Minimal Cookbook Stand

My sister reached out to me a few weeks ago about making a custom cookbook stand for her kitchen. She specifically requested that it "look good" so that it can stand alone in her kitchen as decor when it's not being used. Naturally I was down to give it a shot and I had a few days to kill, so this is what came of it!

After a video-chat session full of measurements and questions, I was ready to sketch up some concepts for a stand that could handle all of the cookbooks in her collection (ranging from 1/2" to 3" in thickness).

I ran into some interesting challenges along the way so hopefully you can learn from my successes (and failures).

For the mold:

• 1/2" MDF (I used a ~15"x15" piece for all of the mold parts) and 3/4" screws
• Primer
• Mold release (I used a PTFE-based release because that's what I had lying around)

For pouring the concrete:

• Precision grout
• Container for mixing
• Mixing stick
• Water
• (Optional: Concrete Sealer - I used a grout sealer that I had on hand)

For the wooden parts:

• 1/2" hardwood sheet (~10"x20" or equivalent)
• Sandpaper
• Wood glue, clamps
• Stain (and brushes for applying)
• Table saw preferably, but I had to make do with a CNC (I'll talk about this more later)

For projects like these, I'll usually start by grabbing a notebook and pen and sketching out different concepts. Since this project was relatively small, I was even able to draw some of the concepts life-size to really get a feel for the look and feel.

I knew from the start that I wanted to incorporate concrete as a material, since it brings a very modern and minimal aesthetic to the design. Initially I thought that I might go for a single-piece design made entirely of concrete, but eventually decided that I wanted more adjustability (for the wide range of recipe book sizes).

I landed on a hybrid design that would use both concrete and wood (possibly my favorite material combination), and allows for some adjustment to be able to handle books of all thicknesses. Next up: putting together a 3D model and a render to see what it will look in real life!

With the design sketched out, I jumped over to Fusion 360 to put a 3D model together. The CAD was fairly simple, with just a handful of components: the main support (which is what the recipe book leans up against), the page holder (which keeps the pages of the recipe book from moving), and a concrete weight that keeps the whole thing stable. Integrated into the concrete weight are a series of cutouts that allow the page holder to index at certain positions. This is what enables the stand to be adjustable to different cookbook sizes.

Rendering the 3D model with realistic materials always helps to confirm the look and feel of the design. I would highly recommend doing this before working on any project because there's nothing worse than finishing a project and not having it look like what you had pictured in your mind. Rendering allows you to make any adjustments before you get into the actual building process (when changes are much more expensive and time-intensive).

With the CAD done, I switched over to the Manufacture environment in Fusion and began working on the CAM. All of the parts in this project would have been much easier to make with a table saw, but unfortunately I don't have one. As a workaround, I cut them out with my CNC router. For all of the cuts, I essentially used two tool paths: a contour (with tabs) to cut out the profiles of the shapes and a 3D contour to cut the angled/beveled edges.

If you want to use or adapt the 3D model I made, I attached my STEP and f3d files to the first step of the Instructable.

Using Fusion 360 for the CAD and CAM, I cut out the pieces for an MDF mold to make the large concrete weight. This mold was different than anything I've done in the past, since there were some integrated features along the base of the weight. This meant that I needed to put three additional pieces along the top of the mold that –when removed– would leave the features I need.

Once I cut out all the pieces, I assembled them with 3/4" screws and coated the inside of the mold with primer (to make it easier to remove after drying). If I were to do this again (as I'll mention later) I would have added more of a draft angle to the three pieces along the top to make for easier removal.

Since I only anticipate using this mold once, MDF was a fine material to use. If I wanted to make a mold that would stand up to dozens or hundreds of uses, I would certainly have gone with a material like silicone (see my other Instructable on making a concrete trivet).

The first step before pouring the concrete is to coat the mold with a mold release. In this case, I had some PTFE-based mold release on hand so I decided to use that. It may not be the best option as it's typically intended for silicone molds, but judging from the results it seemed to do alright.

Next, I mixed up a large batch of precision grout in a cleaned-out milk carton. It's important to make sure that you have more than enough mixed up so that you don't have to do multiple batches. After pouring the mixture, shaking & tapping the mold will help to remove any bubbles and ensure that it makes it into all the crevices and details of the mold. (As you'll see, I probably could have a done a better job of this).

Next step, removing the concrete from the mold!

This was by far the trickiest part of the project. After leaving the concrete to dry for ~24 hours, I was able to remove the side walls without any major issues. All of the external edges were intact for the most part (and honestly, even if the surface is a little bit rough it still looks great in concrete). The issues all revolved around those three pieces along the top. First of all, the concrete didn't flow into all of the details and left some open/cracked edges. But the biggest issue was how long it took me to remove those pieces from the concrete. It took probably 20 minutes of tapping and pulling to get them removed (and I was worried about breaking the piece the entire time).

If I were to do this project again, I would do one of the following: either (1) add a draft angle to these pieces so that they could be removed more easily, or (2) design the mold to have a larger void and glue a 3D printed part into that void to get the details I needed. Even with the issues that I experienced, however, I still had a part that functioned the way I needed it to.

After the concrete was completely removed, I let it cure for another 24 hours and then did some hand sanding before applying a sealant. The cracked edges are hidden by the wooden parts of the assembly, so I wasn't too worried with any of the imperfections.

These parts came together fairly easily, except for one little hitch: in order to get the size of wood that I needed, I actually had to glue together two panels (turns out, 8" wide boards at the hardware store are actually only 7.25" wide). I used Poplar since it's rather cheap (and I knew I was going to stain it anyways), but really any hardwood would look great. I actually wish that I had done a richer stain with more of a red hue; I think that would have looked really good against the concrete.

After some quick cuts on the CNC (once again, these could have been cut out much faster on a table saw but I don't have one) I was able to assemble all of the wooden components. There are two main components: the main support that the recipe book rests on, and the page support that moves in and out. The semicircles on the runners of the page support are what index with the cutouts in the concrete base.

After some hand sanding to remove the tabs and witness marks, they were ready for a quick assembly test. I had to clean up a few cuts with a file to get the clearance that I needed, especially between the runners of the page holder and the holes in the main support. The page holder needs to be able to slide freely in and out of the holes in the main support.

With those done, it was time to move on to the finishing touches.

After getting the parts to fit as desired, I did the final glue-up and assembled everything to see how it worked. With all the parts glued and attached, I applied a couple of coats of stain + polyurethane to gave the wood a nice, dark color. I also applied some strips of adhesive-backed foam on the base of the concrete weight to protect the countertop from the rough surface of the concrete.

I tested out the adjusting "page-holder" and it works great for all of my sister's cookbooks. And –if I do say so myself– it looks pretty good just sitting there in the kitchen when it's not in use.

This was a fun 2-day build and I definitely learned a thing or two that I can take into my next concrete project! Hopefully you did too.