Introduction: Compass Display Table With Indirect Lighting
I inherited an old nautical compass, and I've been looking for a way to display this salty old artifact. The compass weighs over 30 pounds, so it needs a really solid display table. I found a great deal on a sturdy round table with a glass top, and a solid shelf that would support the compass.
The table is just about perfect, but mounting the compass and illuminating it was a challenge. While working out how to light the face of the compass, I discovered that the compass was designed with windows on the underside, so I'd also need some light coming from underneath the compass. I have been eying some rather pricy LED strip lighting for this purpose. This stuff is like regular LED strip lighting, but the tape comes jacketed inside a flexible plastic diffuser. Most light strips have double-stick mounting tape on the back, but this stuff is made of silicone, so nothing will stick to it. I worked out a solution for mounting the light tape, but it wasn't ideal.
I thought it would be neat to use concentric rings of indirect lighting, like the "Loony Tunes" title page (if you're old enough to remember that). I'm not sure what this kind of lighting is called, but I'll call it "staged indirect lighting."
To make this staged indirect lighting work you need to hide the light strips behind something, and each band of light also needs to be staged at a different level. I ended up making plywood bands, using iron-on veneer, to separate the rings that will illuminate the compass. The veneer comes in two-inch wide, 50-feet rolls, and I used all but a couple of feet for three bands (one of which goes under the compass). I also made a third ring for the upper lighting, using 3/4-inch wide veneer.
Mounting the compass on this table presented a couple of problems. I wanted more space above the compass for the bands of staged lighting, and I was also concerned that the heavy compass could move, if someone bumped the table. Both of these problems were solved by lowering the compass into a cut-out in the top shelf of the table. This makes the compass very stable, for moving, and it gives enough room to have three stages of indirect lighting.
In addition to lighting the compass from above, there are little windows built into the underside of the compass, and I wanted to get some light underneath to illuminate the inside.
Supplies
Table (this was an inexpensive but well-built end table)
Compass (I have seen the same compass on ebay)
Jig Saw
Table Saw (optional)
Sandpaper
Orbital Sander (optional)
File
Dremmel Tool (optional)
Flat White Paint
1/8-inch thick particle board (2-foot by 4-foot piece)
3/4-inch wide iron-on veneer (at least 9-feet)
Soldering iron and solder (soldering is necessary to divide the strip-lighting)
Flat Iron
Blocks of 3/4-inch plywood (scraps)
Glue
3/4-inch screws (four)
Pocket hole jig and four screws
Brown wood stain
Step 1: Making the Veneer "Bands"
To make the veneer bands as sturdy as possible, I used three layers of the veneer, the inside layer has the wood grain toward the inside, and the other layers have the wood grain facing outward. Plywood gets its amazing strength, not just from multiple layers, the layers also need the grain to run in opposite directions. It seems like a lot of work, but to make the middle layer run in the opposite direction, I cut one of the bands of veneer in 2-inch pieces and sandwiched the pieces, crosswise, between the inner and outer bands of veneer. To set the size of the bands, use an iron to tack the ends of the inner band together (with the wood side facing inward), and with a couple of inches of overlap. After you set the size, just work your way around the outside, tacking each 2-inch piece of veneer to the inside band, glue sides together. Be sure to slide the edges of each cross piece together while the glue is soft, to avoid having any gaps. Cut a partial piece of veneer to fill in the last gap, and you're ready to glue on the outer band.
Make sure the completed hoop lays flat, and is reasonably round. If the hoop looks out of alignment, you can heat it up a bit with the iron to reposition the bands.
The third band, for the upper lighting, is made from 3/4-inch veneer. For this band, I just ran each layer of the veneer in the same direction, with the inner layer being reversed, so the wood side faces inward.
Sizing the bands is not super important at this stage, just make sure the size of the band accounts for the overlap of the plate that sits on top. For the upper ring, make sure that the band fits inside the opening, with room to set the light strip back from the edge of the table top.
The band of veneer that goes under the compass holds the compass in place and allows the underside to be lit with no light leaks. I just wrapped the veneer around the compass (wood side facing in) and made a mark for where the edges need to meet. Cut the strip with a couple of inches of overlap, and tack it in place. Check the fit before adding the crosswise layer and outer layer of veneer.
The 50-foot roll of veneer provided enough material to make four layers for the top (widest) band, and three layers for the other two bands. [Note: if you use your household iron to attach hot-glued veneer, plan on replacing the iron or sleeping on the couch.]
Step 2: Cut and Assemble the Rings
Once the veneer bands are ironed to make them into one piece of sturdy plywood, it's time to cut the light stage rings. I used a push-pin and a piece of cardboard to make a "compass" for drawing the circles. I want the bands to fit tightly to the rings, so I started by making cardboard templates, to get the size of the rings close. Then, I used the templates to set the radius for marking the outer edge for each of the rings. I sanded the edges to smooth up the jigsaw cuts, and to get the rings to the correct size so they would be a snug fit. It turned out that painting the rings changes the size a tiny bit, so I had to sand the outer edges again, after painting.
Before cutting the inner part of the rings, flip the two upper rings over and scratch a line around the underside of the ring, matching the circumference of the underlying plywood band. This will help when lining up the rings for the final assembly. Cut the inner parts of the rings so that each band overlaps the one below by about an inch. This gives enough space to hide the light strip and make the lighting indirect.
After smoothing the inner and outer edges of the rings (I found a half-round file helpful for evening up the inside edges of the rings), paint them with a couple of coats of flat white paint. I painted the undersides also (except for the underside of the ring that supports the compass).
I had a couple of reasons for mounting the rings to the inside of the plywood bands, rather than resting the plywood bands on top of the rings. Sliding the bands on keeps them perfectly round and allows the rings to be moved up slightly, to adjust the depth of the lighting. I needed more space for the third ring of light, above the compass, so I raised the middle ring about a half inch from the bottom of the plywood band.
After painting, it's time to glue the plywood bands to the rings. I'm using regular wood glue in a thin bead all around the inside edge of each ring, and then smoothing the glue with a finger.
Before gluing the plywood band to the ring that goes under the compass, we need to make a template for the cutout to lower the compass. The underside of the compass has four angle-braces radiating out from the circular base. To make a template for cutting the notches to fit these braces I laid a piece of paper over the bottom of the compass, and used some graphite to smudge the shape of the compass bottom onto the paper with my hand. Cut out the imprint of the underside of the compass and use this as a template for cutting the particle board ring that goes under the compass. Check the fit of the cutout on the compass and make sure the notches are the same length and width. Use a file, to adjust the depth that the ring slides over the compass. I needed an inch of extra room.
After the rings are glued to the bands, we're ready for installing the light strips, but we need to do a couple of things first.
Step 3: Fit the Compass to the Table
The compass needs to be lowered and secured into a hole in the upper shelf. The hole doesn't need to be perfect, as it will be hidden, but it does need to be pretty close to dead center. I made several attempts to find the center, and then realized that there was a nice center-hole in the center of the underside of the shelf. I just used a push pin to make the hole go all the way through to the top, and then used a compass (the circle-drawing kind) to scratch a line the in the top of the shelf, to match the hole in the ring that was already sized to fit the compass.
Use the ring that goes under the compass as a template, centering it around the line you scratched in the shelf, and cut the hole for the compass (and the notches) with a jigsaw. I thought it would be easier to cut this by removing the shelf, but I could probably have left the shelf in place. This ring is a fairly tight fit, so I screwed the ring to the shelf to make sure it doesn't come off if I lift up the compass.
Step 4: Make the Mounting Blocks.
We need to remove one table leg to fit the lighting assembly into the table. Each table leg has two mounting screws, and a screw holding each shelf in place. It's kind of a puzzle fitting the lighting assembly and compass into the table, but first we need to make mounting blocks to support the assembly.
Slide the lighting assembly in place on the inverted table to make sure it fits. The mounting blocks will be stepped to support each ring, and secured to the table legs with pocket hole screws. The best way to make these blocks is (you guessed it) by making a template. I used a lot of cardboard, cutting and re-cutting shapes until I got a template that fit closely to each of the four table legs.
I cheated a bit on the blocks by cutting parts of them on a table saw. You could get by with just a jigsaw, if you don't have access to a table saw. Drill a pocket hole near what will be the bottom of each block. These will be the mounting points to attach the lighting system to the four table legs, so be sure there is room to get a short screwdriver in so you can tighten the screws into these pocket holes. I drilled these holes at a slight downward angle to make mounting easier. When the blocks were all cut and sanded, I stained them with some dark wood stain that I found in the paint locker.
Step 5: Assemble the Lighting Parts
Lay the lighting strip along the inside of each ring and cut at one of the marked places. I wish I had included a bit of overlap, so there wouldn't be dim areas where the ends of the light strips meet.
Once you have the light strips cut to the correct length it's time to solder pieces of wire between each of the light loops, so you can link one ring to the next. You need a fairly long piece to connect the upper lights to the bottom of the compass, but the other sections are only separated by a few inches of wire.
I don't know very much about wiring, and the soldering points on these LED light tapes are tiny. So, it's time to put everything down and go to YouTube and find a video on how to solder LED strips together. Checking a few of the many videos on soldering tips will make the job easier. The hardest part was getting the parts to sit securely while you attempt to apply the solder. The whole process goes fairly smoothly if you follow the instructions carefully.
Once you have the leads attached test the system to make sure all the loops work. If they work, it's time to install the light strips in the rings. The light strips are enclosed in silicone. They come with little clips and screws to hold them, but I didn't like the clips. I decided to just use an awl to make holes in the plywood bands, and stitch the LED strips in place with strong thread. For the places where the wires need to pass outside the rings, just cut small notches in the top of the plywood bands. Test the connections again.
We now have three rings of light strips securely mounted to the upper edges of the three plywood bands, and one loop of light strip that is just dangling on a long wire. This fourth strip of light will be for the underside of the compass.
It's tempting to glue the upper rings together to make one solid assembly. But we still need to fit all these into a tight space, so keep the rings loose, to get them into position and to make a little room to bolt the leg on. The rings will be held in place with the four support blocks.
Now comes the puzzle-piecing.
Step 6: Final Assembly
Assuming that the final test of the lights worked, it's time to put it all together. Set the three-part lighting assembly on top of the table, and rout the loose wire with the bottom loop of light-tape under the top shelf and up through the hole. This strip is held in place with four screws, with the tape running in a sort of clover-leaf pattern (sorry, I didn't catch a photo).
Now, slide the compass down into its hole, making sure the support pieces fit into their slots. Also make sure the top of the compass is more or less level, all the way around.
Next, slide the lighting assembly into its place, shifting the rings around as needed to squeeze them into position. Once the rings are more or less aligned, move them around so you can get the leg-bolts into their holes and tighten them up. Finish installing the leg by adding the screws that hold the shelves in place.
Re-center the rings one last time, and attach the support blocks, screwing them to the legs. I had to do some final adjustments with a jigsaw to get the blocks to fit.
The wires will all need to be hidden under strips of tape, and the switch can be mounted to a leg with a piece of strong, double-sided tape. This light system has a dimmer switch, which is perfect for toning down the light to make the indirect lighting look right.
The table now acts as a mood light and prompt for daydreams. I keep a magnet handy, in case I need to change course, or confound visitors.
Participated in the
Lamps and Lighting Contest
