Make Your Own iPad Stand

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One frustration with the iPad is the way it spins like an out-of-control Lazy Susan when you set it on your desk or the kitchen counter and try to use it with one hand. You need a stand. Apple's iPad Dock ($29) is wimpy — try and punch the home button and you'll knock the iPad on its keister. Apple's iPad Case ($39) has a mediocre ability to hold the iPad upright in floppy fashion. So, frustrated, and with extremely limited woodworking skills, I made this an iPad stand for nothing with scrap wood.



Use this as inspiration only. There are many sizes and shapes you could use for your design, and many wood dimensions would work. If you don't have wood lying around, you can get the equivalent of what I used for $10 or less at Home Depot. If you hate this whole idea, you might check out the Joule iPad stand . It's very stylish, and runs $129.

Step 1: Cut three pieces of 1x4 to 6-inches long, plus a piece of 1x2, also 6 inches long. 6 inches gives maximum stability when the iPad is upright, and is enough to keep it stable when horizontal.

Step 2 & 3: Pre-hammer nails partway in. Use a little glue. Nail the 1x2 (A) to one of the 1x4s (B). Then get your iPad, position the rest of the pieces and hold everything tight with your fingers, and let the iPad rest at an angle that allows it to tilt back slightly. Remove the iPad and mark where the other top pieces should go (C). Then pre-nail, glue and attach the other top 1x4 to the two bottom 1x4s.

Big Secret Step: Before you put things together, bevel the edge of the top piece of 1x4 if you can (see the End View in Step 3). It's not necessary, but it'll make it a little easier for the iPad to fit snugly and lean back at a nice angle. I used a wood plane, but a rasp would work. I am lousy with angles, so you'll see I made some bevels that ended up not being needed. They look fine, however, so I'm calling them "design elements."

One (other) flaw with this design: If you want to charge the iPad while in the stand and in the vertical (portrait) position, you'll have to put it in upside down since there's no slot for the synch cable in the stand. That's not really an issue (other than appearances) because the iPad doesn't care which way it sits.