Make Your Own Tablet Stand

Here's how to create a tablet stand out of disposable chopsticks.

By David Murphy, PCWorld

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Make Your Own Tablet Stand

You don't have to shell out for an expensive tablet stand to prop up your iPad or Android slate. Make your own with disposable chopsticks, glue, a hammer, and a nail (if you aren’t opting for a nut and bolt). All it takes is a bit of patience.

Drill the Chopsticks

If you have a drill handy, use it to create tiny holes in the group of chopsticks that will include the pivoting leg.

Glue the Chopsticks

We cheated--instead of waiting for our glue to dry, we just taped the chopsticks together. This is for illustrative purposes only, since taped chopsticks are nowhere near as sturdy as glued 'sticks.

Make a Niche for Your Tablet

Add all the sticks together to create a notched bay for your tablet to sit in. Two sticks should protrude from the "bottom" of this bay: one swivels, the other does not.

Let the Tablet-Stand 'Leg' Swivel

You’re now looking at the bottom of the tablet holder. The swiveling stick sits on the end of the nail or the top of the bolt, depending on your fastener preference. However, for full swiveling power, you’ll need to make a small cut to the second protruding leg previously mentioned. We’ve indicated with a notch where we’ll be making our slice.

Make the Cut

And here’s our cut. The swiveling stick can now angle downward instead of upward, which should give the tablet holder a lot more support.

The Final Product

Minus the tape we used to quickly illustrate the build, this is how your final contraption will look. The swiveling stick is extended fully, and we’ve added an extra chopstick to the back of the holder for good measure. For other projects, don't forget to check out the rest of our DIY tech accessories.