Introduction: DIY Floor Lamp Combining 3D Printing and Wooden Dowel Rods

By Maker 101
About: Maker 101; Beginner and intermediate level Maker projects! You can find projects such as "How to" and "DIY" on programmable boards such as Arduino, ESP8266, ESP32 and Raspberry Pi on this channel. The projects…

I needed a floor lamp… and well, since I’m a maker, I thought: why not build a "Do it Yourself" floor lamp from scratch?

From the very beginning, my goal was clear. I wanted something modern, minimal, and as affordable as possible. And I felt the best way to achieve that was by combining 3D printing with wood.

Step 1: Design Concept

The lamp is based on a tripod structure, which provides both stability and a clean visual balance.

The core idea consists of:

  1. Three wooden dowels forming the tripod legs
  2. A 3D-printed center hub that holds the legs together
  3. A vertical wooden rod for height control
  4. A horizontal arm that carries the lampshade

The tripod legs are angled outward by 12 degrees, which improves stability and gives the lamp a dynamic stance.

The horizontal arm is angled upward by 15 degrees, allowing the lampshade to hang naturally.

The vertical rod makes it possible to slightly adjust the overall height, while the horizontal arm allows the lampshade to move forward or backward.

This makes the lamp simple, but surprisingly flexible.

Step 2: Dimensions

The final lamp dimensions are carefully balanced for living room or reading corner use:

  1. Total Height: 160 cm / 62.99 in
  2. Height to Lampshade Base: 120 cm / 47.24 in
  3. Tripod Leg Length: 90 cm / 35.43 in
  4. Vertical Rod Length: 70 cm / 27.56 in
  5. Horizontal Arm Length: 40 cm / 15.75 in
  6. Lampshade Radius: 26 cm / 10.24 in
  7. Tripod leg angle: 12°
  8. Horizontal arm angle: 15°
  9. Wooden dowels: 1 inch (25.4 mm) diameter

Step 3: Materials & Cost

This project intentionally uses easy-to-find materials.

  1. The total length of wooden dowels used is approximately 380 cm / 150 inches.
  2. 3D-printed Parts
  3. M5 screws or bolts
  4. Light socket: E27 with Standard on/off switch cable

All wooden parts can be sourced from local hardware stores, while the 3D models are printed at home.

Now let’s talk about cost, because that’s always an important part of DIY projects. At the time I built this lamp, my local hardware store prices brought the total cost to around 24 dollars. But that’s very location-dependent.

When I compared prices across several global online stores especially for wooden dowels the total project cost landed closer to 48 dollars on average.

For filament, I based my calculations on Bambu Lab PLA pricing. They often offer great bundle discounts, so if you’re buying filament in bulk, you can definitely reduce the overall cost.

Wooden Dowels

  1. Average global cost: ~$30
  2. Local hardware store cost (my case): significantly lower

E27 socket with cable and switch

  1. Approximately $8

3D Printed Parts (PLA)

  1. Total filament cost: ~$9.30

Total Cost

  1. Global average: ~$48
  2. My local cost: ~$24

While this isn’t the cheapest DIY lamp possible, it offers good value for a custom, adjustable, and open-source design.

Step 4: 3D Printing

When it came to 3D printing, all structural parts of the lamp were printed on a Bambu Lab A1 using standard quality settings, low infill, and a 0.4 millimeter nozzle. These settings meet the minimum requirements for the main structural parts of the design.

Now, when it comes to the lampshade, things were a bit different. At first, I printed it in Spiral Vase mode using a 0.4 millimeter nozzle, and to be honest, the result wasn’t very satisfying. The lampshade turned out too thin and too flexible. Because of that, I decided to switch to a 0.8 millimeter nozzle from Bambu Lab.

All technical details and source files are shared as open source on MakerWorld - https://makerworld.com/en/models/2168999-diy-floor-lamp-combining-3d-printing-and-wood

Since the lampshade print settings are sensitive, they have been shared as a Print Profile. Other models can be downloaded as open source in the “Download STL/CAD Files” section.

Lampshade

  1. Nozzle: 0.8 mm
  2. Mode: Spiral Vase
  3. Material: PLA

All Other Parts

  1. Nozzle: 0.4 mm
  2. Mode: Standard printing
  3. Material: PLA

Step 5: Assembly

Assembling the lamp feels a bit like combining a LEGO set with a camping tent.

  1. First, the foot caps are placed on the bottom of the three wooden legs.
  2. Then the legs are inserted into the tripod center hub and secured using M5 screws or bolts.
  3. Next comes the vertical wooden rod, which slides into the center of the hub and gets fixed in place the same way.
  4. After that, the vertical-to-horizontal joint is mounted onto the vertical rod, and the horizontal arm slides into this joint.
  5. Now for the lighting part. The E27 socket is placed into its 3D-printed holder, and that holder is inserted into the lampshade. At this point, the lampshade could even be used as a standalone pendant light.
  6. The cable hanger end cap is mounted to the tip of the horizontal arm, and the lamp cable is seated into the cable guide and gently pressed into place.
  7. The cable runs neatly along the horizontal arm, down through the joint, and into the vertical section, where built-in cable clips keep everything clean and secure.
  8. And finally… we screw in the light bulb.

Step 6: Final Thoughts

Seeing a design go from a 3D model to a real, functional object is always an amazing feeling. The final result matches the original concept almost perfectly. Of course, there’s always room for improvement— different materials, new shapes, or even smart lighting.

But now I’m curious: What do you think about this design? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next project.

Happy making.