Open Artist Easel Heavy

(Only a Single STL is posted on Thingiverse, all files including the source are available on my personal website for free. https://gallaghersart.com/page/open_easel_heavy )

Work in progress, not yet done, files may be changed (so far o good), currently printing all the parts… Once done I will post source files. (also still learning FreeCAD, so CAD pictures just have parts vertical and not connected like in real life)

Now that I’m painting again with shaking hands and unbalanced sitting and standing. I realized I needed an Easel that can…

• Have a fixed but easily moved bar over the painting that I can rest my hands on without touching the wet painting.

• Also need an Easel that could hold me up or support my weight when I lose balance or need support to stay up.

• A shelf under paintings for stuff.

• A flexible stand on the left for reference or tablets/screens. (Right now thinking of just using a monitor arm for this)

• On the right side 2 glass pallets, A long strip on top for raw out-of-the-tube paint with tubes stacked above 300mm x 100mm. Then below this is a 2nd glass pallet for mixing and using 300mm x 300mm or larger.

• Hacking up 2 cool/warm adjustable LED lights to attach to the top of the frame with their adjustable arms. The one on the left has a magnifying lens with it so I can see details of the reference materials. The 2nd one will be over the mixing pallets.

• Adjustable angle for canvas mount, which can be vertical or facing up or down.

• Able to rotate painting as I’m painting to get different angles while painting, (upside down, on the side, etc..)

Using 26 3D printed parts with various Aluminum extrusions for the frame.

Print settings:

• Infill 100% lines in 4 directions.

• 4 wall lines with alt extra.

• 0.8mm nozzle with 1.0mm line width and 0.2mm thick.

• Rafts to be safe and flat

• ABS

• Then the rest of these settings would be your own machine’s best practices to get good ABS prints.

Sanding and filing will be necessary to get a tight fit, should not wobble in any way once attached. Bolts should slide but not wiggle in 3D-printed parts.

Parts For the version I’m printing right now. (all pats are estimates at this time)

Bolts:

• M4 16mm, 64x

• M5 20mm, 308x

• M5 25mm, 4x

• M5 35mm, 16x

• M5 70mm, 4x

• M5 75mm, 2x

• M5 Washer 1mm thick 10mm OD, 334x

Aluminum extrusion series 5 (2020) T-nuts (most custom)

• M4 2x Length 40mm, 32x

• M5 1x, 6x

• M5 2x Length 40mm, 64x

• M5 3x Length 60mm, 42x

• M5 4x Length 80mm, 8x

1x Mighty Bright LED Light Stand

1x Mighty Bright LED Light with magnifier

1x Small Adjustable TV wall mount with tilt (for left side, reference)

1x Bigger Adjustable TV wall mount with tilt (for the right side, paint palettes)

Aluminum extrusion parts (contact me before ordering, need to verify lengths for the front area that mounts artwork)

• 4040 x 880mm, 2x (used for depth of the bottom of the frame, in CAD Reddish Purple)

• 2040 x 600mm, 9x (used as the width of the frame, 4x are for adjusting the angle of the main frame, if depth or height changes then these 4x will also need to be changed, in CAD Purple)

• 2040 x 1000mm, 4x (front adjustable height, in CAD Light Blue)

• 2020 x @400mm, 2x (Bottom Canvas angle, in CAD Yellow bottom)

• 2020 x @800mm, 2x (Top Canvas angle, in CAD Yellow Top)

• 2040 x 582mm 6x (canvas width, in relation to main width 2040’s. ie. if you add 50mm to the 600mm 2040 then you need to add 50mm to this also, in CAD front green)

Future thoughts

• Adjustable Footrest

• Height adjustable feet or wheels

• Canvas rotate on the center point

• Better lights / true color OLED screen for reference

• Salt Oven Treatment to ABS parts to make them stronger

Enjoy!

`mike