DIY Easel Shelf

I recently made myself a timber artist's easel - but soon realised that, as a standalone piece of furniture, it lacked anywhere to hold all my brushes, paint and other drawing implements.

And spent a long time trying to work out how to add a shelf without actually screwing anything into the existing structure and eventually came up with a plan to use a pan-and-tilt tripod head that I'd had for 40 years (and not used for 35 years...).

The result is a lightweight shelf that can be adjusted in any direction to maintain a level surface regardless of the angle that the easel is set to... 

 


Here's how I made the easel in the first instance...