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

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

Wood book rest, wood bookmark, triangle book rest, wood triangle, scrap wood project, book lover, DIY book stand

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

Wood book rest, wood bookmark, triangle book rest, wood triangle, scrap wood project, book lover, DIY book stand

Wood book rest, wood bookmark, triangle book rest, wood triangle, scrap wood project, book lover, DIY book stand

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).

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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”.

Wood book rest, wood bookmark, triangle book rest, wood triangle, scrap wood project, book lover, DIY book stand

 

Have a great one!

LMAO, LOL, Too funny

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