What's inside
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A tabletop easel is a useful small-shop project: it holds a canvas, sketch board, or recipe book at an angle without taking up floor space. This design uses a hinged back leg and a front ledge with two movable stops. The stops keep different sizes of work from sliding, and you can shift them without rebuilding the easel.
Contents
Choose a size and layout
The plan below suits work up to about 16 inches tall and 1½ inches thick. The base is 18 inches long and 12 inches deep; the front support board is 18 by 5 inches. These dimensions leave room for a canvas to lean against the support while its bottom edge rests on the ledge.
Two stops slide along a horizontal slot in the ledge. A bolt and hand knob on each stop clamp it in place. This is more adjustable than fixed wooden pegs, but the slot takes extra care to cut straight. If you only use one canvas size, fixed stops are simpler and stronger.
Materials and tools
Use straight, dry ¾-inch plywood for the base and support, plus hardwood or clear softwood for the leg, ledge, and stops. Plywood resists seasonal movement and stays flat; solid wood is easier to shape but can cup if it is poorly dried. A small offcut of ¼-inch plywood works for the leg hinge reinforcement.
You will also need two ¼-20 carriage bolts about 1½ inches long, two washers, two hand knobs with ¼-20 threaded inserts, wood glue, and screws. A bench drill press helps make square bolt holes, but a hand drill and a guide block are adequate. For cutting the slot, a router with a straight bit is easiest; a jigsaw can work if you clean up the edges with a file.
Basic tools: saw, drill, square, clamps, tape measure, and sandpaper. A set of woodworking clamps is convenient, though a couple of inexpensive bar clamps are enough for this build.
Cut list
| Part | Quantity | Finished size |
|---|---|---|
| Base | 1 | 18 × 12 × ¾ in. |
| Front support | 1 | 18 × 5 × ¾ in. |
| Back leg | 1 | 16 × 2½ × ¾ in. |
| Bottom ledge | 1 | 18 × 1½ × ¾ in. |
| Sliding stops | 2 | 2 × 1½ × ¾ in. |
| Hinge reinforcement blocks | 2 | 2 × 2 × ¼ in. |
Make the support and adjustable stops
Mark the support board’s centerline and lay out a ¼-inch-wide slot running horizontally, 1 inch above its lower edge. Make the slot 10 inches long. A narrower slot limits adjustment; a wider one removes more material without much benefit. Round the slot ends with a ¼-inch drill bit, then connect the holes with a router or careful jigsaw cuts. Test a bolt in the slot before moving on: it should slide freely but not rattle excessively.
Drill a ¼-inch hole through the center of each stop. If using carriage bolts, square the bolt shoulder into the wood so it cannot spin when you tighten the knob. Add a washer between the knob and support board to spread pressure and reduce wear. The stops should clamp firmly with hand pressure; overtightening can crush soft wood or strip a threaded insert.
Glue and screw the ledge to the front face of the support board, flush with its bottom edge. Predrill the screw holes to prevent splitting. Keep the ledge square to the board; a tilted ledge can make a canvas slide to one side.
Assemble the easel
Center the support board on the base, with its bottom edge about 1 inch from the base’s front edge. Fasten it from below with four 1¼-inch screws, countersinking the heads. Check that the support stands square across the base before tightening. The back leg hinges to the rear of the support near its top, allowing it to fold down for storage.
Attach the leg with a small butt hinge or a 2-inch-wide strap hinge. Position it so the leg swings toward the back of the base. Add the two reinforcement blocks on either side of the hinge if the plywood is soft or the hinge screws feel loose. Set the leg length and hinge position so the support rests at roughly 65 degrees from the base. For a different viewing angle, move the leg’s contact point farther back for a shallower lean, or forward for a steeper one.
To stop the leg slipping, glue a 1-inch square of thin rubber or cork to its foot. A loose leg is a common failure: the easel slowly collapses when a heavy board is leaned against it. If that happens, add a shallow crosspiece between the leg sides or a short chain to limit opening.
Finish and test
Sand edges to 150 grit and break sharp corners. Apply a water-based polyurethane or hardwax oil if the easel will be handled often. Finish is optional for a shop easel, but sealing the ledge makes paint and pencil marks easier to wipe off. Avoid a thick coating inside the slot, where it can make the stops bind.
Set the stops around the workpiece’s bottom corners, leaving a little clearance rather than pinching it. Test with the heaviest board you expect to use and press gently near the top. If the base rocks, check that it is flat and that the leg foot has traction. If the support flexes, add a narrow cleat across its back. The adjustable-stop approach costs a little more in hardware and setup than fixed pegs, but it is worthwhile if the easel will hold several sizes.