Introduction: DIY CNC Phone Dock
I wanted to enter the Reclaimed Wood Contest and I also wanted to make a charging phone dock for my desk. The following Instructable is my afternoon attempt at it.
Step 1: Materials Needed
Many tools were used to make the phone dock all of which were available to me at a local makerspace.
- CNC Machine
-Planer
-Miter Saw
-Belt Sander
-Handheld Drill
-Drill bits
-End mill
-V Carve Bit
Materials:
-Old Wood
-USB Charger
-Aluminum Spacers
-Wood Screws
Step 2: Prepping
First I disassembled the old wood I obtained from tearing down an old house. Be sure to remove any screws or nails. I cut mine off with a Miter saw.
Step 3: Planing
Now that the wood is stripped of screws and nails we can plane it. The planer never ceases to amaze me with its restoration magic.
Step 4: Glue and Cut
My camera decided to die during this part. But I glued the Cedar panels together and clamped them. There were 2 panels 2 layers thick. I let them dry overnight and then cut them to size with the Miter saw. Whatever size you are comfortable with sitting on your desk is fine. Mine was a 3.5" x 5.5" x 1.5" block.
Step 5: CNC
I used V Carve Pro to generate gcode. It ended with two tool paths with a vcarve bit and an end mill. I have included the Vector files for anyone interested.
I cut the depth of the phone and pen pockets at 0.8" to give a good depth to hold the phone.
The width and length of the pocket depend on your phone and the degree of slant you want. I have galaxy s7 edge with a case that I always on it. I wanted the dock to be able to house my phone with or without the case.
Also I was thinking of Full Metal Alchemist that day.
Step 6: Sanding and Staining
First I used white spray paint for the enfgraving. I used a belt sander to sand the excess paint off and round the edges of the wood.
Then I used a dark walnut stain to color the wood being careful around the white engraving.
Then I used some wipe on polyurethane to put a layer of clear on.
Step 7: USB Charger and Aluminum Standoffs
I thought about using the CNC machine to have exact sized holes for the USB and headphone ports but I will probably make more and phones ports are not universal.
So I used a drill bit smaller than the port and moved it around until it was press fit into the dock.
I then used aluminum Standoffs from the openbuilds part store to raise the dock to give more clearance for the cables.
I had smaller Standoffs but I wanted a taller stand. Whatever suits you.
I used 3" wood screws to secure the Standoffs from the bottom.
Step 8: Enjoy
My DIY phone dock worked exactly as planned, accommodating the phone with and without the case.