In this video I am going to build a cradled board, which is normally used by artists who prefer to paint on surfaces firmer than canvas. The concept is to simply build a frame, and stick a board onto it and don’t use nails as they can rust and effect the paint. I will be using off cuts of 18mm birch ply although it’s more common to use timber. I cut the pieces for the cradled at 44mm which is the width of 2 by 1 pine timber.  The panel is 6mm birch ply and the overall size is 900mm by 600mm. I will also be incorporating a split baton or French cleat into the cradle, to allow me to hang it more easily which is simply cut at 45 degrees. I am going to join the cradle using v nails, which can be hammered into place after the individual pieces have been clamped, although I should warn you birch ply is quite dense and the nails can lose their shape easily and becoming difficult to remove.   Thankfully I have a air gun which would normally make the job easier but my compressor is barely powerful enough to drive the 15mm nails in, so I still have to use a hammer to finish them off.  You can simply glue the board on without any fixings but this how I prefer to work. I intend to use mine as a test board for various wood finishes. If you would also like to create your own board, the measurements are available on my website, and I will also show you how to build one in this video. After which you can start making finishes and seeing the results for yourself, as I upload recipes and procedures. I created a similar one in preparation for a job some years ago, in which I had to build a fairly large number 2 and 5. They were for a classic rock photo shoot, celebrating its an events silver jubilee, thus the silvery finish. In the following video I will draw a grid to apply the finishes as well as prepare the board with surface dressings, grain fillers and primers.