Faceted Wood Light Shades - Dodecahedrons

I'm a big fan of using platonic solids for design in general, but dodecahedrons are a particularly nice shape for making a candleholder. By leaving off two opposing sides you can easily set it over a small candle (preferably an LED candle if you're using the same materials I did) to diffuse the light and add a warm glow. They make a great design magazine style gift, and have a substantial wood look while using a fraction of what it would take to carve them from a block of wood. This project could be adapted to be a proper lampshade or add a bottom piece and you can use them as a container as well.

These candleholders require no power tools to make!

Step 1 Materials and Equipment

Wood veneer - you want a standard, thin, NOT paper backed wood veneer in any species you prefer. You may have to order it online if a local home improvement store doesn't have it. Ordering online gives you many more species to choose from.

Paper - a block printing or mulberry paper is a good choice for this. It's the structure of what you're making, so long, strong fibers will work better than something like a cheap typing paper. Acid free is a good idea, too.

"Yes!" Paste - you can use all sorts of glues for this, but you have a pretty good chance of everything coming out smooth and flat with this glue.

Scissors, Utility Knife and a Cutting Mat - for cutting paper and veneer.

Brush - for applying the glue.

Sandpaper - to smooth out any rough cuts and remove any pencil marks.

Heavy flat objects and/or flat boards with clamps - to keep parts flat while drying.

Small spring clamps - hold pieces while the glue sets so you don't have to.

Waxed paper - to prevent things from sticking together where you don't want them to.

Card stock - to make a template to trace around.

Pencil - very sharp or mechanical for tracing templates onto wood and paper.

Clear varnish (optional) - an acrylic varnish is more fire resistant than an oil based finish, if you're planning to use them with fire.

Gold paint or gold leaf and leafing size (optional) - if you want to make them gold use one of these.

Comments

[strangebike]

Nice look pretty too. I'm a wood turner as a hobby and one of the magazines suggested using peg-6 ? a type of detergent to make the wood more translucent for very thin wood turnings. it was all the rage up to about 2 years ago. Not sure now it all seems to be wainey edged bowls but yours is a great use that could be done with your kids as a project before they con you in to building the radio controlled aircraft of their dreams .LOL

[technoplastique]

I hadn't heard of using peg-6, but since it's used as an emulsifier it makes sense. I would imagine using an oil would do something similar (and probably be a little easier to get.) Thanks for mentioning that, I'll have to do some more research!