Screenprinting Frames

Need some screen printing frames? They're super easy to make, let me show you.

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The screen printing kit I bought came with one frame and screen, but I wanted more so I wouldn’t have to erase every screen and could experiment with multi color prints. This was an easy project that just took some 1x3 and window screen spline I picked up from my local home center, and screen printing mesh I ordered from Amazon here.

First, I crosscut the 1x3 down to length for the sides and then ripped them in half. After the first cut, I ran the offcut through the fence too to make sure all my pieces came out the same width.

Then I set up a feather board and cut a groove down the middle of each piece. This is where the spline will be inserted to hold the screen on. If you don’t have a table saw, you could use 1x2s instead and then staple the mesh on instead of using the spline.

Next was cutting 45s on the ends of the pieces. I like to do this after table saw work so I have a flat end for using my push stick on the table saw.

With everything cut it’s time to assemble. I used a liberal amount of wood glue on the miters and then shot 1/4” crown staples into each corner from both sides to hold it together until the glue dried.

Cutting the mesh is easy with a pair of scissors, and attaching it to the frame with the spline is nearly as easy. I just use the tool that you can get for putting the spline in a screen window frame. Work your way around the frame, making sure to keep the mesh taut as you go.