Star Pattern Lamp

PS: sorry for the messy part in the top of the lamp, it is not a part of it !! i just had to take a picture in a hurry :)

Hey everyone, here i am again, and this time ii would like to share with you, another instructable on how to make this  star pattern inspired lamp. if you've seen my other instructable on how to make the moresque lamp : http://www.instructables.com/id/Moresque-lampe/ so you know what i am talking about :)

again i just tried to make something original. So for this project you'll need alot of patience, and a lot of accurency, otherwise, it will turn messy !

For those who are lucky enough to have a laser cutter or a CNC , there is an advantage, for me, i cannot afford one, so i will use the traditional way !

The lamp can be made with any material, cardboard, aluminum, plastic, plywood .. you choose your material and color, the principle is the same.

For me i will use plywood with a 2 mm thickness for this project.

i'll do my best explaining the different steps, if something is unclear bear with me, and feel free to ask  :-)

Step 1: The design

So what way my inspiration ? ...... well it is still my love to patterns found in different mosaic in southern spain and morocco, do a search on the internet you'll find what i am talking about ( just search in google for : "arabic patterns" or "islamic patterns" )

this website was too informativ too :

http://www.cgl.uwaterloo.ca/~csk/projects/starpatterns/

i used illustrator to draw the patterns, and the export them to 3Ds max there i modeledl the sphere and  texture it .. to see how it is going to turn out, when it is done, i tried to copy the model on paper, and some adjustments, here and there it worked out

Step 2: What do you need ?

Made by thick paper :

- you will need some sheets of paper
- scissors
- glue

Made by plywood

- some plywood sheets ( no thick than 3 mm )
- it depands on how do you want to connect the pieces , i used a staple and some glue, to make it clean, but you can use Brads as well
- material to saw your patterns

AND of cours the patterns ! ( you will finde them in *.AI and *.PDF format )

Step 3: Cutting the patterns !

well . .you can cut them the traditional way, just print the patterns and glue it the wood and use a drill and a saw. or if you own a cnc machine or a laser cutter - i am not that lucky :) - it will make the job much more easier.

i used a a thin saw as the one showed in the picture

If you are using carton or paper well, print them and use your scissors :)

The patterns in DXF files are attached.

Step 4: The 6 pointed star

before connecting the pieces together i put then i a sink of water fr 10 min, just so they bend easely. but if you are using very thin plywood ( 1 mm - 1,5 mm ) you dont need that !

Just follow the pictures, you will see how they are connected

Step 5: The 5 pointed stars

again nothing special to say about this step other than following the pictures :)

Step 6: Keep Connecting ( The 6 pointed stars )

now you got all your 6 pointed stars ready, connect them toghether follwoing the pictures .. feel free to ask if there is any questions :)

Step 7: Keep connecting, add the 5 pointed star

now you got the 5 pointed stars .. they have to be added to the skeleton of the 6 pointed stars .. it will be tricky specially if the 6 stars were not connected accuratly ... but follow the steps again again :) ..

Step 8: Add the extra bulb-inserting part

for the last piece, so we can be able to change the light bulb !

Step 9: The finished lamp

And then spray painted ... enjoy :)

Comments

[hibanayel]

Thanks for sharing ! But if I want to build it from carton , how thick does it have to be ?

[medmouncef]

Please re upload dxf files. I tried with DWG Viewer, Illustrator and Corel Draw but seem files are empty. Thanks

[mmould03]

Wonderful instructable. I wish I had the patience to do something like this, my daughter would love it. On a side note, on my screen at my resolution, your image just under step 7 makes for a neat optical illusion. As I scroll down or up, the individual pieces appear to spin :)

[danzo321]

My girlfriend Margie makes these candle lanterns out of porcelain, handthrown and handcarved. Most potters can't even throw (wheel form) porcelain.

[danzo321]

Margie with her fern design candle lantern

[stregoi]

That sounds like something cool, maybe you can post some pictures. i am curious :)

[danzo321]

trying again

[danzo321]

How do you post pictures?

[stregoi]

when replying to the message, juste click on the button ( down ) that says "add images"

[ChrysN]

Gorgeous! I love the pattern it creates on the ceiling.

[katlinbr]

Brillant!!

[ArchetypeZ]

Very Cool!! Love the pattern.

I can't imagine trying to do this without a laser cutter... fortunately for those of us who don't have one there are some companies that will do it for you (Ponoko for example for those in the US).

[globo]

I've build your first lamp ot of paper. Might try it with cardboard this time.

[stregoi]

Sounds good, maybe you can post a picture ... so exited to see how it turned op !

[candyfloss18]

Wow this is so pretty! :)