardware when needed for things like heavy rugs. I prefer using angled turnbuckles to cross bolts because I don't have to drill the bars. Do you remember a product called "Stretcher Wedgers", I still have few and wish they were still available - great for medium size, heavy pieces.
 
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