Learn how to make your very own Hodor door stop! In this tutorial, I will walk you through all the steps I took in making my own Hodor door stop. The design comes from a friend of mine, who does not want to be named.

Note: for this tutorial, you will need access to a laser cutter.

Please download one of the following files. I have included both an .ai and a .pdf version of the design file, so that people who use Adobe Illustrator (like me) can open up the ai file immediately, and the pdf so that people who use different graphics design softwares will still be able to make the cut on their laser.

Step 1: Materials and Tools

Tools:

This tutorial assumes you have access to and operator's knowledge of a CNC lasercutter. As each machine's software and interface are drastically different, I'll have to assume that you know how to operate the laser cutter you will be using. The laser I used accepts illustrator files, which is why I uploaded the design as an .ai file. However, I also uploaded the .pdf for people who use a different software. Open the .pdf file in your laser's software, as pdf's are very standard file types and should be accepted by your laser's software.

In addition to a cnc laser cutter, you will need a few quick release clamps or rubber bands. A table vice (which I will be using) also makes a for a great way to clamp things.

You will also need a saw. A vertical band saw will work best. A jigsaw would be my next choice. If all else fails, a hand saw can get the job done too.

Optional: orbital sander/sand paper (this will just be for prettying up the final product)

Materials:

As for materials, you will need a sheet of 1/4" plywood. A sheet about 8" by 12" fits all the parts. You can get one for just a couple bucks at a local hardware store, or even for free out of a scrap bin at your local makerspace.

You will need wood glue for this project. You can use any type of glue that works on wood (gorilla glue, super glue, epoxy, or others) but wood glue will yield the best results.

Step 2: Laser Cutting the Parts Out

I used a Universal Systems Laser Cutter. It has a materials data base in which you select materials and the machine then knows what power/speed/ppi settings to use. I used the material 'general medium woods' and set the thickness to .255 (using my calipers). I will have to assume for this part that you know how to use your own laser cutter, because they vary significantly from model to model.

You should wind up with one cut out of 'Hodor" and 5 blank rectangles after you run the cut. Collect these pieces, grab your wood glue, and head over to a workbench.

Step 3: Gluing the Pieces Together

First, we are going to form a rectangular prism, and then cut it into a triangle wedge. Start with the Hodor piece. flip it over and apply wood glue to the back of the letters. Then, add a rectangle piece on top. Make sure all the edges line up. After this is accomplished, add another blank rectangle on top of the previous one. Continue gluing them on top of each other until you have a rectangular block with "Hodor" on top. After you have that finished, take the whole block and clamp it together while the wood glue dries. I used a table vice for this part, but some hand clamps or even a few rubber bands wrapped around the block will do the trick.

Step 4: Making the Door Stop a Wedge Shape

After the wood glue has dried for a few hours, the model should be dry enough to handle. You'll want to draw a line along the diagonal, from one corner to the opposite corner.Using your vertical band saw or other choice of sawing equipment, cut along the diagonal. This will make the rectangle into two wedges. We will keep the good wedge (the one with "Hodor" on top). The other wedge can be discarded or also used as a blank door stop. Grab the Hodor wedge and head over to a table where you can sand it.

Step 5: Sanding the Door Stop

In this last step, I used my orbital sander to clean up the door stop and make it look nicer. This is not necessary, as it will be on the ground most of the time anyways. If you want to sand your model, first mount it bottom up in a table vice. Vigorously sand the bottom to make it more flat. Unless you are a master with a saw, the bottom will not be perfectly smooth and will need to be sanded down to be straight.

Next, I gripped the stop by its sides and sanded the top and front, and lastly proceeded to sand the sides down as well. This got rid of all the charred edges and burn marks.

Well, there you have it. I hope you like your Hodor door stop and enjoyed the tutorial. If you have any questions about it, feel free to comment and I will get back to you. Check out my profile for similar projects if you enjoyed this one.