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3 Simple Ways to Share What You Make
With Instructables you can share what you make with the world and tap into an ever-growing community of creative experts.
Create on the go:
With Instructables you can share what you make with the world and tap into an ever-growing community of creative experts.
When it comes to an iPad stand (making one, buying one or adapting something), the possibilities are endless if only for the simple plainness of the f...
I was lucky to find a scrap piece of cherry wood in my workshop. Cherry is a hardwood with fine grain and polishes nicely to an amazing smoothness. As...
The board I found measured almost six inches wide (S3S), making it perfect. The wider the better for supporting the iPad, but anything wider than the ...
And this is 5/4 board, meaning it's nominally five quarters of an inch thick at the lumber mill. Actual thickness varies by species. This piece actual...
I downloaded a free app called Plumb Bob to determine my desired iPad display angle. I found that I like 20 degrees (from vertical).
So I set my radial arm saw to 20 degrees to cut the slot. The blade angle adjusts easily in front.
Wood saws are not precision instruments. I did a test cut on a scrap piece of common 2x4 (not shown) to check that the angle is okay for my needs.
Depth of cut is set to about half the thickness of the 5/4 cherry stock, giving a decent half-inch "bite" to hold the iPad and leaving a good half-inc...
I wanted an access hole for the docking cable. The perfect width of slot (to hold the New iPad or "iPad3") turns out to be about 3/8" so I fitted my ...
The drilling doesn't need to be perfect, but it's best to avoid chunking too much into the sides of the slot on the other side.
Use a standard rotary tool with a small drum sander attachment to smooth out the hole. Metal round file also works.
The sculptural form and appearance of this simple stand when viewed from the front (the usual appearance) would be nicer if angle cut. So I cut off a ...
Use the larger (1/2" diameter) sanding drum attachment (on rotary tool) to take out material for the iPad's home button.
I simply judged "by eyeball" the length of the board to cut. It's approximately the proportions of the iPad.
Sanding took me the longest time. This is, after all, cherry wood where sanding achieves superior surface texture the longer you work it. Not shown is...
The bottom of the slot cut is the least concern. There's no need to shape the slot bottom for precise fit of the iPad's edge. It only needs to be deep...
Landscape orientation looks okay — there's no obstruction of the visible screen. The bezel margins are actually narrower in landscape mode than in por...
This is the wood stand mostly complete, though still unfinished (to get tung oil). I can optionally cut another slot at the other end for an alternate...
I think the simple beveled front is elegant enough. The 5/4 stock looks beefy but not overkill. The polished (finely sanded) cherry end grain also loo...
I just use a classic drafting weight (leather bagged paperweight) as a non-slip spacer base. A book would also work. See next step.
The Apple dock cable connects fine without kinking when elevated by the paperweight's 3/4" thickness. That's all it takes.
Charging in portrait mode in the wood stand (sitting on the leather bag paperweight) looks good, feels stable, stays compact.
Plumb Bob says 19.1 degrees. Okay!
Final requirement is also met — it's a good fit with the keyboard and iPad inside the compact Kensington sling bag. There's even room to spare.
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