Now You Can Order High Quality Stretcher Bars and Strips
You can order a stretcher bar in several styles these days. The most widely used among stretcher bars are the Medium (Standard) Duty stretcher bars that are also known as Fredrix stretcher bars or stretcher strips. Then you have the light duty variant bars, the Medium/Heavy Duty bars also known as Goldilocks, the Heavy Duty or Midi variant and lastly the Super Heavy Duty Stretcher bar.
The stretcher strips are the commonest forms of stretcher bars and these come in a size ¾" in depth and 1 5/8" in width. These are the true standard stretcher bars and they have raised and rounded edges for reducing the friction that occurs during stretching. These edges also allow for a more even and tighter canvas face that is more appealing and brings the art work into focus. The stress on the canvas and on the person that does the pulling or stretching is also less and this is safer for the canvas and less tiresome for the person. The 1 5/8" width of the bar helps it withstand bowing due to taut stretching but cross braces are advised when you experience bowing.
Under typical circumstances, canvas stretcher bars are subjected to enormous amounts of pressure. It is, in short, the ability of wood to stay straight and not warp or bend over time or due to pressure.In order to ensure better stability, you should insist on buying high quality stretcher strips that use short sections, joined together with finger splines, to make longer bars. However, there are plenty of other brands available which are extremely good. And the best thing is you can now buy all such high quality stretcher strips with just a click of your mouse. This greatly increases the bar's resistance to twisting, bowing or warping. The system of using smaller sections also makes the bars stronger and resistant to bending than those that are entirely constructed of one continuous piece.
The light duty bars are very economical and just like the other bars are made from the best quality fir wood that has been dried in the kiln. They have rounded edges for relieving the stress experienced by the canvas like in all other bars. The result is a tighter and more uniform stretch since the canvas flows around smooth edges rather than sharp ones. For those interested in the heavy duty stretcher bar there are three options to select from among Goldilocks, Midi and Super Heavy Duty bars.
The stretcher strips are the commonest forms of stretcher bars and these come in a size ¾" in depth and 1 5/8" in width. These are the true standard stretcher bars and they have raised and rounded edges for reducing the friction that occurs during stretching. These edges also allow for a more even and tighter canvas face that is more appealing and brings the art work into focus. The stress on the canvas and on the person that does the pulling or stretching is also less and this is safer for the canvas and less tiresome for the person. The 1 5/8" width of the bar helps it withstand bowing due to taut stretching but cross braces are advised when you experience bowing.
Under typical circumstances, canvas stretcher bars are subjected to enormous amounts of pressure. It is, in short, the ability of wood to stay straight and not warp or bend over time or due to pressure.In order to ensure better stability, you should insist on buying high quality stretcher strips that use short sections, joined together with finger splines, to make longer bars. However, there are plenty of other brands available which are extremely good. And the best thing is you can now buy all such high quality stretcher strips with just a click of your mouse. This greatly increases the bar's resistance to twisting, bowing or warping. The system of using smaller sections also makes the bars stronger and resistant to bending than those that are entirely constructed of one continuous piece.
The light duty bars are very economical and just like the other bars are made from the best quality fir wood that has been dried in the kiln. They have rounded edges for relieving the stress experienced by the canvas like in all other bars. The result is a tighter and more uniform stretch since the canvas flows around smooth edges rather than sharp ones. For those interested in the heavy duty stretcher bar there are three options to select from among Goldilocks, Midi and Super Heavy Duty bars.