Materials needed for making a frame:
     Wooden stretcher bars, which are sold in a variety of sizes.
     Plastic or wooden wedges for the corners.

The stretcher bars will be thicker on the outer edge than the inner.
     This thickness should appear on the upper face of the frame, the side which will be
     covered with canvas. This will keep the canvas away from the corner joints and make
     a better finished product.

Stretcher bars are not glued
     The mitered corners fit snuggly into each other and are held tightly in place by the
     joints, the mounted canvas stapled to the stretcher, and by wedges hammered into
     the corners which slightly stretch the canvas and form a rigid frame.

Check the squareness of your frame before attaching the canvas.

Stretching Canvas
     Customized canvas are easy to make once you have created the frame, as detailed
     above. Here are some simple steps to complete your project:

Materials needed for stretching a canvas:
     Canvas cut approximately 3" larger than the completed frame.
     A staple gun, and perhaps pliers or a staple remover.

Center the frame on the canvas and fold one edge over to the back.
         

Place a staple in the middle of the back of one of the longer sides.
        

Pull the canvas taut and place another staple in the same position on the adjacent side of the frame. Continue stapling the middle of the other two sides, pulling the cavas taut. Work out from the center of each side towards the corners adding staples every 2" or 3", alternating a few staples per side, and pulling the canvas taut as possible.
        

The canvas will now be secured to the frame and you will only have to finish off the corners. Be sure to leave approximately 2" untacked at the corners to allow proper folding. Fold the canvas over the frame in a "hospital corner", holding it as flat as possible, and staple the excess canvas flat. If the canvas appears a little loose or creased at the corners, plastic or wooden wedges can be tapped into the joints. Place these wedges into the corners and gently tap them into place. They do not need to be completly inserted, just enough to achieve a tight, smooth finish on the canvas front.
        

Never wet the back of the canvas as this may cause permenant distortions. Small indentations may be blotted lightly with a damp cloth and allow to dry back to its original shape. Your finished canvas may now be primed with gesso and used to create your next great masterpiece.