Heavy Duty Stretcher Bars

We have three heavy duty profiles made by laminating together to double thickness our Basic, Standard and Professional profiles. These ‘double thick’ profiles are very strong, straight, and more stable which makes them ideal for large frames 8 to 16 plus feet in length. For even larger size frames we have developed a "triple thick" laminated profile we call the Extra Heavy Duty Standard bar.

Special Features of our EXTRA-LARGE STRETCHERS

	Heavy Duty Basic This 1-5/8" thick bar is our most popular and economical stretcher profile used for Gallery Wrap (frameless) display of art. The laminated design produces a very reliable, straight and stable support frame for canvases. With braces, the HD Basic profile is suitable for canvases up to 60" (150 cm) in dimension.
	Heavy Duty Standard This is our most commonly used large format stretcher profile. We recommend this strong and straight laminated profile for canvas sizes ranging from 72" to 120" (180 cm to 300 cm). Heavier 3/4" x 3" keyed braces are used with this profile to provide the necessary frame support. Stretchers over 96" (240 cm) are often made in one or two sections which are assembled with flush mounted bolts. This makes it possible to ship large frames by courier and also allows for the folding of paintings for easier transportation once stretched.
	Heavy Duty Professional This 2-1/4" thick stretcher profile is often used for large paintings that are to be diplayed Gallery Wrap style. The thicker profile also provides extra "set-back" space between the canvas and stretcher components, a feature favoured by artists who like to press hard on the canvas when applying paint. The laminated profile and heavy duty bracing provide a very strong and stable framework to support canvases up to 120" (300 cm) in dimension.
	Extra Heavy Duty Standard Profile For building very large stretchers over 120" (300 cm) in length, we use a 2-3/8" x 3" (6 cm x 7.6 cm) 3-ply laminated bar with 1" x 3" extra heavy duty braces to provide the necessary structural strength to support a well tensioned canvas. This extra heavy duty design is suitable for frames up to 20 feet (6 metres) in dimension.

Cross bracing where needed is set back from the canvas as follows:

Profile	Set Black
HDBasic	0.68"
HDStandard	0.68"
HDProfessional	1.06"

Certainly a large work to last maybe centuries needs a foundation that is light, and strong, and skillfully constructed, qualities unlikely to be supplied by anyone but experts. No matter how large, our frames are designed to reduce your work in assembly to a minimum of effort and hassle. Consult with us on how we can provide custom designed stretcher frame assemblies for your very large canvas sizes (over 8 feet up to 30+ feet in length) or works requiring exceptional strength & dimensional stability. Note that all these frames have inward slope on the back side which allows for a protective backing. Backing can be critical to the longevity of a work of art. It makes a barrier or buffer to reduce the effects of cycling climatic changes and atmospheric pollutants, and to reduce the risk of damage caused by mishandling.

Material:	Kiln dried, solid or finger jointed clear white pine or poplar.
Maximum Length:	30 plus feet. All stretcher bars over 9 feet in length have a 12” long half-lap joint which is glued and/or screwed when assembled.
Minimal Length:	8 inches
Custom Sizes:	All sizes cut as ordered. (inches or centimeters) Quote Form \| Order Form
Cross Brace:	3/4” x 3” clear white pine or basswood; normally spaced at no greater than 40” centres. Each cross brace is designed with a 1/4”x1/2”x 3” tenon on each end which fits into the matching mortice on the stretcher bar. The cross brace includes a very effective and attractive “hidden” slot design which holds the keys firmly in place. Where cross braces overlap, a 3” wide 3/8” deep dado is machined in each brace to provide a tight and flush nesting of the intersecting braces. This joint is normally glued or screwed during final assembly.
Keys:	3 1/2” long & 5/32” thick, made of hardwood with serrated edges to ensure grip in the key slots.