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Tabletop Display Easel[4/4 · 2ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 4 display easels
Shop Black Walnut 4/4 · 2ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 2' Lengths
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak (QS)
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A small folding easel shows off a good plate, a cookbook, a framed photo or a tablet. Each one is two leaning front legs, a grooved ledge, a top bar and a hinged back leg that folds flat for storage. One 2ft pack makes four: one for the shelf, one for the kitchen and two to give away.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front legs | 8 | Boards 1–2, ripped in half | 10" × 1 15/16" × ¾" | 10" × 1 11/16" × ⅞" |
| Back legs | 4 | Board 3, ripped in half | 9" × 1 15/16" × ¾" | 9" × 1 11/16" × ⅞" |
| Ledges (15° back edge) | 4 | Boards 4–5 | 9" × 2⅞" × ¾" | 9" × 2⅜" × ⅞" |
| Top bars | 4 | Boards 4–5, 1" strip | 9" × 1" × ¾" | 9" × 1" × ⅞" |
Front frame: two legs, a ledge and a top bar, all screwed (cross grain, no glue). Legs lean back 15°; the ledge's back edge is ripped at 15° to sit flat against them.
Back leg: one small brass butt hinge on the top bar; a cord between the back leg and the ledge sets how far it opens.
Ledge: ⅛"-deep groove ¾" back from the front edge to hold a plate rim or a book.
Finished size: About 9" W × 10" H, about 8" deep open, under 2" folded. Ledge 2⅞" deep (S4S) or 2⅜" (S2S). Holds plates, books and frames up to about 12" tall and 5 lb.
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 4/4 · 2ft (S4S or S2S)
- 16 × #6 × 1½" flat-head screws (legs to ledges)
- 8 × #6 flat-head screws for the top bars: 1¼" (S4S) or 1½" (S2S)
- 4 small brass butt hinges, about 1½" × 1", with screws
- 8 small screw eyes and about 4 ft of thin cord or light chain
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Finish: wipe-on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly
- 12 small felt pads
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square) — with 15° and 30° settings
- Table saw with a tilting blade (15° rip and the ledge groove)
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- Tape measure, combination square, pencil
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first, and finish ⅞" thick instead of ¾". No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 23½"/47½" long with ¼" to square an end, 4" wide, ¾" thick · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean), ⅞" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 Rip the legs. Rip boards 1, 2 and 3 in half down their length, about 1 15/16" wide each. Use a push stick. Crosscut the strips from boards 1–2 into eight 10" front legs and the strips from board 3 into four 9" back legs.
- 2 Rip the ledges. Tilt the saw blade to 15°. Rip a 1" strip off boards 4 and 5, so the wide part keeps a 15° bevel on one edge. That bevelled piece is the ledge stock, about 2⅞" wide. Crosscut both strips into 9" pieces: four ledges and four top bars.
- 3 Cut the leg ends. Tilt the mitre saw blade to a 15° bevel and trim both ends of each front leg, cuts parallel, through the thickness. The leg then stands leaning back with a level top. Bevel the bottom of each back leg at 30° so it sits flat on the table.
- 4 Groove the ledges. Cut a groove along the top of each ledge, ¾" back from the front edge, ⅛" deep and about ¼" wide (two saw passes). The bottom of a plate or a book sits in it and can't slide forward. Round the front edge, then sand all the parts 120 → 180 → 220 and soften every edge so nothing scratches a plate.
- 5 Attach the ledge. Lay two front legs face down, 9" apart outside to outside. Set the ledge's bevelled back edge against them, its underside 1½" up from the leg bottoms, ends flush with the legs. Pre-drill and drive two #6 × 1½" screws through each leg into the ledge. No glue: the grain crosses.
- 6 Add the top bar. Turn the frame over. Screw the top bar across the back of the legs, its top edge 2" below the leg tops, with one pre-drilled #6 × 1¼" screw into each leg. Check the frame is square first.
- 7 Hinge the back leg. Lay the back leg against the top bar, square end up and flush with the bar's top edge, centred. Join them with a small brass butt hinge across the top. Pre-drill the tiny screw holes with a 1/16" bit.
- 8 Add the stop. Twist a small screw eye into the inside of the back leg 2" up from the bottom, and one into the underside of the ledge at the centre. Tie a cord between them so the back foot stops about 8" behind the front feet.
- 9 Finish. Wipe-on oil or hardwax oil, 2–3 coats. Stick small felt pads under all three feet.
S2S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance). S2S boards finish ⅞" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 Rip the legs. Rip boards 1, 2 and 3 in half down their length, about 1 11/16" wide each. Use a push stick. Crosscut the strips from boards 1–2 into eight 10" front legs and the strips from board 3 into four 9" back legs.
- 3 Rip the ledges. Tilt the saw blade to 15°. Rip a 1" strip off boards 4 and 5, so the wide part keeps a 15° bevel on one edge. That bevelled piece is the ledge stock, about 2⅜" wide. Crosscut both strips into 9" pieces: four ledges and four top bars.
- 4 Cut the leg ends. Tilt the mitre saw blade to a 15° bevel and trim both ends of each front leg, cuts parallel, through the thickness. The leg then stands leaning back with a level top. Bevel the bottom of each back leg at 30° so it sits flat on the table.
- 5 Groove the ledges. Cut a groove along the top of each ledge, ¾" back from the front edge, ⅛" deep and about ¼" wide (two saw passes). The bottom of a plate or a book sits in it and can't slide forward. Round the front edge, then sand all the parts 120 → 180 → 220 and soften every edge so nothing scratches a plate.
- 6 Attach the ledge. Lay two front legs face down, 9" apart outside to outside. Set the ledge's bevelled back edge against them, its underside 1½" up from the leg bottoms, ends flush with the legs. Pre-drill and drive two #6 × 1½" screws through each leg into the ledge. No glue: the grain crosses.
- 7 Add the top bar. Turn the frame over. Screw the top bar across the back of the legs, its top edge 2" below the leg tops, with one pre-drilled #6 × 1½" screw into each leg. Check the frame is square first.
- 8 Hinge the back leg. Lay the back leg against the top bar, square end up and flush with the bar's top edge, centred. Join them with a small brass butt hinge across the top. Pre-drill the tiny screw holes with a 1/16" bit.
- 9 Add the stop. Twist a small screw eye into the inside of the back leg 2" up from the bottom, and one into the underside of the ledge at the centre. Tie a cord between them so the back foot stops about 8" behind the front feet.
- 10 Finish. Wipe-on oil or hardwax oil, 2–3 coats. Stick small felt pads under all three feet.
Why rip the ledge at 15°? The front legs lean back 15°. A bevel on the ledge's back edge lets it sit flat against them while its top stays level, so plates don't slide sideways and the screws pull it tight.
Why screws and no glue? The legs run up and down; the ledge and top bar run across. That's cross grain, and glue there fails as the wood moves. Two pre-drilled screws per joint hold it solid.
Why pre-drill? Maple, oak and hickory split if you drive a screw without a pilot hole. Pre-drill every screw and countersink so the heads sit flush.
Make It Yours
- Bigger easel: use a 4ft pack and double every length for a 20" easel that holds a canvas or a chalkboard sign.
- Tablet stand: set the cord shorter so the easel stands more upright for reading a recipe on a tablet.
- Mixed set: make each easel from a different species for a sampler gift.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Rip the narrow leg strips with a push stick. When ripping with the blade tilted, make sure the blade tilts away from the fence so the offcut can't get trapped.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
Plates up to about 12", cookbooks, small framed prints, a tablet or a phone. Keep it to about 5 lb. For heavier things, use a 4ft pack and build it bigger.
Yes. Drill a ¼" hole through the back leg and the top bar and use a ¼" dowel or bolt as a pivot. It folds the same way.
The cord is the stop. Shorten it and the easel stands more upright; lengthen it and it leans back more. A short brass chain looks tidy too.
Planned offcuts only: about 3" off the end of boards 1 and 2, about 5" off board 3, and about 5" off boards 4 and 5. All 5 boards go into the easels.
Yes. A 4ft pack makes eight easels: crosscut every board in half first, then follow this plan twice.
