Laser-Cut Phone Stand

This is a phone stand that is portable and easy to use. I made this using a laser in my school to cut the wood, so you'll need to make sure you have access to one before you start.

Supplies Needed: 0.115 inch-think wood, wood glue, sand paper

The original idea to create a phone stand came from a project by aescobar ortega. Below is a link to her project:
https://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-DIY-phone-hol...

Step 1: Design the Stand

For this step, you can either use the attached DXF files to send straight to the laser or design your own version. If you wish to design your own, you can refer to the general dimensions provided in the pictures.

I used Inventor 2015 to create these designs. Other modeling programs will work as well, as long as the file is saved as a DXF. AutoCAD is probably the best choice because only 2D drawings are needed for this.

In one of the versions I made, I used two horizontal lines as shown in the first picture to be etched on the base in order to make it easier to line up the layers during the gluing process. However, you do not need this. In the final version I made I did not add the lines, simply because it looks much nicer without them.

Step 2: Laser Cutting

Once you have the two separate DXF files (one of the base and one of the top layer), you can format them on a computer connected to your laser. On mine I set the red lines to be cut and the black lines to be etched for a logo. Lines that are intended to be cut should have 100% power and 2% speed, while lines intended to be etched should have 100% power and 45% speed.

Step 3: Gluing

Once your pieces are cut out, they need to be glued together. Get some wood glue and spread it on your pieces using a paperclip or a toothpick. Firmly press all the layers together and clamp the layers down once you are finished.

Step 4: Sanding

Once the glue has dried, sand the top and bottom going with the grain. You can also sand the edges if you want to remove the burn marks from the laser.

Step 5: Engraving

If you want to add a logo on the back, draw it out on whatever designing software you used and import it onto the final file. The logo will be etched and not cut, so make sure your settings are correct for the corresponding color. For this case I used black at 100% power and 45% speed. Also be sure to adjust the height of the laser if you are doing this after it is assembled.

Step 6: You're Done!

Now you have a handy phone stand that you can use on the go!