Introduction: DIY Luxo Jr. Lamp (Pixar Inspired)

About: We are Mike and Lauren. We make videos on YouTube about money, travel, homesteading, and DIY.

I wanted to make a Pixar style lamp out of wood. It took me three attempts, but I'm happy with the result!

Step 1: CNC Fail

I chose this project because I wanted to learn Google Sketchup. It took me about 3 days but I finally got the hang of it. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the X-Carve to cut properly, so I gave up.

Step 2: The Old Fashioned Way

I got my second wind after all the frustration and decided to cut my parts out by hand. This worked great and only took me about 30 minutes.

Step 3: Assembling the Head

I bought this brass lamp shade from my local salvage supply for $3 dollars. But it needed a back so I brazed another piece of brass so I had something to attach my lamp socket to.

Step 4: Electrical

I used liquid electrical tape and a rubber gasket to insulate my wiring from the brass.

Step 5: Stain and Final Assembly

I used brass rod to connect everything. Initially I was going to use springs to make it a true balanced arm lamp, but the friction of the joints is working great. If that ever changes I'll add springs like in the design.

Step 6: Finished!

Here's the sketchup and SVG files if anyone is interested in making their own.

http://www.mikeandlauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/lamp_files.zip

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