East Fork iPad Case

First posted plan... Please bear with me...

My dad, awesome dad that he is, bought me an iPad for Christmas. When I went scouting for an iPad cover I found only a few that suited my personality and zero that suited my pocketbook. So off to the shop I went. When I returned, this is what I had. It's working out just fine.

Note: every stitch of material I use in my projects is somehow salvaged. Yard sale hardware, craigslist leftovers offers, the local lumber yard's scrap bin, the guts of my house (which is in a constant state of remodel), fallen limbs. You get the idea. For this reason, my plans will not always the easiest to gather materials for, should you get the inkling to follow one. I'll try and throw out a few alternatives if it gets too hairy. This project should be doable with the provided list because of the small quantities. Improvisation is one of the things I love about building, though, so I encourage you to try it as much as possible!

Dimensions

Dimensions:

Dimensions:

overall dimensions are 10-1/2" x 8-3/8" x 1"

Materials and Tools

Shopping List:

Time to go "shopping" in the scrap bin! You KNEW there was a reason you saved those little odds and ends...

1/4" plywood, quarter sheet total is more than enough

1/2" x 1" door stop trim molding 4' total is safe and gives a little "oops" room (If you buy materials instead of using scraps, don't head straight for the full sticks of trim. Even the home improvement warehouses have bins of "shorts". You'll get it at a fraction of the cost and be doing trees a favor to boot. Nice work!)

1/4" dowel, 2'

utility blades or other flat steel
4 small flat magnets

8 x 10 piece of felt or other "screen friendly" material

For the cover I used a few scraps of veneer and some cork, pseudo-inlayed to form the i heart wood text. Use your imagination!

Chisel
File

Teak oil, a fistful of rags, and some 220 grit paper will get you to the finish line

3/4 inch finish nails

wood glue

wood filler

120 grit sandpaper

Tools:

measuring tape

square

pencil

hammer

safety glasses

hearing protection

drill

table saw

sander

Cut List

Cut List:

A (1) 9-3/4" x 7-5/8", 1/4" plywood
B (1) 9-1/2" x 7-3/8", 1/4" plywood
C (2) 1/2" x 1" rounded stop molding, at 10-1/2" (long side) ends mitered at 45 degrees
D (2) 1/2" x 1 stop molding, at 8-3/8" (long side) ends mitered ay 45 degrees
E (2) 1/4" dowel, at 8-3/8"
-9" x 7-3/8" piece of felt

General Instructions

Please read through the entire plan and all comments before beginning this project. It is also advisable to review the Getting Started Section. Take all necessary precautions to build safely and smartly. Work on a clean level surface, free of imperfections or debris. Always use straight boards. Check for square after each step. Always predrill holes before attaching with screws. Use glue with finish nails for a stronger hold. Wipe excess glue off bare wood for stained projects, as dried glue will not take stain. Be safe, have fun, and ask for help if you need it. Good luck!

Step 1

Cut rabbets in plywood and groove in molding as shown in step one diagram. Miter molding 45 degrees if you have not already done so.

Step 2

Cut openings for iPad controls as shown. I omitted access to the volume and toggle on the upper right because I don't use them much.

Step 3

Glue and assemble main body (all pieces but B). Do not glue dowel on lower half (that will have to be taken out later in order to remove or load iPad.

Nail mitered corners. Since we're working with some sizes that just LOVE to split, make sure and give your nails a fighting chance of reaching safety, well, safely. I like to predrill about 1/2-2/3 the length of the finish nail into the stock. I use one of the nails as a bit. Just load it up in your drill and bore away. Another nail trick I've never had fail is objectionable to some, but here goes anyway: spit. I understand a lot of you probably don't feel that close to your hardware, and I can't imagine licking nails is recommended by healthcare professionals, but if I've got splinter-happy wood on my hands, it works like charm. Nail trick #3: if you're anti-spit, just blunt the nailhead before driving in.

Step 4

While you're waiting for glue to dry, trick out the cover of your case. I cut a little bed for a cork inlay (cherry inside the apple/heart portion).

Step 5

The cover should sit flush on the base when you set in on top, but you want it to stay on, right? I like the elastic moleskin-like closures, so I used an elastic band. To impress you, I used magnetic closures on this as well.

Grab your magnet and metal. To find the best locations, just float your metal near the iPad screens trim edge, it'll bite on your magnetic points. Then attach the metal to a coinciding point on the cover between your plywood and felt screen protector. See diagram. There are several magnets in the iPad, every other one alternates poles +-+-. Just the steel blades hold it in place pretty well, but add magnets alternating between the steels if you crave a little more power.

You can also place a magnet in your cover to trigger the auto sleep/wake function. That magnetic sensor is about 2" from the top on the right hand side (long side). I cut a pizza joint's fridge magnet in half and notched a corner of the felt. Under your iPad's general settings, make sure and enable the "Cover Lock / Unlock" or your auto-off magnet won't work.

Finishing Instructions

Preparation Instructions:

Fill all holes with wood filler and let dry. When wood filler is completely dry, sand the project in the direction of the wood grain with 120 grit sandpaper. Then 220. Use tack cloth to remove sanding residue. Remove all sanding residue on work surfaces.

Finish Used:

Apply Danish Oil with clean cloth, wipe excess

East Fork iPad Case

Home DIY [2], Other Projects [3], office [4], storage and organization [5], Beginner [6], scraps [7], Cottage [8], farmhouse [9], Green [10], Modern [11], Pioneer [12]