Introduction: Power Book- Hidden Cords in a Hollow Book

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my family has amassed a considerable collection of portable electronic devices, and with it, an assortment of device specific power cords and plugs. i CANNOT stand the unattractive electronic spaghetti that cooks itself on top of our kitchen counter. it is an unsightly reminder of how far we have come as a people where we have substituted electronic gaming devices, cell phones, pdas, and i-whatevers, for a good book or instructive piece of literature. I know that I am guilty of buying into this consumerist culture (and I see no end in sight for me). so I have disguised those pesky (yet fun and useful) electronic devices in the most ironic of places- the common book. I have hollowed out a stack of books to hold and hide the power chords of the cell phones, nintendos, and other hand-held devices that mock the capitalist ego within me.

Step 1: Find and Cut

choose some books. I know Im gonna get a lot of flack from the library police out there, but at least I'm not using the Koran or Salman Rushdies Satanic Verses; I'm cutting cooking books (French nontheless, how many French cooking books are there in the world anyway?!). anywhoo, I needed two large textbooks to hold the cables and plugs for all of the devices. I measured out a 1.25 margin around the book and drilled some pilot holes with a dremel. then I painstakingly cut out the pages with a metal straightedge and an x-acto knife. this is where all the work in this project lies, do a good job here and you are home free. I will not get into the details and troubleshooting of this part of the project since there are some instructables that already exist for hollowing out books (see also: readymade). but drilling the pilot holes are REALLY worth it.

Step 2: The Base

this is the "base" of the book. i notched out the bottom of the pages for cable access. i also cut the top part of the book so the plugs could fit and the cords for the devices had access to the middle book. i glued the inside corners of the pages together so that they would move in "chunks" of pages rather than in individual sheets. but i didn't glue all of it because i like the "natural" motion when you open the books and move them around.

Step 3: The Router

this book houses and splits the device cables that are stored in the bottom book. i cut some more notches in the pages so that i could keep them more organized and orderly. the base of this book has a matching hole in the bottom of it that mirros the base book.

Step 4: The Device Books

the top books are the "device books". they hide the actual machinery that is to be plugged into the "power book". i made one for my boys' nintendos and the other for my phone. i plan on making more "books" for other pieces of equipment that i want hidden.
i also hot glued the inside corners of these books as well. since they will move more than the other two, i felt the extra glue and page bonding was necessary.

Step 5: Final Assemby

run the device cables through the book notches and plug in your junk. put your junk in the box. now close the box. now your junk is getting it's juice and nobody suspects it; they just think that you are one well-read bloke.