Owners Statement

My Name is Jeff Lacey. I Trade as Easels Galore and I make nothing but easels. In 1996 when I was making a living from carpentry and joinery, I also painted at the local Art Society where I was asked to make some easels. I researched easels and found out that designs had not changed much in 100 years and that commercially available easels seemed to be designed to suit the manufacturer rather than the artist. I was also unimpressed with the quality of most easels I saw. I commenced designing and building an easel range part time. As an artist (click here to view my art)I felt I was in tune with easel user requirements, which was reflected in my designs and growing easel sales. In 1999 I registered the name Easels Galore and moved into full time easel manufacture. All my designs are original and nothing whatsoever is copied. My easels are hand crafted and are now all over Australia, plus many other countries. I only sell direct, this way I can offer top quality at great prices. I believe I have just about the biggest range in the world and certainly no one else makes easels in the woods I use. I now work harder an longer than I have in many years and really enjoy it. I have no employees so every easel you buy off me is 100% made by me. I sign them all as I am proud of and passionate about my Easels.

Build and Finish
All easels are handcrafted. Every major joint has either 2 or 3 screws or is glued using Cross Linking PVA. This type of glue does not go brittle and lose strength with age, it also retains a degree of flexibility to accommodate wood movement. All joints are screwed, as screws are the best fasteners to use for long term integrity. When there is an adjusting knob on a coach bolt (carriage bolt) the head of the bolt has a plate fitted then is screwed to the wood so it will never turn during the life of the easel. Coach bolts have a square section under the head that secures the bolt when the nut is tightened. They were not designed originally to be tightened and loosened on a regular basis as the head will work loose. By screwing the coach bolt heads I ensure that adjusting knobs will always adjust. When I want maximum tension on coach bolts I also press a washer onto the head , this stops the head from pulling into the wood. This is important for moving parts, so they cannot get too loose. All bolts, washers and screws are zinc plated for long life. All bolts are fitted with two nuts and a super stud locking compound so they cannot work loose. Where there is pivoting, bolted wood to wood contact, I insert multiple washers to act as bushes and minimize wear. I make my own hinges for single sided A frames, they have no free play and are high friction to provide a solid movement free easel. I only use door hinges on double sided easels. All mounts or clamps have 2 locking knobs. Two knobs provide better locking as they spread the load and require less effort to lock. For all knobs I use recycled River Red Gum. This is a curly grained wood that does not split, it is also very strong. Using this wood ensures the knobs will take a bit of punishment without giving trouble. The knobs have a cube design so they are easy to grip and turn. Most easels are oiled, they go through several sanding stages to produce a smooth finish without sharp edges, then I oil with 100% natural Olive Oil. Paint does not easily stick to Olive Oil. This produces a quality finish that does not scratch and can always be easily repaired. If the wood is covered in paint, you can scrape and sand the easel then apply Olive Oil. It will then look like new. Olive oil does not clog up moving parts and is absorbed into the wood surface to provide good protection. Unfinished easels (U in Model Number)are planed, then the sharp edges lightly sanded. Raw easels (R in model Number) are sanded but not oiled. They must be oiled for longevity, instructions are provided. I pay a lot of attention to detail to ensure that even my cheapest easels will last indefinitely, This way I can guarantee my easels, unconditionally.—Jeff Lacey

When I make Easels I listen to PBS I live in Melbourne in the State of Victoria.

I live in Mt Eliza, the gateway to the Mornington Peninsula, one of the most magnificent areas of Australia!

Easels Galore Index

Unique Easels and a Big Choice of Woods
All easels are available in a choice of hardwoods. The basic wood is Victorian Mountain Ash. Other woods are Tasmanian Oak, Spotted Gum, Victorian River Red Gum (generally recycled), Jarrah (some recycled), Forrest Red Hardwood from NSW
If good recycled wood is available I will use it. All my knobs are made from recycled Victorian River Red Gum, I also make some easels in recycled Oregon (Douglas Fir) and recycled Baltic Pine. I have stock of Black Butt, and Turpentine
.For more information on woods go to Victorian Woodworkers Association

The Key To Model Numbers

A - A Frame, B -Type of A Frame, BB - Black Butt - premium hardwood from NSw and Qld. C- Counterweighted H frame, FF - Fully Folding, H - at start is H frame, H in the middle is Victorian Mountain Ash Hardwood, J - Jarrah wood, K - Forrest red wood, MP - Multipurpose, O - Oregon wood which is also known as Douglas Fir, R - Raw wood which is sanded but not oiled, SG - Spotted Gum wood, SF - Semi Folding, S - Centre Slide H frame,T - is a style of A frame I rarely make, U - unfinished where the wood has been dressed and the sharp edges sanded. The number on all easels except Semi Folding, Fully Folding is the height of the canvas the easel will hold, in Semi Folding and Fully Folding it is the width of the bottom mount. On A Frames the number is the length of the sides. Z- Refers to the style of sides on H frames or A Frames where they are in 2 overlapping sections , this enables economical shipping through Australia Post.