do-it-herself easel repair

It's not uncommon, in my studio, to be working on two, or even three paintings at once.  I try to keep it at two; not because three is a crowd, but because my oldest easel is warped, and increasingly,
just a pain in the ass to use: 

Not only warped, but bent (insert jokes here; you know you want to), the cross-pieces don't fit properly, and the bolt heads often slip right through the misshapen center groove:

Tonight I  found myself in need of a third easel.  I was sick of fighting with the old one, and decided to fix it.  What I needed, I mused, were bigger washers.  No; I needed giant washers.  So I made a pair, with two old medication lids and the handy hot-knife:

Now, I had a pair of giant-sized washers to keep the bolts from slipping the groove; I was finally able to tighten the frame correctly, and get the pieces to fit.

Support leg no longer slipping and sliding:

Cross-piece fits the frame again!  Woot:

No more issues with tipping or wobbling!  She's back in business:

Old easel is now working good as new, and the repair didn't
cost me a dime.  The whole project took about five minutes, 
and I can get back to painting!

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