Pete and I have been spending our Saturdays after the farmer’s market putting together really easy wood projects. Easy, but awesome. Like this X-Shaped DIY Wooden Magazine Holder.
Honestly, this project looks so cool when it’s finished.
And you wouldn’t have any idea how incredibly easy it is. I mean, it’s easy even if you’re not a carpenter for a living. There aren’t any nails or screws in it. And it’s barely more than two cuts
X-Shaped DIY Wooden Magazine Holder
X-Shaped DIY Wooden Magazine Holder Materials:
- 48-inch piece of 1″ x 12″ piece of poplar wood (actual: .75″ x 11.25″)
- Tape measure
- Pencil
- Speed square
- Miter saw
- Jigsaw
- Sandpaper
- Random orbital sander
- Mineral spirits
- Cloth
- Universal wood sealer
- Paint brush
- Finishing pad
How To Make An X-Shaped DIY Wooden Magazine Holder:
Measure two 24-inch pieces of wood from the piece of poplar wood.
Using the miter saw to cut the pieces.
In order for the pieces of wood to fit together like a puzzle to form the table, you’ll need to cut out an equally-sized piece from the exact middle of each piece of wood.
The piece that you cut out must be just barely bigger than the actual width of the piece of wood. That way, the pieces can slide into each other.
Even though you’re using a piece of 1″ x 12″ piece of poplar, the actual size of the wood is .75″ x 11.25″. So, you’ll want the piece that you cut out to be a minimum of .75″. We found, though, that it’s actually a really tight fit when you cut the pieces exactly the right size. So you’ll want to add an extra 1/8-inch on each side, making this cut 1 inch across.
This may leave a little gap between the pieces, but it assures that you won’t ruin the finish every time you take it apart and reassemble it.
With that in mind, it’s time to make the cuts.
Using the speed square, measure exactly 12-inches down one piece of the wood to get to the center. Then, measure 1/2 of an inch on both sides.
Measure 5.625″ (5 and 5/8) across the board (that’s the midpoint of 11.25″).
Use the speed square to mark off the rectangle.
Use a jigsaw to cut the rectangle from the board.
Repeat this on the second board of wood.
Use a piece of sandpaper to sand the cuts you just made in the wood.
Then, use a random orbital sander to completely sand the entire wood boards, down to the wood grain.
Use a cloth with mineral spirits to clean the surfaces of the board. This will get rid of any sawdust left behind from cutting and sanding.
Use a paint brush to cover the board in a universal wood sealer.
Let that dry completely.
One coat should be fine, but you can apply more coats for a darker seal.
When the sealer is completely dry, rub the boards down with a finishing cloth, to remove any dirt or residue left behind from the sealer.
Put the two pieces together, hitting slightly with a rubber mallet if they don’t slide easily because of your finish.
Display your magazines.
If you have an extra piece of poplar, you can actually finish it by sanding and adding a coat of universal wood sealer. Then, use that as a “table top” on top of the magazine holder for an extra end table when company comes.
X-Shaped DIY Wooden Magazine Holder: Frequently Asked Questions
We have a miter saw and a table saw, both of which we use all the time when we want to make cute wood projects on the weekends.
If you don’t have a miter saw, though, you might be able to ask the wood department in your local hardware store to cut the wood for you.
A 4″ x 4″ is too thick for the machines to cut to size, but this piece of poplar should totally fit into the machine. If you can have the hardware store cut the wood for you, all you need (as far as cutting tools) is a jigsaw to cut the rectangles out.
Poplar is a really great wood for at home woodworking projects. It’s well known for taking paint really well. We’re sealing this, not painting it. But poplar take a sealer really well once it’s prepared.
Before lumber prices went up and made everything inflated, poplar was a pretty budget-friendly wood too.
You can get some tips for using poplar in woodworking projects when you click that link.
If you can’t get your hands on poplar, or have some hardwood left over from another project, you can go ahead and use that.
This X-Shaped DIY Wooden Magazine Holder is pretty big. Two angled 24-inch pieces of wood take up a lot of real estate in your living room. I get it.
But, think of it this way. The magazines will rest on the top half, which is just under 12-inches. A traditional magazine is 8.5″ x 11″. So there’s actually not that much space at the top of the magazine rack above the magazine.
There is some extra room on either side, so in theory, you could make this thinner. But most home woodworkers don’t have the right tools to rip the piece of poplar any smaller than 11.25″ anyway. You could get away with using a 10-inch wide piece, if you were using scrap wood, but anything smaller than that wouldn’t be wide enough for magazines.
Use this however you see best. Right now, we have it in our living room to hold our magazines, but Pete keeps thinking about moving it into the living room to hold our wine.
Want more easy weekend wood projects?
We love spending our weekends making really cool wood projects. We have a few really simple wood projects you can make in a weekend below.
- DIY Wooden Serving Tray
- DIY Lawn Dice
- Mix And Match Wooden Pumpkin Face Decoration
- Rustic Scrap Wood Snowman
- DIY Wooden Pumpkins
X-Shaped DIY Wooden Magazine Holder
This X-Shaped DIY Wooden Magazine Holder is so easy to make. There's no nails, no screws, and it's basically only two cuts!
Materials
- 48-inch piece of 1″ x 12″ piece of poplar wood (actual: .75″ x 11.25″)
- Mineral spirits
- Universal wood sealer
Tools
- Tape measure
- Pencil
- Speed square
- Miter saw
- Jigsaw
- Sandpaper
- Random orbital sander
- Cloth
- Paint brush
- Finishing pad
Instructions
Measure two 24-inch pieces of wood from the piece of poplar wood.- Use the miter saw to cut the pieces.
- Measure 5.625″ (5 and 5/8) across the board (that’s the midpoint of 11.25″). Use the speed square to mark off the rectangle.
- Use a jigsaw to cut the rectangle from the board.
- Repeat this on the second board of wood.
- Use a piece of sandpaper to sand the cuts you just made in the wood.
- Then, use a random orbital sander to completely sand the entire wood boards, down to the wood grain.
- Use a cloth with mineral spirits to clean the surfaces of the board. This will get rid of any sawdust left behind from cutting and sanding.
- Use a paint brush to cover the board in a universal wood sealer. Let that dry completely.
- When the sealer is completely dry, rub the boards down with a finishing cloth, to remove any dirt or residue left behind from the sealer.
- Put the two pieces together, hitting slightly with a rubber mallet if they don’t slide easily because of your finish.
Would you make this X-Shaped DIY Wooden Magazine Holder?
Donna @ Modern on Monticello
Wednesday 2nd of June 2021
Great project. I like that you could use any color stain or paint on this and it will work in any interior. Thanks for sharing the project. Keep making some wonderful things.