Home-made painting supports

I had to use Google for the proper term for painting panel, painting canvas and etc. I found this definition at http://www.goldenpaints.com/technicaldata/prepsupp.php "The term "support" refers to any material onto which paint is applied. Canvas, wood, and paper are common painting supports, but the types of supports used for artwork are very extensive". . . . .

So, OK, I make my own supports and have for as long as I've been painting. Oh, I do buy the prepared supports but there is only one (1) source within thrty miles of where I live.  The prepared supports (in my opinion are overpriced for the poor quality) PLUS, I enjoy the diversion of doing it myself.  Most of the time I just cut Masonite into the size of support(s) that I want. Then I tried gluing fabric to the Masonite. Just gluing the fabric to the raw support doesn't work well because the fabric shrinks and leaves funky edges. I have glued fabric to plywood, but GOOD plywood is much more expensive than Masonite. I'm a really CHEAP so-and-so. Ask my daughters! :-)

This is how I do it now. I will probably make changes to this process to improve the "product" - or make it easier. I wear disposable vinyl gloves whenever I use Rabbit Skin Glue, apply Gesso to my supports and/or I paint my home-made picture frames.

• With my power table saw I cut square strips from the pine lumber. (The same pine lumber that I use to make my picture frames)
  
• I cut my masonite about an eighth of an inch larger than necessary - a 16x20 finished support will be cut to about 16 1/8 x 20 1/8.  If I'm feeling good, I cut it to the correct size.
  
• I cut wood pieces to make a frame upon which I nail and glue the masonite.  After all is dry, I sand all of the edges of the new panel - top and edges.
• I use my table saw again to trim the support to the accurate measurements - as accurate as I get.  Sometimes my accuracy is only in my mind.
• I cut cotton duck canvas (from the fabric store) about 2 - 3 inches larger than the Masonite panel support.  
• I stretch (with my fingers) and staple the canvas to the  back edges of the wood frame. 
• I use RABBIT SKIN GLUE (RSG) to glue the canvas to the panel top and sides.. The RSG shrinks the cotton duck canvas very tight. (I think any warm wet will shrink the cotton.) You can google "make your own supports" and see that many types of glue are used.  For whatever reasons (unknown to me) I like to use RSG.
• When the RSG is dry I sand all of the surfaces and give the support one more coat of RSG.
• When this is dry I give it another light sanding just to knock off any bumps.
  
• I paint the support with three (3) coats of gesso, lightly sanding between coats.  I like to tint my gesso - white supports inhibit me for some reason.
  

A finished support showing the back. The canvas is stapled on the back and the staples do not show if you paint the edges. The back edges have been trimmed flush to the wood frame with a razor knife.

One of the drawbacks that I haven't resolved. The canvas "curls" away from the wood frame. Maybe more staples?  Does it matter?   I don't know.

The staples are barely visible under the tinted (gray) gesso.

The finished support with three (3) coats of tinted acrylic gesso, sanded between coats.