Interlude: Two Screws & Two Nails: How to Make Your Own Bookstand So That You Can Read and Study Your Authorized King James Bible of 1611 (Pure Cambridge Edition) in Greater Comfort
1-23-11
For those that think that they cannot do this project, I come from the helpless, dependent generation and I did it and so did a child with no help except some initial help with handsawing.
Three boards, two screws and two finishing nails (nails that have almost no head on them). The squares are approximately 12 inches x12 inches with a 2-inch thickness. You will saw one of them in half on that black line. When I first began handsawing, I had troubles and got frustrated, but then Isaiah 10:15 came to mind and I thought, "he that shaketh the saw." I calmed down and shook that saw and I've been sawing ever since. I clamp the wood down and saw. [Update: Having made several of these bookstands, I just purchased pine wood yesterday and began making another today. I came across a problem. Something peculiar about the wood made sawing extremely difficult (I noticed that the center portion of the plank had a light rosy color to it.). I used three different saws to get through my cut. I hope no one else has this problem. I also found that a 1 inch thickness is too narrow for me.] [Update: Ikea.com has an inexpensive laptop support (name: BRÄDA, Article Number: 601.501.76 http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60150176/) that does not sit up as high as ours but I have found it useful.] Three boards, two screws and two nails. Screw the square board to the triangle. In this side view, you cannot see the placement of the screws, please look below where the two vertical black dots are. Hammer in the two finishing nails near the bottom for your bookshelf Put your shelf in front of the bookstand and mark out where the nails are so that you know how far apart to place the holes. Drill the holes (center them between the edges as shown). They don't have to be big holes, just big enough to fit over the nails. Drill them deep enough so that the shelf will cover the entire nail and lie flush with the backboard. [There is a such thing as a hand drill--it does not require electricty or batteries. It is manually operated. Just put the right-sized metal bit in the drill and turn it. There are different kinds of hand drills. We have older drills, but I plan to give a link here to a good vendor and his product once I find one.] Slide the shelf all the way onto the nails until it is flush on the back. If your holes are little off, just bend your nail(s) slightly to get them in the hole. Completed bookstand (front). Completed bookstand (side) Optional: Completed bookstand with a piece of cardboard to further support soft back covers. The bookstand works fine without this.
This bookstand is sturdy--
You may already have all, or most of your supplies at home. The two square boards above were cut from 10"x2" lumber. If you have no big pieces like this, you can go to Lowe's or Home Depot or some lumber yard and they can show you what to get. If you are handy and have some extra boards, you may be able to fashion something with what you already have around the house. [Update: Ikea has a "laptop support" which works well as a bookstand (cost is under $3) but it is a lower profile (it does not sit up as high as the subject bookstand). "Bräda", 601.501.76, http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60150176/]
When putting together bookshelves, sometimes there are few that we don't need. They can be repurposed for a project like this. I have not tried making this bookstand with a thin triangle--I think it will work.
Our first bookstand was a slightly different style--
Three boards, two screws, and two nails.
Hands-free reading and studying--drawing, graphing, charting. Settle in and read.
Isaiah 34:16 Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read...
Print out and bind your own Authorized King James Bible (Pure Cambridge Edition).
