DIY Book Thumb Page Holder
After seeing mass produced items like these thumb page holders for $10ea, I just had to prove to myself that I could probably make one myself. So using some well aged hardware maple and white oak, I dove into the process.
Tools
Power drill with 1.5” boring bit, belt sander, hand saw, sandpaper coarse to fine,
Wood
From what I’ve seen online, a variety of woods and even plastic is used. I would think the idea is to keep the material light, but strong. I just happen to have a lot of maple readily available, and a few pieces of oak. It would be interesting to try other woods, perhaps cedar would be light, and would smell nice.
Finish
I wanted to keep the wood finish clear and soft feeling, so I used a product called Feed’n Wax, which is made of an oil and bees wax. It was a good choice.
I won’t provide manufacturing steps in this post, mainly because I am not at all qualified to tell anyone how to do woodworking. A few years back I almost lost a thumb on my left had, how ironic is that considering the nature of this device.
Anyway, I worked slow and carefully, and eventually a production flow started to take shape. I’ve successfully made four widgets, only had to scrap two. One widget cracked along the grain and I messed up the other. Still the most important part was being able to visualize, plan, execute and satisfactorily complete the project, multiple times.
Another cool thing is, these page holders really to work. I can comfortably hold a large book in one hand and my coffee mug in the other.
That’s all for April 2025
Nudge