Hanging Magnetic Iphone Dock

This is my first instructable, so please don't be too harsh. Constructive criticism is welcomed.

I always leave my phone in the weirdest places, so I wanted to make a dock that could charge my phone, be out of the way when I am working, and be in a place I can always find it!

This is a list of tools I used. I tried to keep all of the tools simple. If you don't have power tools you could interchange the miter saw and palm router I used with a handsaw and chisel.

Tools

• phone
• charging Cable
• scrap Wood (I used 2 small blocks of walnut)
• knife
• clamp
• ruler/tape measure
• masking tape
• drill
• hammer
• screwdriver
• pencil
• superglue (gel)
• combo square
• sand paper
• palm router with 1/4" straight bit and round-over bit
• small magnets

So at this stage I held up some of parts to get an idea on how big the platform should be, the how tall the backrest should be, the size of the plug, and generally just the shape and size of dock to make sure it had nice proportions.

Next, I traced the usb-c plug on the thinner piece of wood (platform).

I took my palm router and installed a 1/4 inch straight bit. I set the depth of the router using the cable itself as a guide. Its always hard to see your work when you're freehanding a drawn line, so I set up a light and tried to follow my outline as close as possible. My bit was too large for the cord part, so I decided to use a chisel instead. (You could use a knife or just have the hole be a little oversized from the router.) The last picture is me doing a test fitting of the cord to make sure it was nice and snug. I didn't really want to use glue in case the cord went bad and I could replace it easier.

I decided to use screws to attach the platform to the backrest so I could remove it later and modify it if I needed to. I used my combo square to make some marks for the hole location of the screws. I predrilled and countersunk the 2 hole locations and installed the 1 inch screws.

So you saw from the last picture that I had quite a bit wood hanging over the edge. Simple Fix! Take it to the miter saw and cut the excess off. You can accomplish the same goal with a handsaw and sandpaper. Next, I installed a round-over bit into my palm router to clean up some of the sharp edges. Will make it nicer to look at, as well as nicer to hold/touch.

Up next, take a scrappier piece of wood and drill some holes corresponding to the size of your magnets. Flag your drill bit with a piece of masking tape to mark to depth you want to drill. Drill 4 holes in the back of the dock (you may want to add additional holes if your magnets are weak). Add a drop of superglue, the thicker glue the better. Hammer the magnets in using a piece of wood, (otherwise it will stick to your hammer!)

I finished the wooden part with a little bit of hand sanding (220 Grit), and a liberal coating of Boiled Linseed Oil. Let it sit for 15 minutes and wipe clean with cotton rag. You could use paste wax, lacquer, or whatever else you could prefer.

.

.

.

The moment of truth........

...

...

It holds my phone!

.....

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed my first instructable. I am adding this instructable the Stick it! and Woodworking Contest! Please vote if you liked this.