I don't consider myself a book person in the slightest so for me I don't have a use for book ends. However, an opportunity presented itself and I found myself designing and planning out how to make some book ends out of cement.
Supplies
- Printer/Paper
- Scissors
- Knife
- Packing Tape
- Cardboard
- Cement Mix (Cement All)
- Belt Sander or sand paper
I wanted to go with a modern and simplistic L shape style. After playing with some dimensions I was happy with the design and moved on to creating a template for the mold.
After planning the L shape with walls I could fold up to match my drawings dimensions I realized my template will not fit on 1 piece of paper so I split the design for 2 pages and added boxes to align the pages later. Download Template Here After printing and trimming the template I taped them together and traced the design onto a cardboard box.
Ideally I like making my molds out of 1 piece for reliability and ease of use. But after folding all the pieces I'll have 1 open wall that will need to be filled in which isn't a big deal. I lightly scored the cardboard on the fold lines and was able to make the walls and use packing tape to hold it together. I also covered the inside with tape as a liner for the cement making the cardboard water proof and preventing the cement from getting stuck in the mold. I think you could use WD-40 or cooking spray but have not tested that with cement and cardboard and just stuck with what I know.
For a set of book ends you will need another mold. I made my 2nd in the reverse direction so the rough side (side facing up) will match the other when in use. You can just flip over the paper template and get the reversed template that way.
For my cement I'm using Cement All its a simple powder that you add water to. 1 Part water to 4 Parts cement mix. These 2 molds require a decent amount. I didn't measure how much mix I made but now I realized I could've done L×W×H to calculate the volume then convert cubic inches to ounces. Both L shapes can be stacked together so you can just calculate the volume 1 time for both molds This is roughly 112 oz of mix to fill the molds. It's always best to make a little more than not enough because the first batch might start hardening before your next batch is mixed.
After pouring the cement into the molds I worked out any air bubbles by tapping the mold onto the table and then it's a waiting game for the cement to harden and cool down after it's hot chemical process. Once the cement was cool to the touch I cut open the molds and revealed the book ends.
I noticed some thin high points on the edges and sharp corners. Nothing a little sanding can't fix. You could probably place sandpaper on a table and rub the book end into it to smooth it down but I used this as an excuse to buy a belt sander. I got a cheap 1"x30" belt sander from Harbor Freight. After setting that up I made quick work of the edges and corners. I was amazed how smooth it was to hold after sanding it down. Holding the book ends out of the mold was almost painfull but now it feels like a finished product. Once I was happy with them I rinced the book ends off removing all the dust.
And there you have it, custom DIY book ends.
