DIY Modern Tripod Floor Lamp

by Make And Repeat

8.8K10310

Intro: DIY Modern Tripod Floor Lamp

Have you ever seen those designer tripod lamps that are ridiculously expensive, well this week we build one a lot cheaper using a paint bucket and LEDs!

STEP 1: Materials

For this project I used:

- A couple of 1x2s

- A small section of 2x4

- Paint Bucket

- Steel Bar

- LED Strip: https://amzn.to/2Glp7bJ

- 12V Power Adapter: https://amzn.to/2DidEci

STEP 2: Mark and Cut

The first step in this project was measuring out my legs and then cutting them to size.

STEP 3: Shape the Ends

Then using my disk sander I rounded over the ends of the legs to make to break up having so many straight edges.

STEP 4: Mark the Holes

Next, I marked the locations for the legs.

STEP 5: Drill the Holes

After marking ou the holes I went ahead and drilled them with a 1/4" drill bit for the 1/4" bolts.

STEP 6: Making the Center Piece

I traced an equilateral triangle of the right size on a 2x4 and then cut it out on the bandsaw.

STEP 7: Leg Assembly

STEP 8: Drill More Holes

Then I drilled some more holes to be able to mount up the legs.

STEP 9: Make the Lamp

The actual lamp portion of the project I made using a paint bucket that is available at Home Depot. Then I used an LED strip to line the inside of the bucket.

STEP 10: Install the Power Jack

The next step was to install the power jack, so I went ahead and drilled a hole, soldered it up and that was done.

STEP 11: Install Mounting Bolts and Diffuse the LEDs

I clipped off the handle and enlarged the pre-existing holes and installed the 1/4" mounting bolts. To diffuse the LEDs I just used a bit of parchment paper cut to size.

STEP 12: Mark, Cut, Bend

Next up I needed to make a bracket to hold up the lamp portion. To do that I just cut a metal bar to size, marked it, and then scored along those lines with the angle grinder to make it easier to bend it. Then I bent it to the proper shape. Really, you could do whatever you think looks good for this step.

STEP 13: Drill Some More Holes

To drill some holes in the bracket, I used a self-centering automatic punch to mark the locations and then drilled some more 1/4" holes.

STEP 14: Paint

The only paint I used in this project was to give this bracket a light coat of black.

STEP 15: Final Assembly

Then it was time for final assembly, I just drilled a hole into the centerpiece for the bracket to bolt into and then finished butting it all together.

STEP 16: It's Done!

That's it, now enjoy the super cool lamp you made with a paint bucket.

8 Comments

Penolopy Bulnick 5 years ago

I really like the simple design! How tall is it? Do you have a picture of the full lamp?

paolochiarlone 5 years ago

Love it!
One comment: I believe that painting the interior in white would give you a little more bounce hence more reflected light, what do you think?

Make And Repeat 5 years ago

You're probably onto something! That would have been a great idea, I was going to put aluminum tape on the inside but I think paint would look much cleaner and also match the led strip.

YaënD 5 years ago

as great as simple. mark of genius. I agree with jtredgold and GTO3x2

jtreadgold 5 years ago

Great project but it would have been better to show a picture of the entire lamp, not just the head.

Make And Repeat 5 years ago

Thank you! Yea I probably should have done that but the tripod is the simpler part of the project so I didn't really think to do it, next time!

GTO3x2 5 years ago

Nice job. All kinds of possibilities.