In our busy lives where every second counts, having a solution for holding books or devices can make a world of a difference. This adjustable book stand can hold a variety of flat objects, allowing you to free up your hands to work on something else (e.g. cooking while reading a cook book, writing while reading a novel, watching a movie while reading).

Plus, the overall design makes it simple to use and easy to store in bags and backpacks, allowing you to carry it wherever you go. So let's see how to build it!

Supplies

Materials:

-30cm x 20cm x 0.9 cm Wooden Board (wooden cutting boards are good alternatives)

-1cm thick Aluminum Plate

-4mm thick Aluminum Plate

-Elastic Bands

-M2 x 9mm Screws

Tools:

-CNC Mill (one that can cut metal)

-Safety Glasses

-CNC Clamps

-Drill

-Sand Paper

-CAD/CAM Software (Fusion 360, SolidWorks, etc.)

Step 1: Initial Design

I brainstormed lots of ideas initially, but given the materials I could get and manufacture, I opted for a gear-shaped mechanism I came up with for the adjustment of the book stand. The idea is that the metal stick holding up the book stand will have an oblong hole at the end, which allows the stick to be pulled out of each individual slot and adjusted to a new angle. The stick can then be pushed into the new slot, securing it in place (as shown in the first sketch). This end of the stick will be sandwiched between two shells, which are secured to the wooden board.

Step 2: CAD

The next step is to create and dimension the book stand using CAD (Computer Aided Design). You can use CAD/CAM software like Fusion 360 to do this. The dimensions for each part are in the second picture of the previous step (the dimensions are all in cm). Next, I used CAM to translate the CAD into instructions for the CNC mill to visualize the manufacturing process.

Step 3: Wooden Board

First, we need to manufacture the wooden board. To do this, secure the wooden board onto the CNC mill using the clamps and make sure to wear safety glasses. Make sure the CNC mill is set up correctly and begin cutting. You should end up with just a rectangular hole with rounded corners in the middle (ignore the four screw holes in the picture).

Step 4: Metal Parts

Then, we need to manufacture the three metal parts. For the long metal stick, secure the 4mm aluminum plate onto the CNC mill using clamps and wear your safety glasses. Make sure to have the oblong hole done first before cutting out the entire shape.

For each metal shell, secure the 9mm aluminum, and cut the face with the gear-shape first. Then, rotate the object to cut the holes for the screws. Finally, rotate the object again to cut the final part (as shown in the second picture).

Make sure the clamps are secured in the appropriate place for each of these steps so that the mill bit won't cut into the clamps. Also, set up the CNC mill correctly to the appropriate speed before cutting.

Step 5: Assembly

After cutting out all the parts, it is time to assemble the book stand. First, place the oblong end of the metal stick in between the metal shells as shown in the first picture.

Then, insert the rectangular shape that extends out of the metal shells into the rectangular hole on the wooden board as shown in the second picture.

To secure the shells in place, drive four M2 x 9mm screws into each of the four holes in the metal shells using a drill. Finally, slide two elastic bands onto the board, and you are done!