Make a Tabletop Easel from Metal Tubing

I needed an easel for an exhibition for our business poster and did not want to buy one. I looked online for instructions and ideas and found a good number to get main brain going. That’s when I realized that I already had most of the material in my garage. I decided to stick with metal tubing rather than wood. The reason is, that I once made an easel (much larger) with wood, but the legs kind of bent. This easel is made to hold a 17×22″ poster or larger.

So here is how I created the easel.

Materials

3 pieces of metal tubing 1cm (3/8″) diameter) 92 cm (3 feet) long (( have no idea what kind of metal it is as it came from a shoe shelf)
1m (3 feet) aluminum wire 6mm (1/4″) diameter (this gives you some to spare if you make a mistake. I have no idea where I got it from)
2 metal washers 2cm (3/4″)
10cm of 6mm (1/4″) clear plastic tubing or something that will fit over the aluminum wire. Cut 2 pieces that are 2cm (3/4″) long and 2 pieces that are 12mm (1/2″) long (I used this a spacers)
38cm (15 inches) of 8mm (5/16″) pvc pipe or something that will fit over the aluminum wire and keep it stable. (I used a piece that was leftover from some plumbing work)
10cm (4 inches) plastic tubing that fits over the metal tubing or something that gives the bottom of the easel feet some grip
2m (2yards) of thin wire or string
regular and round nose pliers
file to file down the sharp ends of the cut wire
ruler & pencil
drill and hammer
One small nail (for pilot hole) and one big nail that’s big enough to make a hole to feed the aluminum wire through

Instructions

Top of Easel

Mark one end of all 3 pieces of metal tubing about 2.5cm (1 inch) from the end
Make a hole on the mark. I found I had to first make an indentation with a small nail for the drill to stop slipping and as I was already hammering the nail in I just kept on going. Once I had the whole through the metal tubing I switched to the larger nail. With the nail you have to enlarge the initial hole from both sides. If you use an electric drill it makes a cleaner hole.
Now thread the aluminum wire through the first tube, then add a 2cm (3/4″) piece plastic tubing, the next metal pipe, another 2cm (3/4″) piece plastic tubing and the third metal pipe straight from the coil.
Use the round nose pliers and bend the end of the wire into an eye
Now measure about 2.5cm (1 inch) on the metal wire past the last metal pipe and cut the wire.
With round nose pliers bend the wire again into an eye

Front Legs – Bottom of Easel

Make a hole into the metal tubes about 8cm (3 inches) from the bottom on the front (follow instructions of point 2 above)
Thread the aluminum wire from the back through the 1st tube
Push a 12mm (1/2 inch) piece of clear plastic tubing over the wire
Add one washer on top of the plastic pipe
With round nose pliers bend the wire into an eye
Pull wire tight against metal tubing and measure 2.5-3cm (1 inch) past the tubing and cut
With round nose pliers bend the wire again into an eye
Repeat on 3 metal tube, skip the middle tube for the time being
Middle metal tube take the aluminum wire and thread through the hole and bend the wire with round nose pliers into an eye
Pull wire tight against metal tubing and measure 2.5-3cm (1 inch) past the tubing and cut
With round nose pliers bend the wire again into an eye

Front Legs Spacer

I wanted an easel that I could transport easily, but that was also stable. So to keep the front legs of the easel apart I made a kind of closure that could be opened and closed.

Back Leg – Bottom of Easel

bottom of closed easel - flat — bottom of closed easel – flat

Push the aluminum wire through the pvc pipe or whatever you are using
Make an eye at the end of the wire, but don’t close it fully
Attach the eye to either the 1st or 3rd leg of easel (depends if you are right of left handed) and squeeze eye shut
Cut wire about 2.cm (3/4 inch) past the end of the pvc pipe
Bend wire at right angle just past the pvc pipe (this end now hooks into the eye on the backside of either the 1st or 3rd leg)