Heavy Duty Stretcher Bars

John Annesley Company offers these heavy duty wood-keyed stretcher bar solutions in a variety of depths and configurations. All our stretcher bars are made from solid basswood which is a very light weight and straight grain hardwood with an almost neutral PH. What this means is that the stretchers are light, strong, guaranteed to be warp free, and are much less likely, than stretchers made from others woods, to react with paints in any negative fashion. Plus we provide a variety of edge treatments for our stretchers, allowing for a variety of framing options and painting techniques.

Much like a human face, the fabric on stretcher bars is affected by gravity and sags over time. Both linen and cotton duck show their sensitivity to heat and cold by expanding and contracting. Over time, the fabric fatigues and begins to loose its resiliency. Traditionally, the wooden keys hammered into the corners of the stretcher bars have been used to further expand the bars and take up the fabric slack.

Our popular Heavy Duty Stretcher Bars are traditional wood-keyed stretcher bars, made to exacting tolerances. Corner joints are adjustable in each direction, with the supplied wooden keys. The braces are tenoned to fit into the mortise of the stretcher. They are flush with the back of the stretcher, and are expandable via the supplied wooden keys. The basswood used for these stretcher bars is totally free of knots and other physical defects.

We build to standard, fractional and metric sizes up to 40 feet!
We offer three types of stretcher bars:

Stretcher Bars Tutorials

Take a look at our training video "How to Stretch Canvas".
We encourage you to check out this wonderful MP4 movie.
Click on one of the following titles to view a "how-to" slideshow:
How to Assemble Wood Keyed Stretcher Bars

Using the Keys on Wood Keyed Stretcher Bars

How to Install and Adjust a Wood Key Stretcher Using a Turnbuckle Adjuster



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Testimonials - Stretcher Bars

As I was carrying a painting in London down Picadilly to the Royal Academy of Arts, I was stopped by so many people, especialy artists. Actually, they were not so much interested in the front of my painting as the back - they all admired your beautiful, practical, and sturdy stretcher bars. As one passer-by said, "This is a fine piece of furniture!"
I would never buy my stretchers anywhere else!
Many thanks for your great work,
Monroe Hodder

I bought a few supports from y'all last year and loved them. Your work is wonderful! Now I would like to order more.... Thank you!
Lance Whitner
Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Everything arrived yesterday afternoon in perfect condition. These are much better quality stretchers than the ones I'm using now.
Timothy Rudd
Houston, Texas

Recieved the stretchers a couple of days ago. They look great. And assembled to boot. Thanks so much,
Tom Pappas
Provincetown, Massachuetts

Just wanted to let you know how much Bob (and I) appreciate your help with this time pressing situation. Bob really respects you and holds your friendship close to his heart. You have always done beautiful things for him and he is in awe every time he gets to paint on your stretcher bars....
All the best and thanks again,
Quinn Morrison
Assistant to Bob Nugent
Santa Rosa, California

They arrived last week and they are absolutely beautiful! I have them mounted and have already started in paint. Thank you, thank you. Best regards,
Helen Shanks
Stanford, California

Heavy Duty Stretcher Bars
- Product Details

Heavy Duty Stretcher Bars, (H1) 3/8" Bead
Overall thickness is 1-1/8", 2-1/2" wide. Bracing is 3/4" x 2-1/2". This profile is designed for the artist who possesses a light touch in their painting technique.

$ $ Click here for (H1) pricing. $ $

Heavy Duty Stretcher Bars, (H2) 1/4" Bead
Overall thickness is 1", 2-1/2" wide. Bracing is 3/4" x 2-1/2". This profile is designed for the painting conservator, for the restretching of existing works. Same price as H1 stretcher bars, above.

$ $ Click here for (H2) pricing. $ $

Heavy Duty Stretcher Bars, (H3) 1-3/4" Thin Wraparound
The thin wraparound option is a 1-3/4" deep interlocking t-section added to the stretcher which provides added rigidity, as well as allowing fabric to be stretched over it and tacked in the back. This leaves the sides clean, eliminating the need for framing. The face edge of these stretcher bars has a beveled edge which raises fabric 5/8" off the stretcher bars and braces. Artists with a heavy touch will not hit the braces while working. The bracing is not only recessed from the face, but also recessed from the back by 3/8" to allow for the tacking of excess fabric.

$ $ Click here for (H3) pricing. $ $

Heavy Duty Stretcher Bars, (H4) 2-1/2" Deep Wraparound
Overall is 3" wide x 2-1/2" deep. Same as above with the following differences: Raises fabric 1-1/4" off the stretcher bars and braces, and has a 1/2" recess in back. It tends to make a bolder statement when hanging on the wall.

$ $ Click here for (H4) pricing. $ $

Heavy Duty Stretcher Bars Kits

We offer these kits because it costs much less to ship the larger sizes when they are dissasembled. When we prepared the kits, first, all our bars are pre-assembled and each intersection is marked A to A and B to B, etc. The parts are then disassembled into a kit. The bars and bases will fit perfectly with one another as long as attention is paid to the markings.

Don't forget to order the fabric you need. We have a wide range of linens, cotton canvas and polyester for stretching.