Business Card Holders (for Your Pocket)

Intro: Business Card Holders (for Your Pocket)

I am always bending and crushing my business cards while they are in my pocket. so I made something that will hold them and keep them safe while I work...
It works great and looks classy when I hand them out.

STEP 1: Gather Your Stuff

******SAFETY FIRST******
ALWAYS USE PROPER SAFETY GEAR WHEN WORKING WITH POWER TOOLS!
FOLLOW ALL SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUR OWN TOOLS
COMMON SENSE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT!

For this project I used the following tools;
Tablesaw
Planer
Scrollsaw
Router mounted in a table (with a small round over bit)
Sander
Drill press
small clamps, Vice
Wood-glue
sandpaper
scrap wood

These are made from Blood wood, Cherry,  Ash and Box Elder.

STEP 2: Layout and Cut the Middle Part of the Sandwich of Different Colored Wood.

I placed the business card on the middle board (its about 3/16-1/4" thick) then marked the outside edges of the card.. I made it a little larger than the actual card. then, using my scrollsaw I cut that part out.

STEP 3: Cut the Two Outside Pieces

Cut the two outsides the same width as the middle, but about 1.5" longer. Then sand all pieces flat with 80 grit.

STEP 4: Glue the Sandwich Up and Clamp It

a little glue goes a long way here...  you dont want any squeeze out inside the box....

STEP 5: Sand All the Edges Flat and Smooth!

After drying for a couple hours it should be OK to un-clamp and sand the edges...
You can use a hand-plane to get the edges smooth then sand, but I just used my belt-sander, then sanded by hand the rest of the way.

STEP 6: Drill a Large Hole

now this is a tough part kinda... The hole is to make it easier to grab a card out of the box without having to tip all of them out to grab one...
First mark a center line from the top of the card box down to about a third of the way towards the bottom. now using a compass draw a 1.5" circle with the middle line being the center-point for the circle... this is to give you an idea of what is going to be removed while drilling.. if you go too low on the center-line or too high it will make for a very ugly box.

but once you are happy with where the hole should be use that scrap piece you cut out of the middle sandwich board and drill through with a 1.5" Forster bit... be careful and have a board under the box to prevent tear out when that bit goes out the other side.

STEP 7: Finish It Up...

Now drop a card into the box to see how much you need to cut off the top and using a depth gauge or a long skinny srewdriver check the depth of the box to the outside and ad at least 1/8 and make your mark...
Now cut where you need to...
Finish sand the entire box, if you do get glue squeeze-out on the inside you should be able to clear it out with a 1/8" chisel.
Now round over all the sides with a 1/4" roundover bit on a router mounted to a table.
Sand by hand the newly shaped corners

I sanded to 220 grit and then buffed them with a 3 stage buffing system (the last stage adds carnauba wax) followed by a home made wax I made in This instructable. I love the feel of the buffed and polished wood and it looks very classy...

I'm Entering this into the Cabot Woodcare Contest to ensure people do not lose respect or forget about the natural wood colors available. You can obtain "the right color" without stain.

Thanks for looking.

I took quite a while for me to get those holes right, but i got a couple nice ones out of the deal....

Comments

[Lucas12gshbhxh]

Hey yo aye can I put $$$$$ in it

[Lucas12gshbhxh]

Can I put money in it

[Sparkyboy5]

Great job. I'm going to make me some.You say the middle piece is 3/16 - 1/4 thick. From the picture it looks like the 2 outer pieces are thinner. What's the thinckness of the outer pieces?

[SlickSqueegie]

Im pretty sure they are all around 1/4" thick with the middle one being a little bit thicker.

[Lucas12gshbhxh]

Hey where can I get the box elder wood

[Lucas12gshbhxh]

Love this and plan on making this and I love the Box Elder wood but i have no idea where to get it. where did you get yours and how much was it thanks.

[SlickSqueegie]

Go spam somewhere else. This is an original design.

[ahernandez62]

Pretty funny nice job dude I'm a beginner whit arduino steel got to learn

[broken board]

WELL WHERE DO I START!

To be honest it’s so nice I could not find a fault with it.
The boys will love a hand out like this one; I may have to make several for the board room.

See, self restraint, something you should try............

[SlickSqueegie]

Thanks.
Though, their are plenty of faults with them, but it is an original idea and ALL original pics.

[KnockOnWood]

Awesome Instructable... Stylish, Practical, Simple, yet elegant. Definately agree that natural wood and finishing is the way to go. Have you done one with clasp/lid or cap? Sometimes cards jumble around and spill out if tossed around.

[SlickSqueegie]

No, I haven't done one with a clasp. I will say that in the very beginning, that was the direction I was going while I thought about the design. I decided to keep it simple. In all honesty, they rarely come out of the box, I keep it stocked... Thank you for the compliments! They are always appreciated!

[sunshiine]

Nice project and congratulations on the win! Have a super day!
sunshiine

[WouldWorkShop]

Loved your ible, had to make one for myself.

Used oak on the outside and plywood on the middle section to have a nice striped pattern. Had to add my own little flair to it as well.

Thanks for the idea!!

[SlickSqueegie]

WOW! That looks awesome! I love the stash!!!
Great job! I'm honored... You have done this justice!

[soul_eater]

Amazing work, it looks like the perfect partner for my jimi wallet (www.thejimi.com),now i have the perfect use for a pice of wood that i obtained from a death cherry tree on my garden.Thanks for your instructable

[Redmissy]

I just love your work!..And you..;)

[SlickSqueegie]

Get off the computer and back in the kitchen... (Just kiddin! dont hit me)
I love you and everything you do baby!

[JLancaster]

What a fantastic idea, and overall great instructable. Thanks for sharing.

[SlickSqueegie]

Thank you and thanks for looking!