How to make backlit Gear shift knob

Back-lit Gear shift knob made out of wood.

Material needed are very cheap but result is one sweet piece of wood work.

I build it with basics tools.

Feel free to ask your Questions or to give any thoughts  positive or negative.

You can also rate it.

Step 1:

Materials and Tools:


Tools you will need:
1. drill
2. different types of saw (for wood and metal)
3. surgical knife
4. soldering iron (and tin)
5. die cutting tool
6. sheets of sandpaper with different grits.
7. Glass cutter

Materials you will need:
1. piece of ash wood (dried)
2. piece of aluminum and plastic plate  (color of your choice)
3. metal tube inner bore should match the outer diameter of gear shifting handle
4. small pieces of conductive metal for connectors 
5. some plastic piece (fire resistant) similar to shape of plastic bottle cap for light bulb socket
6. sort of cable or wire
7. small piece of glass
8. some metal paint and wood paint (color of your choice)
9. matching nut for metal pipe
10. sort of light bulb.

Comments

[rascalking13]

Nice!

[CICCI]

Thanks for your comment, glad you like it.

If you express your creativity and build your version please share I would very much like to see end result.
Best regards

[willdeh2]

This turned out to be really cool.
I carved a knob in high school (not backlit) and I found that a belt sander can really speed the job up, and makes it really easy to tweak the curves, or angles.
Very well done!

[CICCI]

Thanks for you comment. Using tool if far better if you have them or have access to them. Maybe you can post a link to a photo of your work.

Best regards

[j.hawkins]

Could you post a link to where you bought the light and socket or give any more info on it please?

[CICCI]

I'm very, sorry for the delay. I was just extremely busy.

The store where I bought light and the socket doesn't have a link. It's a standard light for car dash board 12v and 1-2w. You get light and socket in one package.
I didn't use that socket but made it my self. You could use the one you are going to by but plan ahead with measurement ( I didn't and had to make one ).

If this doesn't help please feel free to ask further questions.

[zaphod07]

Polish your knob haha

[djr6789]

how did you cut the numbers into the aluminum?

[CICCI]

I used modeling saw (very thin sheets) similar tho this one:
http://www.hobbymail.it/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=327

Aluminum is soft and not easy to cut straight. Mark numerals with pen-marker, drill small hole to each number as a starting point and insert saw sheet into hole. Work your way slow. And you can use sandpaper with finer grits to straighten edges along the numbers. Alone sandpaper in this case is not a tool but glue it to some small thin straight plate(it should be narrow enough but not to much ) that is rigid and that you can insert between number lines and work your way.

Hope this helps if not feel free to ask any further questions.

[Cary Swoveland]

Very nice. It might be easier to drill the holes at the beginning, while the block of wood is square.

[CICCI]

You can do it in that way to but I think it's easier to make everything more symmetrical if you give it a shape first than drill the holes. I used only basic tools but with more complex tools that would be the wright way. It can be done but you will need to be more precise in further work. Drilling a holes isn't hard use clamp or just hands (that's how I done it) if you have some experience.

Thanks for commenting and feel free to ask any further questions