How to Make a Mobile Whiteboard

This money saving whiteboard is based around using an inexpensive white wall panel like those used in residential bathrooms.  One of our members has built a variety of these whiteboards, saving our church over $1,000 dollars.  Basically, the construction consists of gluing the white wall panels to wooden frames and mounting them either on a wall or on a mobile stand.  The actual whiteboards generally cost only about $10 each.  You will spend more money on the frames.  For a REALLY cheap whiteboard, you can just glue a board directly to a wall and put some molding around it.  Be aware, however that this will ruin the wall when you try to take it down some day.

PROS:  Large boards for a very inexpensive price.

CONS:  Board material was not designed for heavy duty use.  They will NOT last as long as a first quality board.  You will need to replace these boards every few years so design the frame for easy replacement.  I wouldn’t suggest this for a school setting in which it is used all day, several days a week but for a church setting in which they are used once or twice a week they are fine.

Whiteboard - Mobile

photo of free standing white board on casters, made by hand.

You will need a frame behind the board to keep it from warping.  Glue the board to the frame so that you won't have screws in the markerboard.
 

close-up of edging for markerboard. 
Edge View.  Marker/eraser ledge at bottom.  We have found it good to put a ledge at the top so that it is out of the reach of small children.

side shot of freestanding markerboard 
Edge view showing roller frame with wheels.

Instructions From The Builder

The two 1/8" sheets of bath board are glued to a 1 x 2 frame with 4' ribs on 24" centers. Simply lay one sheet down on a flat surface, glue one face of the strips, place them on the panel, apply glue to the face of these strips and drop the other panel on top. Use a sheet of 1/2" plywood as a press board and apply some dead weight evenly across the panel.( books, lumber, sand bags, etc.) It will only take a couple of hours to set if you use yellow carpenters glue.

Mean while make a 1 x 3 frame out of clear lumber and dado it 1" wide and a 1/4" deep to receive the panel package. You can mitre or butt joint the corners. When you are ready frame the panel. You have created a panel that cannot separate. The roller frame is 2 built of 2 x 2 clear material and is basically an upside down T with braces in the corners and casters on the extended cross bar. Don't make the frame taller than 6' 6" or it will not pass through a standard doorway!

Attach the two T frames to the ends of the panel with screws and you are ready to go. If you have a router with a core box bit you can make a double gutter pen tray out of a 1 x 4-1/2 to fasten to the bottom of the panel which will also stiffen the panel very well.