Our schools are to be digitised. I have been working with laptops, document cameras and beamers for a long time. Thankfully, all the teachers at my school have now received a tablet computer (ipad Air 4th generation), which I am still learning to use for each subject.

Unfortunately, not all classrooms have document cameras anymore. The tablet must now replace these. At our school, the image from the tablet is transmitted wirelessly to the projector via an Apple TV box, but this can certainly also be done via the USB connection.

But surely I can't hold the computer all the time when I want to show a worksheet to my students? And I also have to stand a lot.

That's why I just build a base for my work equipment!

One board = two stands.

Conditions: Easy and quick to build, even for colleagues, little material, practical and handy, eco-friendly.

[ A colleague ordered a plastic iPad stand. Well... it doesn't inspire much confidence in the stability.]

Supplies

Board 100x 40 cm, ~1.8 cm thick

Biscuit plate Joiner

Biscuit plates "No.10"

Sandpaper

Paint, glue

Circular saw/ jigsaw

Update: This is a new plan that differs from some of the photos (see Step 5).

Step 1: Cutting

Parts list:

Base plate, L-shaped

2 side panels

Support strip - helps a lot with stability!

Upper plate

The dimensions are designed to fit an ipad Air over an A4 page or US letter.

Saw out the five pieces from the board with a circular saw or jigsaw. Note the thickness of the saw blade when marking. It is best to draw and saw piece by piece.

For the top panel: Drill a hole or cut off a corner for the camera.

Step 2: Sanding

Afterwards, especially the edges are rounded and smoothed with sand paper. You can also use an electric sander.

Step 3: Biscuit Plate Joiner Cutting & Assembly

For this step, I may assume you have a little handicraft experience.

The most elegant way to connect the pieces is to use Lamello plates. You can also use conventional wooden dowels.

Screws would also work, but don't look that nice.

First draw the position of the side pieces on the large base plate. Then cut the Lamello slots in the plate. The slits can be a little longer than the Lamello plates. So you can move the side pieces a little bit if necessary.
Cut Lamello slits in the top and bottom of the end faces of the side panels.
Now you can insert plates into the slots (without glue at first) and press the side pieces onto the base plate.
You can attach the smaller panel for the tablet, mark the position of the side panels from below and cut the slots in the underside of the panel.

Does everything fit? Then you can fix all parts with glue: Apply glue to the slots, small plates and the contact surfaces of the individual parts and put them together. Now press firmly and carefully remove the excess glue with a wet cloth. Allow to dry for several hours

Step 4: Sanding and Painting

You can leave the surface raw, which also has its charm.

I would not recommend oiling it, as this could stain the surface of the tablet computer.

Surface treatment:

Sand the wood carefully with 240 grit sandpaper.

Moisten the wood well with a wet cloth, allow the wood to dry completely.

(The wetness makes the wood fibres stand out).

Sand again with fine sandpaper.

Paint in colour or clear - with a brush or spray.

[ You can avoid surface treatment if you use coated multiplex panels straight away.].

Good teaching, dear colleagues!

Step 5: Update

The base plate is already a bit too big and heavy. That's why I cut it and the top plate a little to size - differently from what you see in most of the photos.

The stand is nevertheless stable and the iPad has enough space even with the keyboard open.

And this is a nice coincidence: I can now make two shelves from a 40x120 cm board.

Environmentally friendly, economical, no metal, no plastic, compostable!