Golf Pencil Holder

Project Overview

I did this project as a gift for my groomsmen at my wedding. I almost bought the shadowboxes from a store, but making them from scratch was much more fulfilling and I learned a ton about basic woodworking.

I followed along to a YouTube video to get the general idea, and made some changes where necessary. The biggest point I took from that video: don't rout the entire frame stock to save time — you'll end up with a gap in the frame. I totally would have done this if I hadn't watched the video.

Bill of Materials

Materials (for the 8 boxes I made)

• 5x 8ft oak 1x2s — $160
• 2x pine 2ft x 4ft — $40
• Wood stain — $20

Tools

• Handheld router
• Rabbeting bit
• Nail gun
• Table saw
• Miter saw
• Orbital sander
• 220 grit sandpaper
• Paint/foam brushes
• Solidworks + Prusa MK3S+ (pencil holder design/printing)

Build / Process

My favorite thing about this project is the pencil holders — I modeled them in Solidworks and 3D printed them on my Prusa MK3S+. I wanted the shadowbox to be very easy to use, and not a pain to actually put pencils inside of. To accomplish this, I 3D modeled the pencil holders with voids in them to hold magnets.

I utilized layer pauses in the slicer software to pause the print halfway through, insert magnets into the half-completed print, and then continue printing to seamlessly add magnetic functionality to the pencil holders — this lets them be plucked off the felt and placed back on effortlessly.

The cooperating magnets are hidden behind the green felt backing of the box. I drilled a recess in the pine backing, press-fit the magnets into the recess, and added some glue for good measure — using a 3/8" Forstner bit to cut a 9.5mm hole for the 10mm magnets, and designating a "master magnet" so every magnet went in with the same polarity facing out.

The backplates were sprayed with an adhesive spray and covered with an oversize square of green felt. Once dry, the felt was cut to size and the plates fit into the frame.

Ideally the backplate would've been secured to the frame with a brad nailer, but I didn't have one to my immediate disposal, and I didn't know anyone named Brad. The occasional errant hammer mark on the rear of the boxes declares I drove the nails by hand.

I still had to attach the sawtooth mounting hardware to the rear to complete the project. They looked great, I learned a ton, and it made a sweet gift for my groomsmen.