PAST PROJECT
A Cedar Book, Coffee, Glasses, and Pen Holder
A Christmas gift for a friend who always has a book going, built to hold her place and keep a pen, her glasses, and her coffee cup within reach.
Wood: Cedar · Available as a custom order
Made For
A friend who always has a book going
Design
Book holder with carved spots for a pen, glasses, and a coffee cup
Core Materials
Cedar
Techniques
Milling, CNC carving, laser engraving, hand finishing
A Christmas Gift for a Friend Who Always Has a Book Going
Mary Claire is a friend of mine, an elementary school teacher in Ohio who always has a book going. When Christmas came around, I wanted to give her something that meant more than a gift card, so I went looking for a project I could build just for her.
I found a design online for a simple book holder, something that props a book open and holds her place, and decided to build my own version of it.
Once I had the basic form worked out, I didn't want to stop at just a book holder. Mary Claire always seems to have a pen or a highlighter nearby when she reads, along with her glasses and a cup of coffee, so I carved out a spot for each one right into the same board.
Finding a Design Worth Adapting
I don't build from scratch every time. For this one, I found a similar book holder design online and used it as a starting point, then changed it to fit what Mary Claire actually needed at her desk.
A plain book holder felt like it wasn't quite enough of a gift on its own, so I decided to build in a spot for a pen or highlighter, her glasses, and her coffee cup, all carved into the same board as the book rest.
Milling and Cutting the Cedar
I started with rough cedar boards and ran them through the thickness planer to get them flat and even, then squared up the lengths and angles on the miter saw. From there I worked through the grits by hand, sanding from 120 all the way up to 400 so the board would feel smooth wherever Mary Claire's hand landed on it.
Once the board was flat and sanded, it was ready for the recesses that would hold everything else.
Carving the Recesses on the CNC
With the board milled and sanded, I moved to the CNC to carve out the recesses for the pen or highlighter, her glasses, and her coffee cup. The CNC let me get clean, consistent pockets sized to the actual objects rather than eyeballing it by hand.
The book rest itself stayed simple, cut and shaped so it folds up from the same board and holds a book open at the page she left off on.
Assembling with Glue and Pin Nails
With the recesses carved and the book rest cut, I assembled the piece with Titebond III wood glue and pin nails to hold everything solid while the glue set.
For the finish, I applied Walrus Oil Furniture Butter, which brought out the color and grain in the cedar without leaving a heavy film on the surface.
Switching to the Laser for the Engraving
For the engraving, I switched over from the CNC to a laser and used Lightburn software to lay out the artwork. On the book rest I engraved her initials, MC, and I added small icons above the pen, glasses, and coffee cup recesses so each spot is obvious at a glance.
I ran the laser at a low power setting and went over the artwork twice, which gave the lines enough depth to catch a shadow without scorching the surrounding cedar.
The Finished Piece
Mary Claire unwrapped it on Christmas morning, book, pen, glasses, and coffee cup all with a place of their own. This one was built to her, but the design works as a custom order sized and detailed for whoever it's for.
Materials and Tools Used on This Piece
- Cedar boards, used for the book rest and base
- DeWalt thickness planer, used to flatten the rough boards
- DeWalt miter saw, used for length and angle cuts
- Sandpaper, worked progressively from 120 to 400 grit
- CNC machine, used to carve the recesses for the pen, glasses, and coffee cup
- Laser engraver, used for the monogram and icons
- Lightburn software, used to lay out the engraving artwork
- Titebond III wood glue, used for assembly
- Pin nails, used to hold the assembly while the glue set
- Walrus Oil Furniture Butter, used for the final finish
Why This One Mattered
This piece did not start as a business project. It started because I noticed something small was worn out, and I happened to have the tools and the time to do something about it. That is most of my woodworking, if I am honest: paying attention to what a piece is actually for, then building toward that instead of just making something that photographs well.
If you have something specific in mind, something that needs to mean a particular thing to a particular person, I would like to hear about it.