How to Cradle Plywood Panels

I have been working on 12"x12" maple panels for a class, and I thought that I would like to cradle them for display. I like to paint on the thin panels- they are easy to stack and store- and then I cradle them with 1.5" x 0.75" select pine that I buy in 8 foot lengths. With this method, I can cradle 2 panels with one board. Thanks to my husband, I have a wonderful miter chop saw to work with. This can be done with a miter box- but do I love the chop saw!

First I cut the pieces with 45 degree cuts. Make sure that you flip your board so that the cuts look like they do below:

Above you can see the four pieces I have cut- the longer sides are 12". I use wood glue and this band clamp. I don't know how I would do this without the band clamp. You need one of these!

I place a small amount of wood glue on the angled cuts. Place your glue towards the middle of the square, so it doesn't goop out and glue your clamp to your cradle. You only need a little and clean up is easy with a damp towel. Make certain that your cradle is flat against the counter so it hangs flat on the wall.

After removing the band clamp once the glue is dry, I glue along the top edge of the cradle and clamp on my panel. The cardboard sticking out is there to protect the surface of my painting. As you can see, I have quite a clamp collection... after clamping the corners, I work on the middles, looking for gaps to clamp down.

Now that the glue is dry, I remove the clamps, wait for the glue to cure, and sand the edges on a belt sander. And it is done! Do you have any tricks that you like to use?

Currently I am working on developing a method for building floater frames, so keep an eye out for my next post- or sign up for my newsletter!

Thanks for reading, Liese

#cradledpanel #hardboard #panel #abstractpainting #chopsaw