I love using my tablet. It makes life so much easier. I can quickly look at videos, pictures, read the news, etc. etc. What I don’t like, however, is having to hold the tablet while trying to perform other tasks such as cooking, playing video games, and of course woodworking. I’ve seen a lot of plans out there, but my favorite is the simple wood stand. I’ve made a few of these stands in the past, so I decided to liven this project up a little. I found a cutting board kit at Woodcraft containing pre cut stock of some of my favorite woods; Cherry, Maple, and Purple Heart.

Since the boards are already precut, all I had to do is glue them together. A little Tightbond and some clamps, and it was good to go.

This is the first time I used a planer, and I am hooked! I’ve always had to be mindful of glue squeeze-out. This usually resulted in using inadequate amounts of glue on my projects. Since I knew any squeeze-out would be shaved off by the planer, I was able to use as much glue as I wanted.

I cut the boards in half, to make two tablet holders. I used a router to round off the edges, and create the slot for the tablet to rest in. You could easily use a table saw to create the slot, by making small passes (I’ve used an angled cut with much success). However, using the router is much easier and faster.

I finished the piece with three coats of Minwax brush on lacquer (wet sanding between coats). I love the look of the finished product. This is the first wood project I haven’t stained or painted. The alternating woods are really aesthetic, and pleasing to the eye.