I read a lot. Especially when I’m in the bathroom. Normally, I keep the books and magazines on the back of the toilet. Since I read so much, the books and magazines tend to pile up, and fall off. Sometimes into the toilet. This was not good. I need to get a magazine rack. I found a few in the local stores but they were all too big or too expensive. I searched the internet, but I still couldn’t find one that I really wanted. So that was when I decided to just build my own.
I did a lot of searching through books and project how to websites, but I still couldn’t find a design I really thought was practical for my magazine rack. Since I do read in other areas of the house, I wanted something that I could move easily. I found the perfect design after a few weeks searching. It was also the simplest and cheapest! In this article, I’ll show you how I did my own design with just two pieces of wood and one power tool in just a few hours!
This particular project requires just two pieces of wood. They do need to be something nice if you plan on finishing it clear or with stain. In my case, my wife wanted it a certain color to match our bathroom so I didn’t need an expensive piece of wood for my magazine rack. I went to my shed and found a nice piece of 1 x 12 yellow pine about four feet long. In the local home improvement center, it costs about $12 for the same piece of lumber. I also noticed that a good piece of lumber from the local home improvement center cost about $40. That was for a nice cherry or oak. I really am not ever impressed with there selection of wood products, but if you pick and choose, you can find a nice piece of material to use.
To begin with, I cut the two pieces of 1 x 12 to a length of 18″ each. I set one piece aside and began with making an 8″ mark on each side of the first piece. This left 10″ on the top for the magazine rack. Then I made a 2″ mark and cut out those squares on each side. This cut needs to be on a 35-degree bevel. Set your jigsaw to this degree before you cut. After I cut out the notch on each side of the magazine rack, I made a 1″ mark on the 8″ side. At this point, I made a mark for 3″ in the center of my board and connected the two marks to make a shovel like end on the magazine rack. I cut the board with a jigsaw and set it aside.
Now for the other piece. Take the other cut piece and place it over the uncut piece upside down for a template. Scribe the cut piece. Now cut out the shovel like end. Once the cut is made, measure over each side 7/8″ x 2″ and make a 35-degree beveled cut. This creates a pocket for the other board to fit into for the magazine rack. You will need to bevel the other side of the cut in the opposite direction.
Slide the pieces together to ensure a good fit. This project can have a little room for play so the cuts are forgiving if they are not that accurate. Flip the board around to lay the magazine rack flatter to keep magazines open while you are reading. Flip the boards back for holding the magazines together.
