A book stand is a useful small project because its parts are plain, its joinery can remain visible, and the finished object earns its place on a desk or kitchen table. This version has a broad wooden base, an angled back, a front ledge, and two movable stops for different book sizes. The angle is adjusted with a removable dowel rather than complicated hardware.
The dimensions below make a stand suitable for an ordinary hardback, a cookery book, recipe cards, or working drawings. Adjust the width and height if you already know the largest book it must carry. Straight-grained hardwood is preferable: beech, ash, maple, oak, or a similar stable board will give the thin parts enough strength without making the stand unnecessarily heavy.
Materials and tools
Materials
- One back board, about 360 mm wide, 250 mm high, and 18 mm thick
- One base board, about 320 mm wide, 180 mm deep, and 18 mm thick
- One front ledge, about 300 mm wide, 32 mm deep, and 18 mm thick
- Two side cheeks, each about 220 mm long, 42 mm wide, and 18 mm thick
- One hardwood dowel, 10–12 mm in diameter and about 360 mm long
- Two small wooden stops, roughly 25 mm square and 25–35 mm high
- PVA or hide glue
- Sandpaper from about 100 to 240 grit
- Paste wax or a drying oil finish
- Small pieces of leather or wool for contact pads
You will also need a square, marking knife or pencil, handsaw, chisels, brace or drill, bits matching the dowel, clamps, a mallet, and a plane or rasp for easing edges. A coping saw is useful if you wish to soften the shape of the side cheeks, though a straight-sided stand works just as well.
The dowel should be straight and smooth. If it is slightly loose in its holes, the stand may wobble; if it is too tight, adjustment will become awkward and the surrounding wood may split. Test the fit in scrap before drilling the finished pieces.
Prepare the pieces
Begin by checking the boards for twist and cup. Mark the face of each piece that you want to show, then mark the direction of the grain. A book stand is handled often, so keep unattractive knots and short grain away from the narrow ledge and the corners of the side cheeks.
Saw the base and back board square. Plane or sand their edges until they meet cleanly. Round over only the exposed edges with a block plane, file, or folded sandpaper. A small easing is enough; sharp corners are easily bruised, while large rounded edges can make the stand look clumsy.
Cut the ledge to length and check it against the lower edge of the back board. It should project far enough to catch a book without hiding too much of the lower page. A depth of about 30 mm is a useful starting point. If the stand will hold thick recipe binders, make the ledge deeper and use a heavier board.
Make the adjustable side supports
The two side cheeks carry the pivot and provide the notches that set the reading angle. Place them on the base, one near each side, with their long direction running from front to back. Leave enough room between them for the back board to move freely, and keep them far enough from the edges that the base will not split when holes are drilled.
Mark a pivot point on each cheek about 35 mm from its front end and midway across its width. Transfer this position to the lower side edges of the back board. Drill matching holes through the cheeks and into the back board. Do not drill completely through the visible face of the back board unless you intend the dowel to show. A short pivot pin fitted from each side is also possible, but a continuous dowel is easier to align.
Now mark three or four support positions along the upper rear portion of each cheek. These may be shallow semicircular notches cut with a round file, or holes drilled partway through the cheeks. The positions should correspond on both sides. Their spacing need not be exact, but the dowel must rest at the same setting on the left and right. Wider spacing gives a more noticeable change in angle; closer spacing gives finer adjustment.
If using notches, cut them with a backsaw and chisel, then smooth the bottoms with a round file. Keep the notches deep enough to retain the support dowel, but not so deep that the dowel becomes difficult to lift. If using holes, drill them level and clean, checking frequently with a square.
Assemble the base and back
Position the side cheeks on the base and mark around them. Drill a few small clearance holes through the base from underneath, then glue and screw or peg the cheeks in place. If you prefer an entirely traditional appearance, use wooden pegs instead of screws. Avoid relying on glue alone for this joint: the cheeks receive repeated pressure as the angle is changed.
Let the adhesive set according to its instructions before fitting the back. Work with the back board, cheeks, and pivot dowel dry first. Insert the dowel through one cheek, the back board, and the other cheek. The back should pivot without binding. If it catches, enlarge the holes very slightly with a round file rather than forcing the joint.
Place the support dowel in one pair of rear notches. Tilt the back board until it rests securely against the dowel. Check that the lower edge does not lift from the base and that the back remains within the footprint of the stand. Test each angle with an empty book before adding the ledge.
Glue the front ledge across the lower face of the back board. It may be fixed square to the back or tilted very slightly upward at its outer edge. The latter arrangement helps keep a book from creeping forward, but the angle should remain modest so that pages are not sharply bent. Clamp the ledge in place and wipe away squeezed-out glue with a damp cloth before it hardens.
Add the movable book stops
The small stops prevent a book from sliding sideways on the ledge. There are two simple ways to make them adjustable. The more flexible method is to drill a row of small holes through the ledge and fit each stop with a short peg underneath. The other is to cut a shallow groove along the ledge and make stops with a tongue that slides within it.
For a hand-tool project, the pegged arrangement is straightforward. Mark a row of holes along the ledge, keeping them clear of its ends and spaced at about 25–35 mm intervals. Drill only as deep as needed for the stop pegs. Make the pegs snug but removable. Round their ends slightly so they enter without shaving the hole walls.
Fit a peg to the underside of each stop, then test several positions with a thin pamphlet and a thick book. The stops should touch the lower corners without pressing hard into the cover. Glue the pegs into the stops, not into the ledge. This allows the stops to be moved when the book size changes.
For books with delicate bindings, glue a small pad of leather or wool to the face of each stop and to the upper surface of the ledge. Use only a thin pad, firmly attached, with no loose fibres that could catch on paper. The pads should cushion contact rather than hold the book by friction alone.
Sand and finish
Disassemble the stand as far as practical before final sanding. Begin with a coarse enough abrasive to remove tool marks, then progress through finer grits until the surfaces feel even under the hand. Do not polish the wood excessively around the pivot or notches; a little natural grip is useful there.
Break every exposed corner, including the ends of the dowel. Remove dust with a brush or clean cloth. Apply a thin coat of oil or paste wax according to the product instructions, allowing the finish to dry fully between coats. Keep finish out of the pivot holes and support notches. If any gathers there, clear it with the dowel before it hardens.
Wax gives a quiet, low-sheen surface and makes the stand pleasant to handle. Oil can bring out the colour and figure of the hardwood, but it should be applied sparingly so the stand does not remain tacky. Neither finish should be treated as a substitute for careful sanding.
Useful mistakes to avoid
Making the base too shallow
A narrow base may look neat but can tip when a large book is opened. If the back board is tall or the book is heavy, increase the depth of the base or move the rear support farther back.
Drilling the paired holes independently
Mark both cheeks from the same reference edge, and clamp them together when possible. Misaligned holes make the dowel twist or bind.
Using short grain in the ledge
The ledge takes downward pressure from the book. Choose a board with long, uninterrupted grain and avoid placing a knot near either end.
Gluing the adjustable parts
The pivot dowel and page stops must remain removable. Glue only the fixed cheeks, ledge, and any permanent pegs.
Making the stops too tall
High stops can cover text or catch the turning page. Keep them low enough that a reader can lift a page naturally, especially when the stand is used for music, recipes, or drawings.
To use the finished stand, choose an angle that keeps the pages open without forcing the spine flat. Set the support dowel in matching notches, move the two stops to the book’s lower corners, and place the stand on a level surface. A simple arrangement of sound wood, a few accurate holes, and a comfortable edge is enough to make everyday reading easier without crowding the table.