Business Card Holder

For my first project article I chose the simplest of projects, a business card holder, that consists of just two 6-inch scraps.  I need a simple project to write about in the beginning until I can get my writer's mojo on.  Yeah, may take a while... But I still think this item may be of interest; if nothing else it answers the age old question at the end of every woodworking project:  "What to do with the wood cutoff scraps?"

I really hate to just throw cutoffs away, especially when they come from expensive/exotic wood sorts.  I currently have no fireplace or wood burning kiln, so I can't take the easy way out.

This business card holder is a simple idea born out of necessity.  While preparing for an arts & crafts fare, I needed a way to present my business cards on the table next to the wares on display.  I didn't see any holders I really liked on-line shopping, so I grabbed a few nice looking cutoffs from the scrap bin and came up with this.

My scraps are bigger than your scraps
The dimensions for the card holder pictured was largely based on the size of scraps on hand.  I even, lazily, kept the 11 degrees on one edge and just matched it on the other 3 cuts.  The point is that these dimensions are just one example.  For such a project, just resize based on what you can scronge from the scrap bin.

The woods I used were ash and padauk, mainly for the contrast of dark and light color.  I found the look better when the foot is darker than the body, but any wood sorts will do.  In fact, you could easily omit the foot for a lower profile card holder.

• 1 ash    6" x 1 3/4"x1 3/4"

• 1 padauk 6" x 3/4"x3/4"

Route a 3/4" wide, 3/8" deep groove centered, length-wise along the bottom of the ash.  The padauk foot needs to fit snugly in this groove.  On the opposite edge (the top), route a 1/4" stopped groove to 3/4" depth.  Stop the groove at least 3/4" from each edge.

The top needs to be rounded and I found this easiest to do with a hand plane.  To guide your cuts, mark an arc on each edge with a compass.

Foot should fit snugly in bottom groove

Cut both ends of each piece to 11 degrees, so that a traposoid is formed.

Now clean up the handplaned top and also round over all the other edges.  A belt/disc combo sanding station will save you much sanding agony, but just a sanding block and elbow grease will get there too.  In any case, finish by handsanding.  Make sure to blend all the edges until all facets disappear.

Glue the two pieces together and when dry, put on a finish.  I used 3 coats of my favorite tung oil varnish.

Done.  Now my business cards have a nice home