Practically every household has at least one tablet. iPads and Android tablets often litter tables at family gatherings and in offices. Maybe you picked up an Amazon Fire 7 during one of the company’s frequent sales (in the past, they’ve gone as low as $35!).
But having just purchased a tablet, the last thing you may want to do is purchase another accessory—and if you want a stand, that’s exactly what you’ll have to do. Unless, that is, you make your very own DIY tablet stand, which will cost you next to nothing.
Quick and Easy DIY Tablet Stands
These homemade tablet stands are all quick and easy to make. You may have the parts needed to make many of them already, and they require a minimum number of tools, if any.
You can make a stand out of cardboard, like YouTuber Suart86 did.
This is a really easy stand to make, and requires nothing more than some scissors, cardboard and a pen (optional). It doesn’t even need glue, as the stand slots together.
You could also make this quick DIY tablet stand out of cardboard, like Guidecentral did.
You’ll need a craft knife, a pen or pencil, and some thicker cardboard.
YouTube user fixitsamo shows you how to make a stand out of copper tubing and glue—parts readily available at any hardware store. You may need a few basic tools to cut the pipe (or perhaps you know somebody who could give you their offcuts).
You could also make a makeshift iPad stand out of old membership cards, like Roman UrsuHack did. You’ll need a ruler for this tutorial, as well as something to heat the plastic with. While this is a simple tutorial, be careful not to injure yourself.
Next, YouTuber Dr.E shows you how to make a really simple stand using rubber Gear Ties. These can be purchased at most hardware stores and are easy to bend using your hands—no tools needed.
You could make one out of a clothes hanger, as JapanHDVideo did. You may have a metal clothes hanger already, and no other tools are needed. You may wish to wear gloves, and watch for sharp edges that could hurt you or scratch your tablet. You could use foam or tape to cover the ends.
Finally, this stand by Awesome Ideas uses a binder clip and can be made in seconds, with no tools needed.
Lego
Lego is one of the most popular toys on the planet, and for good reason. It can be used for all kinds of interesting Lego projects. Maybe you already have a container full at the moment.
There are plenty of different homemade tablet stands and designs, like this one from BrickMixer, which uses a minimal number of parts.
This is a very easy stand to make. You may have all of these parts already if you own any Lego, although it’s easy to modify to use your existing pieces. There are several variations on this. There’s even a collapsible design by superlegocreators123 (although this does require some slightly more specialist pieces):
There’s also this simpler makeshift iPad stand by LEGOsRus, which uses fewer parts:
It’s easy to adjust for different size tablets. If you want to make it really special, you can purchase bricks on eBay or BrickLink. Take a look at the r/Lego Subreddit for some inspiration.
3D Printed
If you’re fortunate enough to own a 3D printer, there are plenty of stands you can make. If you do not own a printer, online services 3D Hubs and Shapeways provide printing services at reasonable prices.
This minimalist Arch iPad Stand by MakerBot user Walter Hsiao is simple to print and looks great.
If you want something fancier, this Octopus Stand by Colin Payson does the job nicely, although it does take twice as long to print.
Finally, you could print this Universal Phone and Tablet Stand by James Carmichael de Klerk. It’s suitable for a tablet or phone.
Wood
If you have some woodworking skills or are willing to learn, you can easily make some great DIY tablet stands.
Chris McDowell from CMR Woodworks shows you how to make a stand from reclaimed wood. You’ll need a table saw for this project, along with clamps, glue, and basic woodworking tools. You may be able to get by without power tools, depending on what tools you have.
Ronald Walters shows you how to make a stand from scratch. This does require some specific tools, namely a circular saw, router and bench sander. There’s no reason that you couldn’t make this using hand tools, though.
If you fancy more of a challenge, Steve Carmichael shows you how to build a curved stand. Like the previous tutorials, this uses a bandsaw, disc sander and pillar drill, but there’s no need to worry if you don’t have access to these tools. Hand tools are perfectly fine to do the job.
Finally, BCDesign has an excellent design for a wooden stand with brass dowel inserts. Once again, this tutorial makes use of workshop power tools. If you don’t have access to these kinds of tools, you can still get by with hand tools, but the minimum you’ll need is a hacksaw and drill. It will be quite difficult to make (but not impossible) without a drill:
Other Stands
If you are still stuck for inspiration, take a look at these creative designs.
IDEA OF THE DAY has a great tutorial for a stand made from ice cream sticks.
This origami stand by Mathies TV shows you everything you need to know.
If you have some air-dry clay, you can make this cat tablet stand by PinkCosmoCrafts.
Handy with a needle and thread? Let your tablet stand up in comfort with this cushioned creation from Sizzix Lifestyle.
This tutorial by DaveHax repurposes a desk lamp to make an adjustable stand.
Take your iPad anywhere with this cardboard tablet stand that doubles up as a case, From McKook.
If you feel like a challenge, you can make a tablet stand using PVC pipe, as shown by Specific Love Creations (this does require the use of power tools, though):
Which DIY Tablet Stand Will You Make?
You should now be able to make your own tablet stand, maybe using nothing more than common household items. There’s certainly plenty of choice, so which one will you make?
And after you’ve made your own tablet stand, what will your next DIY project be? Another Lego construction perhaps? A laptop cooler? Or maybe instead of a homemade tablet stand, you could build your own tablet?
Originally written by Jessica Cam Wong, January 2012.
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