{{unreferenced, date=May 2016 A strainer bar is used to construct a wooden stretcher

frame A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

used by

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

s to mount their

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbags ...

es. They are traditionally a wooden framework support on which an artist fastens a piece of canvas. They are also used for small-scale

embroidery Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen on c ...

to provide steady tension, affixing the edges of the fabric with push-pins or a staple gun before beginning to sew, and then removing it from the frame when the work is complete. Strainer bar frames are usually in the shape of a

rectangle In Euclidean plane geometry, a rectangle is a quadrilateral with four right angles. It can also be defined as: an equiangular quadrilateral, since equiangular means that all of its angles are equal (360°/4 = 90°); or a parallelogram containi ...

, although

shaped canvas Shaped canvases are paintings that depart from the normal flat, rectangular configuration. Canvases may be shaped by altering their outline, while retaining their flatness. An ancient, traditional example is the '' tondo'', a painting on a round p ...

es are also possible. A stretcher frame constructed from strainer bars should not be confused with one constructed from

stretcher bar A stretcher bar is used to construct a wooden stretcher used by artists to mount their canvases. They are traditionally a wooden framework support on which an artist fastens a piece of canvas. They are also used for small-scale embroidery to pr ...

s. Strainer bars are fixed to one another with

wood glue Wood glue is an adhesive used to tightly bond pieces of wood together. Many substances have been used as glues. Types Animal glue Animal glue, especially hoof glue and hide glue, was the primary adhesive of choice for many types of woodworking, ...

, nails or staples, often in conjunction. Strainer bar frames are often reinforced with other fixed elements such as corner and cross braces. These frames are not built to accommodate the insertion of

tightening key A tightening key is a small wedge or shim used in the construction of a canvas stretcher frame with expandable joints. The key is inserted into the slotted inside the stretcher bars at the mitered corners of the frame to prevent or adjust sagging. ...

s into their corners to further tighten the canvas stretched upon them as a stretcher bar frame would.

See also