Laser Cut Temple University Phone Stand

This is my take on a portable phone stand. It is compact, simple, and easily fits in one's pocket. It utilizes a living hinge and magnets to hold it down. I designed it after the Temple University logo. There are magnets to keep it from opening up when not used. It can hold the phone in a landscape or portrait orientation. However, with larger phones it might not be able to support the phone. Certain phones without a case or protector may be prone to slippage. Adjustments may be necessary to suit your needs.

Some materials that will be used:

• Wood (I used .115in thick)
• Wood Glue
• Clamps
• Laser cutter
• Sandpaper
• Four Neodymium magnets (1/8" diameter, 1/16" thick)

These are the drawings that will be used to laser. I used AutoCAD to draw the designs and CorelDRAW 10 to laser it. The logo created some issues as we could not find a way to fill in the logo. What I ended up doing was drawing rectangles filled with the desired color. This process may take a while. Alternatively, the logo can be done by using Microsoft Publisher by saving the image as a bitmap. I have not tried this method so I don't know how it will turn out.

Make sure to properly align the wood and print it with adequate space. The top piece will have to be flipped once cut out to allow for the logo and holes for magnets.

The settings I used on the laser cutter:

• To cut through, power 100%, speed 2%
• To burn the logo, power 100%, speed 40%
• To make holes for magnet, power 100%, speed 15%

Next, the magnets need to be glued into place. Make sure that the magnets when glued in are in the correct orientation. One way to ensure that it will be correct is to connect the magnets beforehand. So now the two magnets are together, glue one end of the magnet into the back piece. Then put glue into the hole of the top piece and bring the two pieces of wood together as it will be in the final product. The two parts can then be separated by sliding them across one another. Also don't press to hard onto the magnet or it might protrude slightly onto the other side as I accidentally did.

After you finished lasering, there will be some charred edges. The charred wood is a result of creosote. This can be easily removed by sanding it. Sanding will also create an even, smooth surface to allow for better gluing. Do not sand to much in one spot as this will make the wood uneven.

Put glue along the two outer edges of the top piece. Do not use too much glue. The excess glue will spread and potentially spread to other areas that should not be glued down. For example, the hinge in my stand was accidentally glued down and when trying to separate the hinge from bottom piece the hinge broke. After applying glue, line up the pieces so that the two pieces are even and then clamp it down. Once it is finish drying it can be taken out.

Optional Step:

If your phone is a bit more slippery and just will not stay on. You can take one of the small rectangles that was cut out to make the T and glue it onto the front as shown in the picture.

Now the stand is done. To use it lift the T and then push the bottom tab upwards until the end of the tab sits in the hole behind the T. Make adjustments accordingly and enjoy!