Design
The profiles on the stretcher bar should be slightly rounded. This has two advantages:
- It allows the framer to see and obtain clear edges on images that have precise borders, and
- It also allows the canvas weave to "roll over" the profile rather than snap over a sharp edge which is a major cause of canvas cracking.
There are many different stretcher bar profiles, and many different styles of cutting of the wood. So it is impossible to say anything is "standard." There are also many big regional difference in the style and cutting of the wood, due to the historical reasons. For the same reasons, the wood used for making stretcher bars differs a lot from country to country depending on the forest that is present. But most stretchers, to avoid warping is made in well dried Nordic pinewood sourced from Scandinavia, Russia, and Canada.
Another way in which stretcher bars can be strengthened is by having a cross brace inserted. It is advised that lengths over 40" or 1m be fitted with a cross brace. By doing this it ensures the wood will not warp and will hang flat.
Read more about this topic: Stretcher Bar
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