Introduction: Coolest Crooked Lamp Table You Will Ever See
I needed night stands and this is the design I created.
The Tables are constructed from Pine.
The shelves are made from hemlock and pine rhombi.
They are placed in a pattern the gives you a three dimensional illusion when viewed from different angles.
All surfaces are stained with 2 coats of MinWax Cherry then 2 coats of Minwax Wipe on polyeurethane.
Tools:
Craftsman scroll saw
Craftsman Table saw
Drill press
Router/bits
Drill bits
Drum Sander
Orbital Sander
Black and Decker 12 Volt power tools - Circular Saw, Drill, Router
Clamps
Square
Protractor
Special tools:
The Rhombus shapes required a very precise cut. I created a jig from some wood scraps that allowed me to feed the lattice strips into the cutting area. I then used a battery powered Black and Decker circular saw to cut the pieces - like using a miter box. The shapes I chose were inspired by another instructable: https://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Hardwood-Floor-that-looks-3D-from-your-OWN-/ After assembling the table tops and shelves, I sanded the surfaces and used Plastic Wood wood putty to spread over the surface. This filled the small cracks between the pieces and made them look as if they had been grouted. This sanding and filling was repeated 2 or three times before I was finished.
I used my Drill press as a wood shaper. I Installed a router bit and positioned the table at the appropriate level to allow me to slide my work piece across the bit and cut the shapes along the top edges of the top self.
Wood Cuts:
The legs of the tables were cut from 1-8 foot piece of 2x2 pine. The back legs were cut to 24 inches each. The two front legs were cut by diagonally ripping a 24 inch piece of 2x2 to make 2 triangular pieces. These legs were shaped with the drum sander mounted on the drill press.
The frame for the table top was cut using a table saw with the blade set at 45 degrees. Each piece was cut to length then the finger joints were cut into them using the scroll saw.
The finger joints were cut using the scroll saw. The most difficult cuts were on the front pieces as they required placing the end of the board against the table. The board now is pointing up in the air as you feed the board into the blade to make a vertical cut.
The lamp stands were cut from 2x2 material. Each raw piece was 11 inches long. There were 4 patterns for each lamp stand. The patterns were drawn onto the 2x2 then cut out using the scroll saw. These pieces were then glued together and after the glue dried, I used the drum sander to clean up the shape. I used a long drill bit to drill through the lamp stands to run the power cord through. The last step on these pieces was to make the angular cuts on the bottom and top to allow them to sit properly on the table top and extend out over the table. The design was based on a set of plans from http://www.am-wood.com/jan97/blamp.html These plans only provided 1 template to cut and I had to create the other 3. But I thought they looked pretty cool so it was well worth it.
Finishing:
It was easier to sand all the pieces before assembling and then after assembly I just needed to touch up some spots that got dinged as I was putting it together.
Overall sanding was completed with 100 grit and then I sanded with 150 grit and 220 before staining. I applied 2 coats of Minwax Cherry stain. Each table was then completely sanded, very lightly with 220 grit paper before applying the Minwax Polyurethane. The clear poly was allowed to dry overnight and then very lightly sanded with 600 grit sandpaper. I applied 2 to 3 coats of poly and then polished it after the final coat dried with 600 grit sandpaper.
Features:
There is a single drawer under the top shelf.
The drawer has sliding latches to keep your items 'secure'.
Each table has a power strip hidden on the bottom of the lower shelf.
The lamps have 3-way bulbs in them and make great reading lights.
Cost:
Wood, lamp sockets, power strips and finishing supplies cost about $90
The lamp shades came from Wal-Mart and were about $10 each.
Going further:
I will make a small book rack to go between one front leg and the back leg to provide vertical storage of a few books. That way they take up much less space on the shelf leaving more room for other nightstand items.
Having the power strip located right on the nightstand, I now have a convenient location to charge my cell phone and a place to store and charge my notebook.
The Tables are constructed from Pine.
The shelves are made from hemlock and pine rhombi.
They are placed in a pattern the gives you a three dimensional illusion when viewed from different angles.
All surfaces are stained with 2 coats of MinWax Cherry then 2 coats of Minwax Wipe on polyeurethane.
Tools:
Craftsman scroll saw
Craftsman Table saw
Drill press
Router/bits
Drill bits
Drum Sander
Orbital Sander
Black and Decker 12 Volt power tools - Circular Saw, Drill, Router
Clamps
Square
Protractor
Special tools:
The Rhombus shapes required a very precise cut. I created a jig from some wood scraps that allowed me to feed the lattice strips into the cutting area. I then used a battery powered Black and Decker circular saw to cut the pieces - like using a miter box. The shapes I chose were inspired by another instructable: https://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Hardwood-Floor-that-looks-3D-from-your-OWN-/ After assembling the table tops and shelves, I sanded the surfaces and used Plastic Wood wood putty to spread over the surface. This filled the small cracks between the pieces and made them look as if they had been grouted. This sanding and filling was repeated 2 or three times before I was finished.
I used my Drill press as a wood shaper. I Installed a router bit and positioned the table at the appropriate level to allow me to slide my work piece across the bit and cut the shapes along the top edges of the top self.
Wood Cuts:
The legs of the tables were cut from 1-8 foot piece of 2x2 pine. The back legs were cut to 24 inches each. The two front legs were cut by diagonally ripping a 24 inch piece of 2x2 to make 2 triangular pieces. These legs were shaped with the drum sander mounted on the drill press.
The frame for the table top was cut using a table saw with the blade set at 45 degrees. Each piece was cut to length then the finger joints were cut into them using the scroll saw.
The finger joints were cut using the scroll saw. The most difficult cuts were on the front pieces as they required placing the end of the board against the table. The board now is pointing up in the air as you feed the board into the blade to make a vertical cut.
The lamp stands were cut from 2x2 material. Each raw piece was 11 inches long. There were 4 patterns for each lamp stand. The patterns were drawn onto the 2x2 then cut out using the scroll saw. These pieces were then glued together and after the glue dried, I used the drum sander to clean up the shape. I used a long drill bit to drill through the lamp stands to run the power cord through. The last step on these pieces was to make the angular cuts on the bottom and top to allow them to sit properly on the table top and extend out over the table. The design was based on a set of plans from http://www.am-wood.com/jan97/blamp.html These plans only provided 1 template to cut and I had to create the other 3. But I thought they looked pretty cool so it was well worth it.
Finishing:
It was easier to sand all the pieces before assembling and then after assembly I just needed to touch up some spots that got dinged as I was putting it together.
Overall sanding was completed with 100 grit and then I sanded with 150 grit and 220 before staining. I applied 2 coats of Minwax Cherry stain. Each table was then completely sanded, very lightly with 220 grit paper before applying the Minwax Polyurethane. The clear poly was allowed to dry overnight and then very lightly sanded with 600 grit sandpaper. I applied 2 to 3 coats of poly and then polished it after the final coat dried with 600 grit sandpaper.
Features:
There is a single drawer under the top shelf.
The drawer has sliding latches to keep your items 'secure'.
Each table has a power strip hidden on the bottom of the lower shelf.
The lamps have 3-way bulbs in them and make great reading lights.
Cost:
Wood, lamp sockets, power strips and finishing supplies cost about $90
The lamp shades came from Wal-Mart and were about $10 each.
Going further:
I will make a small book rack to go between one front leg and the back leg to provide vertical storage of a few books. That way they take up much less space on the shelf leaving more room for other nightstand items.
Having the power strip located right on the nightstand, I now have a convenient location to charge my cell phone and a place to store and charge my notebook.
