Portable Tablet Holder / Stand - Quick, Easy and Cheap

I (and my friend Mr. Wolf,) enjoy using my tablet but always holding it can be tiring.

For Christmas, I got my mom one of those pillows that holds a tablet on your lap so that you don't have to continually hold the tablet and wear out your arms. I liked the idea but it puts the tablet at a downward angle which would strain my neck after awhile.

Then I saw a really cool tablet stand on at https://www.thegrommet.com/ which is elevated above your lap which solves the downward angle problem. Plus, it doesn't get jostled when you move around. The one at the website has flexible legs and is definitely more sturdy than mine but mine was free, using scrap pieces of wood I had laying around. This tablet holder is light and portable. I can use it while sitting in a chair or lying in bed. The legs can be adjusted to tilt the screen toward me or to make it stable on an uneven surface.

Supplies

Piece of 1x4x (slightly wider than your waist.)

1 dowel rod 48 inches.

Scrap pieces of wood for the tablet front and back blocks.

1 paperclip (this is the hook for the rubber band holder)

1 rubber band

1 screw (any size but a small drywall screw is fine)

Step 1: Cut 1 X 4 Piece of Wood

You will want the tablet holder to be slightly wider than your waist size. The legs of the holder angle out so they will not touch your legs.

Mine is 13.25 inches.

Step 2: Drill the Holes for the Legs

The legs should be angled out in both directions from the corners to make a more stable surface. I did a very quick and dirty estimation when I drilled the holes with a hand drill. I drilled one hole in a scrap piece of wood at what I thought would be a good angle and then put that piece of wood over the actual board to use as a drill guide. It worked fairly well but the result was not perfect. I'm sure there is a much better way to do it!

Step 3: Add Front and Back Stopper Blocks

I put the first stopper block on about 1 inch from the front of the board. Then I put the tablet against the board and the back block to figure out the correct spacing. Then I removed the tablet and attached the back block. The tablet should fit with some wiggle room to allow for it to lean slightly backwards. In the next step we will put in the mechanism to keep it secure.

Step 4: Add Holding Mechanism

On the back of the tablet holder, I put one screw and then bent a paperclip to make a hook. I covered the paperclip in electrical tape so that it will not scratch the tablet screen. This holds the tablet firmly in the holder.