Mabef · Made in Italy · Since 1948
Where the unframed work goes to be sold
A browsable beech rack on braked castors, holding 18kg of prints and canvases with a central divider so people can flip through from both sides.

There is a stack of unframed work in every studio. Leaning against a wall, face in, slowly gathering dust on the top edge, and quietly not being seen by anybody. It is usually good work. It is just work that has nowhere to be.

The Mabef M40 gives it somewhere. Pieces stand upright on a shelf 42cm off the floor and lean back against the frame, so anyone walking past can flip through them. A central divider means both faces load independently, and people can browse from either side at the same time.

It rolls on four castors, two with foot lever brakes, holds 18kg, and folds when you need the floor back. At 103cm tall and about 87cm across, it is furniture rather than a stand, which is exactly what you want when the job is selling.

★ Art Shed Staff Tip
Load your strongest piece at the front of each face and sort behind it by size, largest to smallest. People stop for the front piece and then flip, and flipping is easier when the work steps down rather than jumping about. It is a small thing that visibly changes how long somebody stays at a stall.

Perfect for

 
Selling unframed printsGalleriesMarkets and fairsOpen studiosStoring canvases uprightShop displays

What makes the M40 different

 
 
Load capacity
18kg
Nearly double the smaller M38 rack.
 
Castors
Four, two braked
Push it loaded, then step on the brake.
 
Two faces
Central divider
Load and browse from either side.
 
Size
103 by 87 by 57cm
Shelf 80cm wide, 42cm off the floor.

It is also very good at storage

 

Most people buy the M40 to sell from, and then quietly find it has solved a different problem. Work stored upright in a rack does not get its corners knocked, does not slide, does not have anything leaned against it, and can be flicked through to find one piece without unstacking the lot.

The castors matter here too. A loaded rack you can push out of the way is a very different thing from a loaded stack you have to carry in armfuls every time the studio needs rearranging.

Specifications

 
Model Mabef M/40 Giant Print Rack
Height 103cm
Width Approximately 87cm overall, with an 80cm shelf
Depth 57cm at the floor
Shelf height 42cm above the floor
Shelf ledges 7.5cm each side of the central divider
Frame above the shelf Approximately 61cm for work to lean against
Maximum load 18kg
Rack weight 10kg
Castors Four, two fitted with foot lever brakes
Material Oiled, stain resistant beech wood
Folding Folds when not in use
Assembly Simple assembly required, hardware supplied
Origin Made in Italy by Mabef
Warranty 24 month international warranty, lifetime free on online registration with Mabef

For full details of the Mabef warranty, including how to register your easel, see the Mabef warranty page.

Mabef, and why we carry so much of it

 

Mabef have been making easels in Italy since 1948 and have never once diversified into anything else. No brushes, no paint, no pencil cases. Just easels, for three quarters of a century, by a family who clearly think about hinges more than is strictly healthy. We find that faintly wonderful, and it shows in the joinery and in the warranty they are willing to put behind it.

Art Shed carries over forty Mabef lines, one of the deepest Mabef ranges in Australia: field easels, studio masts with cranks, lyre easels, sketch boxes, table easels, sculpture trestles, print racks, stools and the full run of beech palettes. Not a token three models and a special order form. If you are building a studio around Mabef, or matching an easel you already own, we almost certainly have the rest of the family in stock.

Questions about the Mabef M40 Giant Print Rack

 

How does the work actually sit in it?

Upright. Pieces stand on the low shelf and lean back against the frame, so people flip through them the way you flip through records. The shelf sits 42cm off the floor with a ledge either side of a central divider, so you can load both faces and browse from either side.

What size work does it take?

Mabef publish a weight limit but not a maximum print size, so we are not going to make one up. What we can tell you from the published dimensions: the shelf run is 80cm wide and there is 61cm of frame above it for work to lean against. Taller pieces will overhang the top rail, which is usually fine, and the total load limit is 18kg.

How is it different from the M38 print rack?

Quite a lot, and they suit different people. The M38 weighs 3.5kg, holds 10kg, has no wheels and folds flat, so it is the one you throw in the car for a market stall. The M40 weighs 10kg, holds 18kg, rolls on four castors with foot brakes and has a central divider so it browses from both sides. The M40 is gallery and studio furniture. The M38 is the portable one.

Can I move it when it is loaded?

That is what the castors are for. Four of them, two with foot lever brakes, so you push it where you want it and step on the brakes to leave it there. Considerably better than lifting 18kg of stacked canvases twice.

Does it need assembling?

Yes, and the hardware is supplied. It is a straightforward bolt together build, two upper frames, two lower frames and the shelf.
Australian stockist. Shipped from our own Australian warehouses, not drop shipped from overseas. Bulky items such as large easels are not wrapped in discreet packaging, so keep that in mind if this one is a surprise for somebody.

(M40)

SKU M40
Barcode # 8017924000735
Brand Mabef
Shipping Weight 12.0000kg
Shipping Width 0.710m
Shipping Height 0.120m
Shipping Length 0.900m
Type stock

More From This Category