Best Homemade Silk Screen Mesh Stretcher

This is the best DIY homemade silk screen mesh stretcher you can make at yourself.  Below is are the steps involved in making the silk screen stretching machine.

Best Homemade Silk Screen Mesh Stretcher

Step 1.  I used an old silk screen frame as a donor so that I didn't have as much cutting to do.  The left side and top of the silk screen frame was kept in tact but the bottom and right side were both removed so that they could be used to adjust the silk screen tension.  The top and left pieces will be screwed permanently to the table top.

Best Homemade Silk Screen Mesh Stretcher

Step 2.  Afterwards I cut a piece of 2x2" wood the same length of both the pieces on the right and the bottom. Next I drilled 3 holes in each of the (4) pieces of wood.

Here you see an image of the bottom piece with the hex screws inserted.  The hex nuts are then placed on the screws.  They will later be used for tightening the tension of the screen mesh.

Best Homemade Silk Screen Mesh Stretcher

Step 3.  The non moving pieces of the stretcher were then secured with screws to the base of the table so that there is no movement when tension is put to the mesh and the frame of the stretcher.

Best Homemade Silk Screen Mesh Stretcher

 Step 4. A test frame was added to the center of the silk screen frame stretching machine to ensure proper spacing between the tensioning pull bars and the frame.  This allows maximum stretching of the screen based on the length of the hex screws used.   It also affirms whether you frame fits properly within the diameter of the screen stretcher.

Best Homemade Silk Screen Mesh Stretcher

Step 5. Finally 4 pieces of 1x2" wood was cut to length similar to the four pieces for the stretcher.  Mesh was placed across the frame and then the 1x2's were screwed down securely to the frame pieces locking the mesh in place.

After the mesh was secured the hex nuts were tightened one at a time to pull on the pull bars and create tension on the screen mesh. 

If you have problems where your hex screws spin when you try to tighten them down then use some hot glue to stick the head of the hex bolt to the wood that it goes into.  This will stop the spining and allow the proper tightening of the hex nuts.