We use our smartphones for way more than actually making phone calls -- for things like texting, looking up information, and posting on social media. Smartphones are essentially minicomputers that fit inside our pockets. Convenient as they are, trying to follow a recipe or watch a TED Talk gets awkward and uncomfortable when you try to view your phone's screen on a flat surface for more than a few minutes. The phone simply needs to be in an upright position for these purposes.
We have just the right answer for this conundrum, and it’s a fun one! Here’s a phone dolly DIY that’s as mobile as your phone, because its base is a roller skate plate, complete with wheels and toe plate. This device will make your life much easier and add an energetic, upbeat vibe to your space. The dolly itself is portable and easy to handle, but even when it’s stationary, your guests will grin at its inventiveness.
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Materials
- Roller skate
- Phillips-head screwdriver
- Wooden board — length and width should exceed the skate dimensions by about 1/2 to 3/4 inches
- Sheet of plastic or paper to protect the work surface
- Small bowl
- 3 bottles of acrylic paint in different colors
- Sponge paintbrush
- Two wooden dowels that match the length of the board
- Small plastic paint palette
- Thin plastic gloves
- Two small fine art paintbrushes
- Smartphone
- Pencil
- Bottle of waterproof wood glue
- Electric drill
- 1/8-inch drill bit
- 4 flat head screws
- Flat-head screwdriver
- Roller skate
- Phillips-head screwdriver
- Wooden board — length and width should exceed the skate dimensions by about 1/2 to 3/4 inches
- Sheet of plastic or paper to protect the work surface
- Small bowl
- 3 bottles of acrylic paint in different colors
- Sponge paintbrush
- Two wooden dowels that match the length of the board
- Small plastic paint palette
- Thin plastic gloves
- Two small fine art paintbrushes
- Smartphone
- Pencil
- Bottle of waterproof wood glue
- Electric drill
- 1/8-inch drill bit
- 4 flat head screws
- Flat-head screwdriver
DIY Everywhere
Instructions
1. The plate attached to the bottom of your roller skate holds its wheels and the toe stop. Use the Phillips-head screwdriver to remove the four screws that keep the plate attached to the bottom of the skate.
1. The plate attached to the bottom of your roller skate holds its wheels and the toe stop. Use the Phillips-head screwdriver to remove the four screws that keep the plate attached to the bottom of the skate.
2. Put the upper skate shoe, screws and plate aside.
3. Place the board on your work surface.
4. Slide the sheet of protective plastic or paper underneath the board.
5. Squirt a bit of paint into the small bowl.
6. Using the sponge paintbrush, coat the upward facing side of the board and all four of its sides with paint. Give it two coats to provide full coverage.
7. Allow the paint to dry fully.
8. Flip the board over and paint the other side.
9. Put the board aside and allow the newly applied paint to dry.
10. Fill two of the paint palette wells with the other two paint shades.
11. Put on the plastic gloves and gather your dowels.
12. Using the fine art brushes, paint one dowel the first color in the palette and the other dowel the second color.
13. Let the paint on the dowels dry completely. Take the clear gloves off.
14. Place the painted board on your work surface.
15. Set your dowels on it and position them in the center of the board.
16. Create a little space between the dowels and place your phone, horizontally oriented, between them. This will help to determine the distance the dowels should be from each other to make your phone stand upright.
17. Make a small pencil mark on the side of the board under where the two tips of each of the dowels are.
18. Take the dowel that’s in front of the phone, and apply a line of wood glue along its entire length.
19. Place the glued portion of the dowel onto the board where it was positioned before, directly in front of the phone.
20. Put the phone aside.
21. Repeat steps 16-17, but apply the glue and place the other dowel.
Remember to line it up with the pencil marks you made.
Remember to line it up with the pencil marks you made.
22. Allow the glue to dry completely.
23. Flip the board over, and place the skate plate down on the center of the board. The wheels and the plate will face upward.
24. Mark the locations of the plate's screw holes with the pencil.
25. Put the plate aside and drill four holes into the board where the pencil marks are with the 1/8-inch bit.
26. Wipe away any excess sawdust.
27. Place the skate plate back onto the board.
28. Use the flat-head screwdriver to insert a flat-head screw into each of the four drilled holes. The plate will now be securely attached to the board.
29. Roll your skate dolly to wherever you need it, whether that’s on the kitchen counter to view a cooking video, atop your vanity to watch a makeup tutorial or on your coffee table to enjoy a favorite flick.
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