Make a phone stand without cutting an angled slot

Mock up the viewing position

A phone stand should fit the actual phone with its case attached. Instead of cutting a narrow angled groove, this design uses three easy-to-hold pieces and a support block behind the backrest. You can adjust the angle in a cardboard model first.

Begin with a base 140 mm wide and 140 mm deep. A 140 × 160 mm backrest provides a broad contact area. The example uses 12 mm plywood, but its thickness is less important than keeping the base flat and the phone supported.

• Base: 140 × 140 × 12 mm.
• Backrest: 140 × 160 × 12 mm.
• Front retaining strip: 140 × 15 × 12 mm.
• Support block: a scrap about 100 mm long, shaped or positioned to suit the chosen angle.

Position the parts around the phone

Place the retaining strip near the front edge. Leave a clear space behind it wider than the phone’s thickness, including its case. Set the backrest so its top leans toward the rear of the base and the phone’s center stays over the footprint.

Try several angles using a nonpowered mock-up. A steeper backrest may suit a higher desk, while a lower angle may be easier to view from above. Keep the camera bump from becoming the only contact point. Small felt pads can provide deliberate contact areas without covering speakers or ventilation openings.

Create stable bearing surfaces

The backrest needs a stable lower contact and a support behind it. Fit the support block to the chosen geometry, keeping it well within the base outline. Do not rely on a thin bead of glue along an unsupported tilted edge. A broad block-to-base connection gives you something to clamp and inspect.

Dry-fit everything with the phone removed. Mark the final positions, glue the structural contacts with a suitable adhesive, and let them cure before testing. Keep the backrest from drifting while clamping. If screws are used, predrill and check their lengths against the actual material layers.

Check the stand in daily use

Add the phone gently and tap the screen with normal pressure. The stand should neither rock nor creep backward. Test both portrait and landscape positions only if the phone remains supported in each. Reduce the angle or enlarge the base if it feels easy to tip.

This is a desk accessory, not a protective mount. Do not use it near a drop or in a vehicle. A simple open base leaves no cable passage, so charge with the phone removed unless you deliberately redesign the retaining strip around the connector and verify clearance.