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Mother’s Day Cookbook Stand

Cristy Gies

Cristy Gies

Founder and Builder - DIYGirlfriend

Whether you are looking to free up some space on your kitchen counter or looking for the perfect Mother’s Day gift, DIYG has what you’re looking for.

We never seem to have enough counter space, especially while cooking a meal. With all the different ingredients and utensils needed, the one thing that ends up being the most cumbersome is where do we put the recipe while cooking the meal. Now some of you might have those family recipes memorized, however if you’re like me, I need a step-by-step guide to help ensure that the end result is tasty and perfect.

In this tutorial we will walk you through building your own wooden cookbook stand. Building your own will allow you to add your personalized touches and ensure that it fits perfectly into your home.

Here is What you will need:

Materials:

  • 4’ - 1”x12” piece of wood for Cookbook Stand - we chose Oak for a nicer finish
  • Stain of your choice - Gel stains work better if small children are helping
  • Spray on polyurethane
  • Rubber gloves - for staining
  • Staining cloth and dust rags
  • Craft acrylic paint
  • Craft stencil
  • Wood glue
  • 1" roll of blue painters tape
  • Wood glue
  • Craft acrylic paint
  • Stencil
  • Wood stain
  • Staining wipes
  • Blue painters tape

Tools:

  • Safety glasses
  • Adjustable bar clamps - 12" or similar size
  • Pencil
  • Hand drill and drill bits
  • Hammer - 8 oz.
  • Small foam paint roller - 3"
  • Finish nails - 1-1/2" 4D
  • Sanding sponge - 80 grit and 220 grit
  • Paint can opener
  • Paint stirring stick
  • Combination square - 7" plastic

Note: When building remember to always wear proper personal safety gear.

We recommend wearing safety glasses and gloves while building this project

Now that we have all our supplies and tools, watch the video as we take you step-by-step in completing your wooden DIY cookbook stand.

Watch the video below to start building your cookbook stand.

Or you can follow the step-by-step instructions below.

Step 1 - Cutting wooden pieces

First we will cut our 1” x 12” x 48” piece of wood into the actual sizes needed for this project.

  • Before measuring, we recommend that you cut ½” off the best end of the board. This is to ensure you have a nice, clean end to start your project with.
  • Cut your first piece at 12-1/2” in length
  • Then cut two more pieces at 2-1/4”
  • Now we’ll cut a piece 7” in length. (This is for the angled back support.)
  • Once you have this 7” x 12” piece, measure 5” in from one side and draw a pencil line using the plastic combination square. You should end up with a square shape measuring 5” x 7”.
  • Now use your pencil to draw another diagonal line from one corner to the opposite corner. This should now look like two triangles drawn inside the 5” x 7” piece.
  • Now cut along the diagonal line you drew. This should give you the (one) angled 5” x 7” back support.

DIYG TIP: a 48” board is usually as short as you can find at a home improvement store. This means you will have enough board material to make ‘two’ stands from it)

Step 2 - sanding the wood pieces

Next, we will lightly sand all surfaces of the boards, especially sand the cut ends good, with the 80-grit sanding block.

  • Sand all the edges of the boards lightly. Just enough to remove the sharp edges.
  • Now go back over all the pieces again, lightly sanding with the other 220-grit sanding block. This will give a smoother final finish to the wood.

DIYG TIP: when possible, always sand wood in the same direction as the wood grain. This causes less burrs and will give a smoother sanded finish)

Step 3 - Staining individual wood pieces

Now we are ready to stain the wood pieces, before we glue them together!

  • Once you have practiced, grab the large 12” x 12-1/2” piece of wood and stain the top, four sides and the back. Using a clean Staining Cloth, wipe the stain on the wood in slow, even strokes with the grain of the wood. After covering a portion of the wood, stop and use a clean wiping cloth to wipe off excess stain and even the stain out. Then proceed again with staining. Repeat this process of staining and wiping off until the entire board is completed.
  • Once completed, and excess stain is wiped off, gently place this board onto 3 – 4 soup cans for drying.
  • Next, proceed to do the same process for each of the two 2-1/4” x 12” pieces of wood and the angled back support.
  • Let all of these pieces sit overnight for the stain to completely dry and be ready for handling

DIYG TIP: Practice staining and wiping a scrap piece of board first, before using the actual pieces of the cookbook stand)

Step 4 - Inspecting the pieces

Now that the stain is dry, visually hold and inspect each piece to your satisfaction.

  • If you would like the stain color to be darker, repeat Step 4 above. We’ve usually found that one coat of stain gives us the look we want, however this is your project)

Step 5 - Painting the hand prints on the cookbook stand

Determine how many kids hand prints you want and where you would like them on the board.

  • For the hand print, squirt some of the acrylic paint on to the kids hand. Then use the paint roller from the stenciling to spread the paint around on the childs hand.
  • Carefully and gently place the child’s hand onto the board exactly where you want. Use your adult hand as the guide and you do the pressing, not the child.
  • Repeat the process for additional hands.
  • Let dry overnight.
  • After paint is completely dry, use the permanent Sharpie marker to write the child’s name on each hand print.
  • After paint is completely dry, use the permanent Sharpie marker to write the child’s name on each hand print.

DIYG TIP: Make sure the kids hands are washed clean and have no oil or dirt on them before hand painting)

We recommend practicing the step below first on a scrap piece of wood to determine how much paint to use and how hard to press the hand to the wood.

We also recommend using the marker to write on the back and top of the board the date this was made! So Mom can reference it years later to see how the kid’s hands have grown.

Step 6 - Stenciling

  • Identify the best looking 2-1/4” x 12” piece out of the two and use it for stenciling.
  • Center the stencil you are using on the piece of wood and once in position mark its position with some light pencil marks.
  • Once marked, lift the stencil and remove the back sticky protection film. Now place the stencil back in to the exact position it came from using the pencil marks to guide you. Press the stencil down onto the wood so the sticky back takes hold
  • Then, using the blue painters tape, tear off pieces to place around the entire stencil to protect the wood from extra acrylic paint that the paint roller may leave.
  • You are now ready to roll the acrylic craft paint onto the stencil.
  • Once the stencil is painted, very carefully remove the painters tape and then the stencil. Be careful to not smudge the wet paint.
  • Let dry overnight.

DIYG TIP: Stenciling the pieces individually before assembly, will be easier for you and the kids by working on flat surfaces without the bottom or back support in place.

No need to press the paint roller too hard when rolling. However, you will want to roll a couple of quick coats from different angles to get into all of the spots)

Step 7 - Putting the pieces together

Bottom holder and Stand back

  • Stand the 12” x 12-1/2” piece of board upside down and glue it to the bottom piece of the cookbook stand.
  • Measure in 1” from each side and 3/8” up from the bottom and mark the nail spots with a pencil. Then measure the exact center from side-to-side for the middle nail hole at 3/8” up from the bottom and predrill 3 holes.
  • Begin lightly hammering the finish nails into each of the three holes. Make sure the nails and the holes below (where the glue is) is matching to each other.
  • Once nailed together, use the wet wiping cloth to clean any excess glue squirting out.

DIYG TIP: Before drilling any holes, using the small bar clamps, carefully put two pieces together exactly positioned as you want them. The two pieces that you will be drilling the holes into. For the angled back support, you will need any extra set of hands, as the clamps won’t work here)

Bottom Cookbook Holder

  • Place the stenciled piece, face up on top of the edge of the other piece.
  • Measure in 1” from each side and 3/8” up from the bottom and mark the nail spots with a pencil. Then measure the exact center from side-to-side for the middle nail hole at 3/8” up from the bottom and predrill 3 holes.
  • Begin lightly hammering the finish nails into each of the three holes. Make sure the nails and the holes below (where the glue is) is matching to each other.
  • Once nailed together, use the wet wiping cloth to clean any excess glue squirting out.
  • Use the two 12” bar clamps to hold together. Don’t clamp too tight to where you squeeze the glue out

Angled Back Support

  • Lay the back wood piece face down on a clean, soft material to protect it. Face down means the hand prints are on the bottom and you are looking at the back
  • Place the angled back support piece onto the bottom center of the cookbook stand back. The longest side of the back support gets connected to the stand. (The side should measure approximately 8-1/2”) The 5” side should be on the bottom.
  • Along the long edge of the angled board use the bottle of wood glue to run a small, but full bead (line) of glue from right inside one edge to the other along the 8-1/2” edge.
  • Carefully replace the angled back support on the cookbook stand back and predrill a hole at the bottom and top of the back support.
  • Lightly hammer the finish nails into each of the two holes. Make sure the nails and the holes below (where the glue is) is matching to each other.
  • Once nailed together, use the wet wiping cloth to clean any excess glue squirting out.
  • Let sit for an hour for the glue to dry.

DIYG TIP: Place the angled back support up 1/8” inch from the bottom of the stand back. Once the stand is finished, this will help the stand to not wobble on the kitchen counter

Now cookbook stand is ready!

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