Tablet charging station

Create calm out of entryway chaos by making your own iPad/iPhone charging station and mail sorter – perfect for corralling cords, electronics, keys and sunglasses.

A few years ago I posted about a simple solution for storing and charging your iPad, iPod, iPhone, idontcare electronics. It was a wood magazine rack that I tipped on it’s back and then drilled holes through the bottom for cords to feed through.

It was great!

A bit big and bulky, and it was a bit more difficult to get your iPhone in and out – but it worked.

I don’t remember what I did with that tablet charging station? Maybe I had a garage sale and got rid of it? Sometimes I could kick my own ass for not thinking. lol

Regardless, I decided I wanted to build something similar, but where I could actually hide the charging cords in the back and create a sort of entryway solution – to hold keys, mail AND electronics.

Having somewhere safe to keep your cellphone when you’re not using it is so important! My friend from Singapore recently cracked her brand new iPhone screen and had to contact iphone x screen repair. Maybe if she had put her phone somewhere safe, it wouldn’t have got damaged.

So, this is what I came up with:

I call this the prototype instead of first screw-up – sounds more professional.

I cut up some ½” birch plywood that I had in the garage to create 2 tablet holders and then a smaller section to nestle iPhones in.

I added a box section to the back of the tablet charging station to tuck a powerbar and the lightning cords into so they wouldn’t be tangled up everywhere causing an eyesore.

The larger section is for mail – slightly oversized to fit those larger envelopes that sometimes come, but also perfect for dropping your keys or leaving your sunglasses.

Yes, there were a LOT of screw ups on this.

my pocket hole screws shot through the ½” ply and ended up sticking out the sides.
I didn’t need to use pocket hole screws at all – this iPad charging station would have been just as strong with wood glue and finishing nails

3. I didn’t account for the placement of my pocket holes, so you can see them on the wrong side of the wood (above)

4. the cord holes in the back are off-centre

UGH!

It would be a miracle to get one build perfect on the first try!

But my tablet charging station works – even with all the boo-boos.

No cords showing, perfect spacing for the different-sized electronics and a perfect place to store the mail that I never seem to get around to opening.

I stained the entire “entryway organization unit” and then used a coordinating paint along the edges to disguise that it’s plywood.

It’s (almost) perfect!

Tidy, compact, organized and save for a few hidden errors – pretty.

The dimensions for this tablet charging station are 12 ½” deep by 11″ wide, by 7″ tall. I can draw up building plans if you like, but really it’s going to depend on your needs; do you have 1 iPad or 6? Leave me a comment if you want the specs – I would be more than happy to draw them up if you want a version (but better) than mine.

Some other options to consider: