An Art Easel for Your Soho Craft Studio

An art easel is great element to use in your craft room this year, because it can be both decorative and functional. Unfortunately, they can be a little pricey. I decided to cut the cost and make my own.

• I started by picking up two five-foot 1" x 1" and one seven-foot 1"x 1" wooden poles at Home Depot. The price will vary depending on the type of wood you choose. I went with the cheapest. (You can also check out the scrap wood bin. As long as your poles are the same size and length, it really doesn't matter if the wood matches)

• First, cut off the extra three feet off the one 7 ft pole, so all of the long poles are 5 feet (we'll use the extra 3 feet later).
• Next, drill a hole about a half inch from the top of the pole with a 1/4" drill bit. Then repeat this for the next two poles. (I lined up the pole that I had previously drilled through with the new pole and marked where the hole was to make sure they would line up)

• After all three have a hole drilled through them, take a 4" screw and feed it through one pole. Put a bolt on the other side of the pole to anchor it. Leave about a 1/3 of inch and put another bolt at that spot, then feed another pole onto the screw. Place another bolt to anchor that one down also. Repeat this process for the third pole. This will leave you with a tripod like structure that you can manipulate to get it to stand up the way it to. 

• Next, take your 3' pole and attach it to the front legs (your poles on the right and left). I used two small wood screws to do this, but you could also drive small nails and it would hold the same.

• Once that is done, you have yourself and easel. I left mine with its natural wood finish and splattered some paint on it, but you can paint and decorate it to fit your room.

Enjoy!