Book holder V1

What do you get for someone who loves reading? How about a custom oak book holder to take some of the pressure off their thumb!

I started with a piece of hardboard to do some test designs and make a template. I drew out a fairly flat and wide design, with a good sized thumb hole in the centre.

I then transferred this design onto a piece of oak using the template to align the edge of the book holder with the straight edge of the oak piece.

I worked out it would be much easier to drill the larger thumb hole when the oak was still a large piece, so could be more easily clamped. I then used a Forstner bit in my drill press stand, so I could get a nice clean and vertical hole through the centre.

I cut out the angled sections using a hand saw and then hand sanded up through the grits to a nice smooth finish. I also rounded over the edges to make it more comfortable to hold, as well as rounded over the thumbhole to reduce the pressure on the thumb joints. I finished the book holder with several coats of Danish oil to bring out the grain as well as provide some protection for the book holder after a lot of use.

I left the book holder to dry for several days before giving it a thorough wipe over to remove any excess Danish oil still on the surface. As an avid book reader knows, the last thing you want to do is get oil on your nice editions! Once I was sure it was fully dried and usable, I handed it over as a gift to my resident booklover, which was very happily received! 🔨