Desktop Paper Pencil Stand

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Every step, at a glance

Compare your paper with each diagram after completing the action. Blue and gold track the original left and right halves of the card. Gray corners are cut-off scraps; green pieces are separate masking tape. Orange dashed lines are cuts in Step 1 and hinges in the wall folds. Solid panel boundaries in the initial layout are ruler marks, not extra cuts.

0. 0. Mark the square
1. 1. Cut away the four corners
2. 2. Set the scraps aside
3. 3. Raise the far wall
4. 4. Raise the right wall
5. 5. Raise the near wall
6. 6. Raise the left wall
7. 7. Crease four tape strips
8. 8. Tape the near-right seam
9. 9. Tape the far-right seam
10. 10. Tape the far-left seam
11. 11. Tape the near-left seam
12. 12. Prepare the bridge strip
13. 13. Fold the bridge in half
14. 14. Cut the pencil aperture
15. 15. Remove the notch scrap
16. 16. Reopen the pierced bridge
17. 17. Bend the right mounting tab down
18. 18. Bend the left mounting tab down
19. 19. Seat the bridge across the rim
20. 20. Tape the right bridge tab
21. 21. Tape the left bridge tab
22. 22. Check the pencil-support path

0. PREPARATION · Original measured cross-net construction

   Mark the square

   Lay the card flat with the inside face up. On each edge, mark 3 inches and 5 inches from the same corner. Use a ruler to join opposing marks: two vertical and two horizontal lines leave a 2 × 2-inch square in the middle. Mark each 3 × 3-inch corner square as scrap.

   Layers: One uncut 8-inch square. The central square will be the floor.

   Check: The middle strip is 2 inches wide in both directions; the four arms are each 2 × 3 inches.

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1. STEP 1 · Original measured cross-net construction

   Cut away the four corners

   Cut along the two inner sides of each marked 3-inch corner square, starting at the outer edges and stopping where the lines meet. Make eight short cuts in all. Do not cut any of the four sides of the central 2-inch square.

   Layers: Cut only the eight orange segments. All four arms must remain attached to the floor.

   Check: Four loose corner squares surround one connected cross-shaped blank.

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2. STEP 2 · Original measured cross-net construction

   Set the scraps aside

   Lift away the four loose corner squares. Keep the cross-shaped piece flat. Save or recycle the scraps; they are not used in this holder.

   Layers: The retained cross is one piece, not five separate rectangles.

   Check: A 2-inch floor joins four 3-inch-long arms without slits across their roots.

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3. STEP 3 · Original measured cross-net construction

   Raise the far wall

   Hold the middle square on the table. Bend the far arm upward along its 2-inch root, stopping at a right angle to the floor. Press that crease while supporting the wall.

   Layers: Only the far arm moves. Keep the floor and other three arms flat.

   Check: The far wall is 3 inches high and its whole bottom edge is attached.

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4. STEP 4 · Original measured cross-net construction

   Raise the right wall

   Bend the right arm upward on the right edge of the floor. Stop at a right angle. Hold both walls while bringing their vertical edges together.

   Layers: Move the right arm only; do not fold a corner scrap into the holder.

   Check: The far and right walls meet edge to edge, without an overlapping paper flap.

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5. STEP 5 · Original measured cross-net construction

   Raise the near wall

   Bend the arm nearest you upward along the near edge of the floor. Keep the floor flat on the table.

   Layers: Move the near arm only. Support the already raised walls with your other hand.

   Check: Three upright walls surround the same uncut floor.

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6. STEP 6 · Original measured cross-net construction

   Raise the left wall

   Raise the last arm to a right angle. Bring its two side edges alongside the neighboring walls. Keep holding the walls until the tape joins are complete.

   Layers: Move the left arm only. There is no hidden locking flap.

   Check: Four equal walls form a 2-inch square opening above a continuous 2-inch square floor.

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7. STEP 7 · Original measured cross-net construction

   Crease four tape strips

   Cut four 3/4 × 2 3/4-inch strips of paper masking tape. Gently bend each lengthwise down its middle to make an L-shaped strip with two 3/8-inch wings. Keep the adhesive on the inside of the L and avoid sticking the wings together.

   Layers: These four green strips are separate tape, not extra card or hidden paper layers. They are shown spaced outside the four corners.

   Check: Each strip can wrap a right-angle outside corner; its length is 1/4 inch shorter than a wall.

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8. STEP 8 · Original measured cross-net construction

   Tape the near-right seam

   Hold the near and right walls edge to edge. Center one bent strip over their outside vertical seam, leaving 1/8 inch clear at both top and bottom. Press one wing to each wall, supporting the card from inside.

   Layers: Apply tape only outside the corner. Each 3/8-inch wing adheres to a different wall.

   Check: Both walls stay square to the floor and the tape bridges the seam from 1/8 to 2 7/8 inches above the floor.

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9. STEP 9 · Original measured cross-net construction

   Tape the far-right seam

   Keep the right and far walls at right angles to the floor. Center the second bent strip along their outside meeting edge and press both wings down.

   Layers: The first tape strip stays in place. Apply the second to the next outside corner.

   Check: The second join has the same 1/8-inch clearance above the floor and below the rim.

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10. STEP 10 · Original measured cross-net construction

    Tape the far-left seam

    Align the far and left wall edges. Apply the third bent strip over their outside seam, again leaving 1/8 inch clear at each end.

    Layers: Press both tape wings while supporting the walls from inside.

    Check: The third corner is joined without covering the open top.

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11. STEP 11 · Original measured cross-net construction

    Tape the near-left seam

    Align the last pair of wall edges and press the fourth strip around their outside seam. Check all four joins before releasing your hand.

    Layers: The fourth strip completes the four adhesive corner joints.

    Check: The rim is open, every wall is joined to its neighbors, and the integral floor remains flat.

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12. STEP 12 · Original measured cross-net construction

    Prepare the bridge strip

    Set the holder aside. Cut a separate 3 × 1-inch strip of card. Lay it horizontally and mark its center, plus a line 1/2 inch from each short end for the two tab roots. The diagrams show this separate strip above the holder for clarity; work on the table.

    Layers: A second piece of card makes the support bridge. It is not cut from the floor.

    Check: The middle span is 2 inches long; each end tab is 1/2 inch long.

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13. STEP 13 · Original measured cross-net construction

    Fold the bridge in half

    Bring the right short end to the left short end, folding across the center of the 3-inch strip. Press the center crease.

    Layers: Fold the entire right half over the left half.

    Check: The doubled rectangle is 1 1/2 × 1 inch, with its folded edge at the right.

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14. STEP 14 · Original measured cross-net construction

    Cut the pencil aperture

    On the folded edge, mark points 1/4 inch above and below its midpoint. Cut 1/4 inch inward from each mark, through both layers. Join those inner ends with a third cut parallel to the folded edge. Do not extend the cuts to either long edge.

    Layers: Cut a 1/4-inch-deep, 1/2-inch-wide notch through both layers at the folded edge.

    Check: The doubled notch scrap is released; two 1/4-inch-wide rails remain along the long edges.

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15. STEP 15 · Original measured cross-net construction

    Remove the notch scrap

    Lift the small doubled scrap up off the card and set it aside. Do not slide it through the surrounding rails. Keep the two long-edge rails intact.

    Layers: Lift both cut layers together. They are not used again.

    Check: The notch passes through both layers, with no loose piece left inside.

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16. STEP 16 · Original measured cross-net construction

    Reopen the pierced bridge

    Unfold the right half fully to the right. Gently flatten the center crease.

    Layers: The two narrow rails keep the bridge connected around the hole.

    Check: A 1/2 × 1/2-inch square aperture is centered in the 3 × 1-inch strip.

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17. STEP 17 · Original measured cross-net construction

    Bend the right mounting tab down

    At the line 1/2 inch from the right short end, bend the end tab down to a right angle. Leave the central span flat.

    Layers: Move the right 1/2-inch end only.

    Check: The tab points down from the end of the 2-inch bridge span.

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18. STEP 18 · Original measured cross-net construction

    Bend the left mounting tab down

    Bend the matching left end down on its line, also at a right angle.

    Layers: Keep the central span and the first tab unchanged.

    Check: The bridge has two downward tabs and one unobstructed square hole.

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19. STEP 19 · Original measured cross-net construction

    Seat the bridge across the rim

    Center the bridge across the holder from left to right. Lower it until the 2-inch span rests across the two side-wall top edges. The two tabs must lie down the OUTSIDE of the left and right walls. Keep the hole above the center of the floor.

    Layers: The tabs overlap the wall exteriors; do not force them inside the cavity. Hold the bridge while attaching it.

    Check: The bridge sits at the 3-inch rim height, with each tab extending 1/2 inch down a side wall.

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20. STEP 20 · Original measured cross-net construction

    Tape the right bridge tab

    Cut two additional 1 × 3/4-inch strips of masking tape. Place the first on the outside of the right wall with its 1-inch edge across the bridge tab. Align its top with the rim: it covers the full 1/2-inch tab and extends 1/4 inch below the tab onto the wall. Press firmly while supporting from inside.

    Layers: The tape overlaps both the separate bridge tab and the wall beneath it. Do not cover the pencil hole.

    Check: The right tab is fastened to the wall across its full width.

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21. STEP 21 · Original measured cross-net construction

    Tape the left bridge tab

    Apply the second 1 × 3/4-inch tape strip over the left tab in the same way. Its top is level with the rim and its bottom extends 1/4 inch below the tab.

    Layers: Fasten the second tab without bending the span into the cavity.

    Check: Both bridge ends are attached; the square aperture remains centered above the floor.

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22. STEP 22 · Original measured cross-net construction

    Check the pencil-support path

    Place the empty holder on a level, dry desk. Check that the floor lies flat, the bridge spans the rim and all six tape joints have adhered. If trying a pencil narrower than the 1/2-inch aperture, steady the holder and lower the pencil through the hole until its end reaches the floor. Do not hang it from the bridge or force a tight pencil through. Stop if the card bends, the holder leans or a seam loosens.

    Layers: The perforated bridge limits sideways movement near the top; the integral floor supports the pencil end. Both are necessary parts of this design.

    Check: The construction is complete: 2 inches across and 3 inches high, with one guided pencil position. Physical pencil support, stability under load and adhesive durability have not been tested.

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