Recently when I got back into woodworking and started using stains and sealers, I encountered a problem. The problem is that it was almost impossible to stain and seal all sides of a project at the same time. I ran into this problem when I built a set of dog steps and I could only stain one side, then wait for it to dry then flip it over. This method required two steps to stain each side and the same went with sealing. Then multiply that with the amount of coats of sealer and you can see where time becomes an issue. I looked for a solution for this when I did my bandsaw boxes and found Painter’s Pyramids and I figured I’d give them a try. They were under $10 for a pack of 10 which made them affordable in my opinion.
What makes the Painter’s Pyramids useful is their shape. They’re basically what their name suggest – they’re mini pyramids and the top point helps support items that are still wet from paints, stains, or sealers. This way you can paint one side of a board, turn it over and rest the wet side on the Painter’s Pyramids and continue painting the other side. This lets you paint both sides at once without having to wait for one side to dry before you can get to the other side.
The tip is a pin point and because it’s so tiny it will hardly leave a mark on the newly treated surface. In my experience it left marks so tiny you’d have a hard time spotting them and sometimes no marks were left. The marks are so tiny you may be tempted to just leave them alone because they’re so insignificant or you can do a light sanding with high grit sand paper to get rid of them which is what I did.
For the best results I placed the item on the side of the project that wouldn’t be visible over the Painter’s Pyramids while it set. In the case of my bandsaw boxes and drawers, I placed the bottom sides of each part over the Painter’s Pyramids.
I found the Painter’s Pyramids as lifesavers and they cut down considerably on the time spent staining and sealing my bandsaw boxes which made me about twice as fast as my previous method of waiting for one side to dry before I did the rest of the project. So that’s pretty much my experience with them and I’ve been using them since.
They are also easy to store when you’re done because they can be stacked together. They come stacked in the package, so you’ll know they stack before you even open the package. Another neat feature is that each pyramid has tabs that can click with other pyramids if you want the additional support of two. The little tabs also have small holes so you can screw them down if needed so they don’t slip.
According to the description, they are said to be solvent resistant. In my case they were unaffected by the wood stain I used and also my mixture of wipe on poly, boiled linseed oil, and mineral spirits. The only thing I did notice was that a few pyramids got stuck to the sealer. The claim that they are non stick and this isn’t true in my case but it wasn’t a big issue as they removed easily and with no damage to the project.
They’re available for under $10 over at Amazon. Free shipping with Prime or with orders over $35.
If you want to learn how to build your own bandsaw boxes, check out my free tutorial by clicking here.
- This non-stick pyramids securely elevate your project of the work surface with minimal contact
- Allowing painted, stained or glued projects to be completed in one session with less mess and great results
- The new and improved lock and tab system allows pyramids to be easily secured to your work surface or each other
- The pyramids nest for easy storage can support objects weighting up to 200-pound and are solvent resistant
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