Mahogany Avengers Phone Stand
Updated: April 2024
I am a massive fan of the Marvel movies! I still remember seeing Iron Man in theaters and being immediately hooked. To celebrate the release of Avengers: Endgame, I made a phone holder with the Avengers logo inlaid with epoxy. The phone holder will be for my desk at my full-time job for a little added geekiness and to show off something I made myself.
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Tools
Table Saw *
Propane Torch
Vinyl Cutter (helpful, but not necessary)
Chisels
* I used these tools then but do not recommend the Ryobi table saw.
Materials
Mahogany (I used scraps from Candy Dispenser)
Epoxy Mica Powder (Variety Pack with all 3 Colors)
Simple Finish with Wax
1 - Cut Scraps to Size & Layout Joinery
I decided to use a scrap from my Mahogany Candy Dispenser project. Fortunately, the scrap piece was a little wider than my phone. Once I marked the phone width, I used my table saw to rip each piece to the final width.
I used my phone to mark the joinery where the through pieces would come through. This will have a few functions, so the sizing is important. Not only will this joint keep the back leg secure to the top, but the through pieces will support the phone on the stand. The middle big cutout will allow a cord to pass through to charge the phone while on the stand.
2 - Cut Joinery
Before making any cuts, I took some time to ensure all of the cuts would be as accurate and consistent as possible. I attached some scraps to my table saw miter gauge to accomplish this. These created a fence and two stop blocks.
The two stop blocks were set to correspond to one side of the joints. This way, I could set the piece to one edge of the joint and then do the same with the other side on the other side of the saw blade. With both sides established, the space between them would be where material is removed from the center of the joint.
Once one of the pieces was cut, I could repeat the same steps with the corresponding side of the joint. I intentionally left the pieces just undersized so I could refine the cuts and get a perfect, snug fit with sandpaper and files.
3 - Set Up The Avengers Logo Template
The Avengers logo has to be carved out so the epoxy can go somewhere. The easiest way would be with a CNC, but I do not have one yet. I used a vinyl cutter to cut the logo out and adhere the vinyl directly to the workpiece. The vinyl will give me a stencil to route out.
Due to the phone stand size, there is not enough surface area for clamps to be effective. To remedy this, I grabbed a large scrap and covered it and the phone stand with blue tape. I put the CA glue on the phone stand and sprayed accelerant on the scrap. The CA glue will keep the pieces secured tightly together, but the blue tape will let the two pieces come apart without issues.
Before starting the router, I cut the outline of the Avengers logo by hand to give me a much better chance of clearing material out right to the line. I used a box cutter for the curves and some sharp chisels for the straight lines. While you could use any chisels you have on hand, I used the largest chisel I could on each section to get the straightest lines.
4 - Route Avengers Logo
I used my cordless router to remove the material in the logo. With a guide, this is not hard to do. Two keys to keep in mind when routing like this.
Take the plunge cut slow. I rested one edge of the router on the workpiece and kept it rotating as I plunged.
Only route one face at a time. If you plunge in a straight line, there will be material in all directions except one. This can cause the bit to bind, jump around, and chip out the wood. Taking small passes at sections keeps only one face in contact with the bit and lessens the likelihood that binding will occur.
I also found it helpful to route out the middle first, then come back and carefully route the edges of the logo. This kept the edges as the one face left to route automatically, letting me focus only on the line and not what else was around the bit.
Once most of the logo was routed, I returned with some sharp chisels to refine the straight edges. The corners required this since the bit is round.
5 - Epoxy Pour
I’m using boat epoxy to add the Avengers logo inlay. This epoxy is clear and will show the colors I add very well. For this pour, I’m using dark and light blue to give a little gradient and a touch of white for some highlights.
Once all three colors were mixed, I did the pour. For the Avengers logo, I wanted the top to be lighter than the bottom. I poured the light blue first from the top, then the dark blue from the bottom. Once both were throughout the logo, I could use a stir stick to mix them slightly to give the gradient.
The white is not going to be as noticeable as the blues. I added some to the end of a stir stick, just put a line of two where I wanted it, and then worked it in.
To keep bubbles from forming while it is cured, I hit the epoxy quickly with bursts from a propane torch. The heat can make the epoxy cure faster if left on the epoxy, so quick, moving bursts are the way to go.
6 - Glue Up & Finishing
Once the epoxy cured, I used a card scraper to remove most of the overpour. After most of it was gone, I came back with my random orbit sander with 150 grit to get everything flush.
Before gluing, I continued through the grits to 320 on all surfaces and 400 on the epoxy. I made sure not to sand the inside of the joints, though, so the glue would adhere.
The glue-up was extremely easy. I just added glue to the inside of the joint and put the two pieces together. Using a straw, I removed any glue squeeze-out before it dried down on finishing sanding.
Once the glue dried, I hand-sanded just a bit in spots with 400 to prep for the finish. I wiped off any dust, then applied two coats of Simple Finish with Wax from Maker Brand Co. This finish is easy to apply and looks amazing on both the mahogany and epoxy.
I am pretty happy with how my Avengers Phone Holder turned out. The finish is absolutely awesome and completely smooth. This was my first time using epoxy, and while I did pop most of the bubbles, a few cured and left small holes. That aside, this will be a fantastic addition to my desk and remind me of fun times in the shop and the next Marvel film theories.
