Question - How would you do this?

[Lester Sak]

A couple of years ago I made myself a simple iPad stand, which includes an access "notch" (not sure what to call it) to allow me to press the home button when the iPad is seated in the dado in portrait mode. I used a chisel to add the notch.

Well, my wife's daughter is getting married and thought that this would make a great present for the wedding party, so I have a number of these to make now. Can anyone suggest another way to create the notch? The problem is it's proximity to the dado so I think using something like a core box bit will hit the back of the dado and would probably need to be used in my drill press rather than the router table.

Any ideas? Here's a couple pics.

364925

364926

Thanks!

[larry senen]

i think i would try an angled sled on a drill press and use a small drum sander, the kind you get at harbor freight.

[John Lanciani]

How many do you need to make? For a dozen or so I would just do them by hand, if I had to do many more than that I think an angled jig on the drill press with a nice sharp fresh forstner bit would get you there. If I was using the drill press I would do it first and then cut the groove to avoid blowout.

[Darcy Warner]

File/rasp.

[David T gray]

idk but it being asymmetric is bothering me

[Bill Dufour]

I would plunge it on the shaper with a small bit. You could clamp stops on either side to make it an oval instead of circular. If you do not have the correct bit use a wedge of scrap to tilt the work up or down. Similar to making oval handholes in the side of boxes.
Bill

[Lester Sak]

I was thinking about an angled sled too, but couldn't decide on the best way to go from there. Drum sander bit may work but not sure about the fostner bit as the center point extends further than the teeth of the bit. This ball nose end mill looked like it might do it but I don't know if running it at drill press speed vs. much faster router speed would be a problem: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Precision-Twist-EB3302M-Carbide-Ball-Nose-End-Mill-Metric-Uncoated-B-Finish-30-D/322600802161?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%2 6asc%3D41375%26meid%3D58da7b2ac2c3478087820e76f010 bb38%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D3226 00802395

Also considering using a fishtail carving gouge like this: https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/dept/TXQ5-6/item/IL-54x6.XX. I've never used one but seems like it may be easier than using a chisel.

Any thoughts?

[Lester Sak]

How many do you need to make? For a dozen or so I would just do them by hand, if I had to do many more than that I think an angled jig on the drill press with a nice sharp fresh forstner bit would get you there. If I was using the drill press I would do it first and then cut the groove to avoid blowout.

When all's said and done probably 30 or so.

[Lester Sak]

idk but it being asymmetric is bothering me

David, what do you mean?

[Lester Sak]

I would plunge it on the shaper with a small bit. You could clamp stops on either side to make it an oval instead of circular. If you do not have the correct bit use a wedge of scrap to tiler the workup or down.
Bill

No shaper here but I do have a router table. I have 2 cove box bits - 1's too small and the other is too large. I can try the small one with stops and see how it works out. The easiest way would be to plunge the larger one intentionally intersecting the grove equally on both sides and be done with it. But that seems too easy :D

[John Lanciani]

When all's said and done probably 30 or so.

For 30 I would definitely use the drill press. If need be you can grind the point off of a Forster, for the cut you're doing you don't need it anyways. No way I would take a chance plunging 30 parts on a router table, (and certainly not on a shaper) it only takes one mistake for that to go wrong in a hurry.

Also, router bits and endmills rarely play nice in a drill press but it never hurts to try. You may get lucky.

[Martin Wasner]

File/rasp.

Me thinks that'd be a tough one with the proximity of the groove on the other side.

I think the small drum in a drill press with it jigged at an angle is likely a cheap easy option.

Might want to mark them out and hog back most of the material with a burr bit or even a big drill bit in a handheld drill, then finalize the shape with the drill press.

[Darcy Warner]

Oh, thought the top came off. Quick pass with a carving knife?

[Bruce Page]

You could plunge straight down with a 1” ball cutter on the drill press. You would end up with a scallop on the opposite side but would that matter?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005W1843M/ref=psdc_3116541_t1_B00004T7DI

[Harold Balzonia]

For me, a carbide burr in a dremel or a die grinder would be the fastest, cleanest way. They make the burrs in almost any profile and size you can think of...


https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41X78CiYK%2BL._SX522_.jpg

[Keith Outten]

Turn the iPad 180 degrees so the button is on the top, end of problem since the screen will automatically rotate.

[Stan Calow]

Harold beat me to it. Dremel tool.

[Bruce Page]

Turn the iPad 180 degrees so the button is on the top, end of problem since the screen will automatically rotate.
Keith, where's the fun in that!? :)

[Edwin Santos]

Whichever of these methods you use, I don't see why you can't make the groove as the second step and locate it precisely so you remove the "other" side of the notch to end up with the result you want.

Have you considered angling the groove?

[Frederick Skelly]

File/rasp.

My thoughts exactly.

[Martin Wasner]

Oh, thought the top came off. Quick pass with a carving knife?

Might be easier to make it in two pieces and glue two halves together then cut the slot to hold the tablet?

[Bruce Page]

My thoughts exactly.
Fine for 2 or 3, but for 30?

[Darcy Warner]

Might be easier to make it in two pieces and glue two halves together then cut the slot to hold the tablet?

I'd just do the dimple thingy first then remove the top part with the groove. I don't own an ipaddy thingy.

[Andrew Hughes]

+1 here on a file I could make that notch in 5 or 6 minutes.Who hold their iPad Veritcal? We have three of them here we always hold the with the button on the left.

[Bill Dufour]

You could fill the groove after the cut with a contrasting wood or even epoxy. Not quite sure why the groove is an issue?
For jobs like this I often use a big countersink or a counterbore to enlarge a drilled hole
Bill

[John Lanciani]

Who hold their iPad Veritcal? We have three of them here we always hold the with the button on the left.

Who holds them with the home button on the left? That puts the volume buttons on the bottom! Button right is the only way! :p;) Seriously though, its more natural reading a book with the iPad vertical.

[Frederick Skelly]

Fine for 2 or 3, but for 30?

Would be for me Bruce, but maybe not him. Doesn't look hard or time consuming, unless I've missed something.

[Bruce Page]

Speaking for myself only, I could build a simple locating fixture and plunge the scallop on 30 pcs faster, easier, and with more consistent results than I could do 5 pcs with a file/rasp. And my fingers would be a lot happier.

I played around a little more with the cad model and eyeballing the iPad and block interface. The end result looks almost like the original. You would need to do the 1” ball mill plunge before the slot. Easy peesy, IMO.

[Doug Hepler]

Drill the angled hole before you cut the dado. I think an ordinary twist drill would suffice. A Forstner would not work. Finish with a small drum sander.

[Gene Takae]

F

Also, router bits and endmills rarely play nice in a drill press but it never hurts to try. You may get lucky.

I have used router bits in a drill press and have to agree with this. Not enough RPM's to achieve a nice finish.

[Ronald Blue]

I agree with Martin's idea. Make it two piece and glue together. Then you have more and easier options. I am guessing that the seam would never show from the front and be very inconspicuous on the back.

[Lester Sak]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I think I'm going to try the ball mill. Going to Harbor Freight this morning, I'll see if they have them.

[Bruce Page]

Lester, make sure the piece is clamped down to the table. Don't plunge the ball mill down too fast, use a steady feed.
Let us know how it works.

[michael langman]

I would tilt the table on a drill press to 45* and use a bottom cutting endmill the radius of the cutout and lower the endmill with the quill of the drill press to cut out the shape. Set a quill stop so you don't run into the groove if you can.

[Bob Faris]

Dremel sanding drum.

https://www.dremel.com/en_US/products/-/show-product/tools/407-1-2-sanding-drum

[Keith Outten]

Keith, where's the fun in that!? :)

I'm being to practical I guess :)

Putting the button on the top has another benefit, the charging port is on the end where the button is, just in case you wanted to charge the iPad when its on the stand.

[Edwin Santos]

In thinking about it, I would use a plunge router for this if repeatable results are what you're after. Hot glue an appropriately angled "fence" to the aft side of the router baseplate to create the angle/tilt you need. Cut this fence at your table saw from some scrap. Maybe a locating stop at the fore side would be good also since you have many to do. Experiment with the depth of cut to get the recess you want such that cutting the groove subsequently will erase the part of the bore you don't want. I would try a 3/4" round nose bit because I happen to have one, and at the right depth it should give you a scallop as opposed to a straight hole, resembling what you did by hand. Once you have this set up, you can blow through your blanks in short order. Secure the blank to the bench in any number of ways. I'd use a combination square or a scrap spacer to set the left/right position in under 2 seconds. Maybe a bit of sandpaper under the angled fence to resist movement.

I don't like cutting/re-gluing because it takes time and clamps x30. I'd say once you have the set-up I'm describing, you should be able to do them all in about 15 minutes and they'll be identical.