It is the same size as a smartphone, but opens to allow you to read (or cook) more easily.
Pages 50-54
How-to books, cookbooks and sheet music are inconvenient to use while youre in the workshop, kitchen or concert hall. This is why bookstands and music stands were created.
These, however, can be bulky. The mechanical minds of 19th century invented many clever ways to fold a bookstand so that it fits in your pocket.
This version is based on several British and Chinese versions I have studied and is designed to be robust and easy to make with standard workshop equipment. To build it, you will need less than 1 board foot of wood. So go through your scrap pile to get started.
How It Works
A bookstand is simply a collection of sticks that have been either glued or riveted together. Three pieces of wood were glued together to create the middle section of the bookstand. This allows for the kickstand and foot to be held. These bits make the bookstand adjustable.
Around the middle section are sticks that are attached with copper rivets, which work like hinges and allow the whole thing to unfold. Don’t worry if you have never used copper rivets before. Installing them is as easy as drilling a hole and hammering a nail.
Note: To make the nomenclature easy for this project, I call horizontal members rails and vertical members stiles just like in a door or a face frame.
