[kurt28]

I was going to make my own screens, but I'm not sure whether people use pressure treated wood (since the screens get wet) or if you would use untreated wood and just put some kind of chemical over the wood to protect it from water.

If you use a chemical, what chemical would you use? The only pressure treated wood I found that isn't a 2x4 was a 1x5 decking board. I suppose I could rip them down the middle.

Anyways, how do you guys go about making your own screens?

 

[HumbleShirts]

Good grief, it's cheaper to just but some static aluminum if you take your time into account.

Who still uses wood screens in this day and age anyway?

 

[sben763]

Ok if you wanted to make your own screens. No treated lumber it will shrink and cause all kinds of problems. You need some hardwood and before glueing screens need a heavy coat of sealant.

But I will agree aluminum would be better last much longer and won't warp unless you drop them or mishandle them. But I have 18x20 Newman frames and you can't beat them. High tension easily readjusted. Some I paid $20 a peice some $15. Most had mesh. I use panels and bulk mesh. The better I get at bulk mesh the less panels I use.

 

[kurt28]

The thing is, I was trying to build my own screens to save money and because I wanted them to be a certain size. I actually hadn't thought of building it out of aluminum, and I'm not sure how you would even do that, or if it would save any money. I was thinking that I would attach the screen with a staple gun, but how would you attach it to aluminum?

 

[sben763]

The best method for wood or aluminum is screen glue. Available at about any supplier. Staples can work but I have seen were they can start a rip which will cause your screen to fail. You won't save much money by building. I am all about DIY stuff this is just one area where I feel it's best to leave it to the guys with the right tools. There are many places that can build your screens to your size. To properly make a aluminum screen you will need a jig a tig welder a grinder a screen stretcher. A jig would be required for aluminum or wood IMO but more so when welding as heat builds up and would cause the screen to warp. Then grind the welds. A screen stretch you can build one of these but to do this right you would also need a screen tension meter as should be stretched both length and width at same tension.

 

[PhilR]

I used exterior grade birch plywood for my most recent builds. Cut into strips and lap jointed.

And no, in the UK it really isn't cheaper to buy Alu frames. At all. In fact it's almost 3-5 times more expensive then building them myself. And Newman frames are even more than this. Newman frames cost nearly $115 each brand new at UK prices.

 

[sben763]

Wow. In the US before I started using newmans I could get 6 20x24 aluminum frame 2 110 or 156. 2 230 and 2 305 for $99 shipped. That was 5 or 6 years ago but I still find used Newman 18x20 MZX with 1 square bar for $10-$25 and some of the STF roller frames for $5-$10.

 

[cyclesurgeon]

+1 on all of the previous comments. It's not cheaper to build your own screens, though it is satisfying and sometimes that is enough. One of my local suppliers sells per-stretched aluminum frames for about $20, but there are times I build my own custom sizes just 'cuz. You can get away with regular old doug fir for small sizes, but start getting above 15 or 16 in and you'll start getting flex and will wish you were using hardwood. As for attaching the mesh, I use plane old Weldwood contact cement.

 

[ScreenFoo]

Having made and stretched more than a couple frames by hand--with a canvas stretcher and a staple gun--I would highly advise not going this route, unless, as CS says, you're doing it just for the fun/knowledge of it. Or you're a masochist. Last one was a 3'x5' 2x4 frame for flags, I had blisters from stretching it, and it only held 10N (or so, very spotty)

If you're in the US, the last time I priced bare 20x24 alums they were like twelve bucks. A roller for stretching is pretty cheap for high quality compared to any mechanical units I've seen...

Phil: Didn't you buy a roller for stretching, or am I thinking of someone else?

 

[PhilR]

Phil: Didn't you buy a roller for stretching, or am I thinking of someone else?

Yeah I have a Newman as a stetcher. The lastest bunch of screens I made actually worked out really well, birch ply holds high tension very well and is a lot more stable than raw timber.