Wood Book Rest / Wood Bookmark

Are you ready to get your summer reading on?

In my world, there is nothing better than parking yourself on the patio with a tea (hot or iced) and a good book while the kids run rampant in the yard. It doesn’t happen nearly as often as I’d like, but those few stolen moments on weekends are my bliss.

I came across an ingenious book rest / wood bookmark on Pinterest and couldn’t resist – I had to have one for myself.

This is another one of those scrap wood projects that I love so much, which means if you have any wood lying around at all, you can probably whip one up for yourself without purchasing a single thing.

Wood Book Rest / Wood Bookmark

2 pieces of 2″ x 4″ about 8″ long (we’ll be cutting angles)
1 piece of 2″ x 4″ approximately 9 ½” long (again, there will be angles cut)

Set your mitre saw to a 60° angle and cut one end of each of the two 8″ boards

Set your mitre saw to a 30° angle and cut the other ends so that you have a distinct short side and a long side – see image.

Line up your base board with the two sides and draw lines following the angle – for my book rest / wood bookmark that meant a continuation of the 30° angle. Cut both ends of your base board at the 30° with the angles opposite each other

Jeesh, wish I’d figured that out before I started this project. Trust me, prototype #1 was a headache and a half trying to figure out angles and possible jig scenarios. WAAAAAY over-thought it.

I sanded the sides of my boards that will face the inside of the triangle with 120 and then 220 grit sandpaper – knowing I wouldn’t be able to sand these easily later.

Apply some wood glue and clamp until dry. I did use a couple of finishing nails as well, but the wood glue is more than strong enough.

You can see that I have a few gaps on my wood bookmark – that’s due to the trial and error of the builder and not the accuracy of the angle measurements. A little wood filler will hide this.

I sanded the entire wood book rest with 120 grit and then 220 grit sandpaper and added a slightly chamfered edge by running my sander at a 45° angle along the corners.

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this on the blog before but I HATE angles. I hate calculating them and I hate cutting them (if they are outside of what my mitre saw can handle). I really need to invest in a dollar store protractor or something because clearly I wasn’t paying attention in grade 5 math class.

Kids – stay in school if you ever want to build anything.

I added a coat of stain and varnish to finish my wood book rest.

Time to hit the patio with my fancy-schmancy wood bookmark!

The chamfered edges aren’t necessary at all, but I think it gives it just a bit more polish.

A 2″x6″ would have made a wider base to rest your book on, but this version – made with scrap 2″x 4″ is perfectly functional and just the right size to set on your nightstand (or patio table).

The book itself? While I really enjoyed the Outlander series, this series of short stories isn’t as gratifying – there’s just not enough story to get thoroughly involved with the characters. I give it a “Meh”.