How to Build an Art Easel From Scratch

If you enjoy painting, you are going to want to have an easel at some point.  The cost of a commercial easel can be quite expensive, and you might find that you don’t have enough to buy a professionally made easel.  Fortunately, it is easy to build one on your own if you have a little bit of woodworking skill.

Steps:

You will need to take a trip to the home improvement or lumber store to get the pieces you need to make your easel. 

You will need to have a drill, saw, hammer, wood glue, 10mm carriage bolts (5 inch and 7 inch) and 2-inch nails. 

You also need to have a 2×4 (about 4 feet long), 2×3 planks (6 to 7 feet long) and a 3×4 foot piece of ¾ inch plywood.

Preparation:

Cut the three legs from the 2×3 planks.  Your front left and right leg should be identical and about 82 inches long, and have a 15 degree angle at one end.  Your rear easel leg needs to be about 1 ½ inches shorter, and it should not have an angle.

Time to Drill

Place the front legs of the easel together so that they form an arrow with the angled edges.  With your drill, add a 3/8 inch hole into each of the front legs.  They should be 4 inches from the top.  The rear leg gets a hole that is 6 inches from the top.  Connect the three legs with the bolt and affix it with a washer and a nut.  The front legs should be several feet apart before you tighten the nut on the easel.

Final Steps

The 2×4 is the cross member.  Attach it to the two front legs of the easel by drilling a hole in each leg that is 38 inches from the bottom.  Attach it with 7-inch carriage bolts and tighten it with the nuts.  The plywood serves as the backboard for your easel.  You can connect it to the easel with your hammer and nails, and of course, the wood glue.

After you’ve created your masterpiece (the art easel, we mean), it’s time to exercise your skills and enjoy painting, drawing and creating art on your new product.  Take the easel outdoors to enjoy the fresh sunshine, or put it in a room in your home where there is plenty of light and create to your heart’s content.