# Emulating Standing Picture Frame Easel



## Raystafarian (Mar 10, 2013)

I'm having trouble trying to describe this, but in this photo of a picture frame back -









There's a leg, or a stand. It will work with the frame being oriented vertically or horizontally.

How would one create something like this of custom size (not out of cardboard)? Say I have a relatively rectangular slab of around 5 lbs - how would I know the strength needed such that it doesn't topple? 

I can't seem to figure out what words to search for when looking for something like this. Thanks!


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

Ray, this is really an engineering question. I'm sure some of us could help you, but we need to know more about your project:
1. What are you building and what is it used for?
2. What are the dimensions the thing you want to prop up?
3. At what angle (relative to vertical) do you want it to rest?
4. What materials are you using?
5. Does it just sit there, like a picture frame on a shelf, or are there additional loads applied? Wind maybe? Or an artist dabbing paint on an easel.


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## Knot2square (Jul 11, 2015)

Not knowing the dimensions this may be hard to answer. But I have seen and have had some luck using luan as a support. I have had luan scrap lying around after several projects and has given me no problems.


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## Raystafarian (Mar 10, 2013)

DonkeyHody said:


> Ray, this is really an engineering question. I'm sure some of us could help you, but we need to know more about your project:
> 1. What are you building and what is it used for?
> 2. What are the dimensions the thing you want to prop up?
> 3. At what angle (relative to vertical) do you want it to rest?
> ...


Good point. It's going to be around (wxhxd) 9 9/16 x 11 3/4 x 3/4" - don't have the final wood, only prototypes right now, but I'm assuming the density will be around the same as cherry. 

It will be used as a stand for a tablet, so I will also be attaching a "lip" on the bottom and right side to hold the tablet. 

Should just sit there, maybe get scrolled on a bit. Angle probably around 135° from horizontal. I'll probably add rubber or some sort of footing to stop slipping.


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

I'd just buy a cheap frame that had that type of system and trace it out of your desired material. If you have a copier, you can use a small one and just enlarge it to what you need.

Somebody already did the engineering for you.

HJ


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

Raystafarian said:


> Good point. It's going to be around (wxhxd) 9 9/16 x 11 3/4 x 3/4" - don't have the final wood, only prototypes right now, but I'm assuming the density will be around the same as cherry.
> 
> It will be used as a stand for a tablet, so I will also be attaching a "lip" on the bottom and right side to hold the tablet.
> 
> Should just sit there, maybe get scrolled on a bit. Angle probably around 135° from horizontal. I'll probably add rubber or some sort of footing to stop slipping.



OK, your prop will be in almost pure compression, so almost any wooden piece that meets your aesthetic requirements will be strong enough. You'll need a fairly sturdy hinge and attach it securely, along with a string or chain to limit the swing of the prop. HOWEVER, I don't think you'll have good success actually using just one prop. I'm afraid you'll find the easel tips when you scroll around on the screen. 

I'd put two props for vertical orientation and two more for horizontal. But then you'll have to find some way to secure the ones you're not using. 

You could inset all four of them into the back of the easel and hold them in place with a spring loaded ball that slips into a detent. Just kidding about that part, but it would be cool . . .


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

I think we ought to have a contest here and see who comes up with the best design.

The winner would get a free years subscription to Router Forum.

Herb


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I thought you were going much bigger Ray. I think the luan should work fine as a prop. Piano hinge would probably work and is cheap. You might have to dab a little glue in the ends to keep the wire inside. You may need to attach a chain and hook it to the frame to keep the leg from sliding out though


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## Ratbob (Apr 6, 2015)

Ray, you'll absolutely want more than one viewing angle, and you'll want the fold out to contact the table at a minimum of two points, spanning more than half the width of your tablet. If you're constructing it out of wood I wouldn't waste time worrying about 'strength', except at the pivot.

To really pick the best fit, you should consider the following:
*How 'portable' do you need the stand? 
*If it always lives in the kitchen or den, does it ever need to be able to fold up?
*Does it need to fit in a computer bag?

One approach that comes to mind is to use a dowel connected to the center of a strip of wood to form a 'T'. Using a Forstner bit, place several holes in the back of the support at different angles. Then you can plug the dowel in the hole that gives you the best viewing angle.

And one final thought, search google images for "tablet case" to look at some of the ways that the props are built into the case. This might just spark an idea.

GL
~Jeff


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Ray; if it's a stand for a tablet, you could reduce the weight substantially by removing excess material from the field of the frame...a 2" holesaw comes to mind.
Andy and jeff make good points re stability.


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

Herb Stoops said:


> I think we ought to have a contest here and see who comes up with the best design.
> 
> The winner would get a free years subscription to Router Forum.
> 
> Herb



Or better yet, a free routerforums.com pencil.

HJ


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Herb Stoops said:


> I think we ought to have a contest here and see who comes up with the best design.
> 
> The winner would get a free years subscription to Router Forum.
> 
> Herb


make it life time and ya got a deal...


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## marecat3 (Nov 30, 2010)

check out stevedgood.com under desk accessory. There are patterns there not made the same but might give you good idea


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## ksidwy (Jul 13, 2013)

Quote:
Originally Posted by *mary*
*check out stevedgood.com under desk accessory. There are patterns there not made the same but might give you good idea*


Great hint mary! Thanks for posting!!!
Sid.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Folding and stable is the problem. I suggest you use two pieces, cut horizontal to a little over the size of the device. Add a half inch lip around the edges set pretty tight to the device. Glue that in place. Put a strip of felt in the top and bottom, inside of the lip so it applies a little holding pressure to the device. Cut away openings in the lip for any buttons or plugs. 

The second piece should be slightly larger than the first, just enough so when you cut it the final size is an exact fit. Glue the smaller portion of the second piece to the back of the first. Hinge the bottom part to the top second piece so when it folds out, it supports the frame. 

You will need to limit the hinge movement. For that you could simply use a strand of strong ribbon fastened to the hinged part and the back of the frame. Chisel a small recess to hold the ribbon. A second option would be make that ribbon adjustable using a buckle of some sort, like those on adjustable dog harnesses. That will make it possible to adjust the angle.

One other option would be to add a third section to the bottom of the small flap using a canvas hinge (glued to the two pieces with a small cloth filled gap). To this, glue on some small crossbars to set the front against. This will let you set the angle. 

Yet another option would be to simply make a cover that fits over the frame to protect the device when not in use. Make this big enough so that when you remove it, it has small dados that the catch the bottom of the frame at one end of the piece, the folding back panel in one of several dados. 

Seems to me that would be stable in the horizontal position, which if you are typing would be easiest to work on. However, after all that, there are many rather inexpensive tablet stands on the market that have solved all these problems. I think the reason for doing this is as much decorative as anything else, so finishing would need to be very nice.

OK one more possibility. Make the back piece the same size as the front frame and make the base I've just described. Make a canvas hinge to attach the base to the front frame so it folds down to reveal the dados into which the hinged piece fits. That puts the dadoed part out of sight when stored. But it will also allow using a thicker material for the base so the dados will be deeper and the hinged pack more stable. 

Or simply make a base set on short legs with dados on top of the base. The framed device holder and swinging back flap are the same, but the fancy base turns this into a sort of kitchen counter art piece. Fancy leg treatment, routered fancy top. Hey, why not.

Do I win the free router forum subscription? Mike already gave me a RF pencil. ;-)


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## old coasty (Aug 15, 2014)

Look at some of the plastic stands for tablets. You could make a folding base with a rotating panel the tablet fits on. That way it could be portrait or landscape with a fixed folding prop for the back Could even have the prop fit into a recess when folded up.


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## firstmuller (Aug 28, 2014)

How about mounting the hinge on the kick stand just a little lower then the top of the kick stand so as it folds out, the top of the kick stand will touch the back and keep it from opening any more. the distance would depend on the hing size the distance you what the kick stand to fold out. The picture frame has a special hinge that holds it from opening any farther. I am not sure were you would get a hinge like that.
Allen


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## williamm (Oct 10, 2011)

I think a three point stance would be problematic when trying to operate the tablet by touching the screen, especially in the upper quadrants. 
I would suggest a four point stance, shaped something like a child's swing set, with the folding pivot at the top. If the field size is big enough for the tablet in the horizontal or vertical positions, the framework would not have to be flipped, but the tablet still would fit in either direction.
The back legs could even be shorter to give the tablet a more stable feel while operating it (less tendency for it to slide backwards).

Good luck with your project. 
Please post the resulting pictures.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

DesertRatTom said:


> Do I win the free router forum subscription? Mike already gave me a RF pencil. ;-)


Everyone that participates here wins the free subscription. We're like the modern liberalized school systems in that we have a pretty much zero fail rate.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Considering its for a tablet I'd kibosh the hing altogether and just have a front and a bottom and one side . These three pieces would be attached to each other at an angle of course to provide an angle for the tablet . This way you could put it on its side or stand it up for portrait mode


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## Raystafarian (Mar 10, 2013)

I appreciate all the responses! I'm still sorting through them all.


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## Raystafarian (Mar 10, 2013)

Ratbob said:


> Ray, you'll absolutely want more than one viewing angle, and you'll want the fold out to contact the table at a minimum of two points, spanning more than half the width of your tablet. If you're constructing it out of wood I wouldn't waste time worrying about 'strength', except at the pivot.
> 
> One approach that comes to mind is to use a dowel connected to the center of a strip of wood to form a 'T'. Using a Forstner bit, place several holes in the back of the support at different angles. Then you can plug the dowel in the hole that gives you the best viewing angle.
> 
> ...


This dowel solution really sounds clever to me, I'd just need to figure out some angles.



TheCableGuy said:


> Considering its for a tablet I'd kibosh the hing altogether and just have a front and a bottom and one side . These three pieces would be attached to each other at an angle of course to provide an angle for the tablet . This way you could put it on its side or stand it up for portrait mode


I don't quite understand what you're saying here, I can't seem to picture it.

_____________________
As far as portability - it doesn't need to be very portable at all, I assume it will live somewhere in the kitchen all the time. And yeah, this project is about the aesthetics more than the function - I could easily buy a functioning stand, but this is to appear like a cutting board.


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## Raystafarian (Mar 10, 2013)

All right, I took that dowel idea and mocked something up using 1" strips glued to the platform with a series of 1/2" holes drilled for 1/2" dowels. It doesn't seem half bad. Of course, the dowels and holes would probably wear out eventually, unless I made them more robust. I'd also have to space the strips and holes using some math, but here's the example -


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## Moz (Nov 13, 2015)

Nice idea!
Some other design options (I got here late):

































I simply bought ozer a plastic folding easel case that opens into a triangle with an attached external keyboard for about $20. It is stable enough for him to use the touchscreen even in bed.

The only change I would make (more for aesthetics than any real additional stability) would be to angle the ends of the dowels to sit flat, or put rubber caps on them to prevent slippage.

~M


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## Raystafarian (Mar 10, 2013)

Moz said:


> The only change I would make (more for aesthetics than any real additional stability) would be to angle the ends of the dowels to sit flat, or put rubber caps on them to prevent slippage.
> 
> ~M


Yeah, I was thinking about maybe using some nuts and a bolt with rubber on the end for the legs. That way the wear and tear on the wood wouldn't be an issue any more.


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## Raystafarian (Mar 10, 2013)

I found one with a similar design from 2012, different take on it -



source


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## Raystafarian (Mar 10, 2013)

So, my skills are limited and I ended up not attempting what wasn't possible for me. But, I'm pretty proud of it - it looks sufficiently like a cutting board which is what I was going for.


2015-12-14 16.53.37 


2015-12-14 16.54.18


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

looks good...
be proud.....


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## Ratbob (Apr 6, 2015)

I like it Ray, should be solid as a rock!


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