Introduction: DIY Wagon Wheel Chandelier

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About: My name is Aaron Massey and I'm the DIY guy/ handyman behind mrfixitdiy.com. I focus on making fun DIY project and Home Improvement videos for a digital audience.

I've had this old wagon wheel lying in my backyard for a couple of years and wasn't quite sure what to do with it. As I started remodeling my dining room, however, I decided to turn it into a rustic chandelier to tie in with the style of the rest of the house.

As always, if you like this project and want to see some of the other cool stuff I've been working on, check it out at mrfixitdiy.com!

Step 1: Materials You'll Need

To start, I needed to pick up some parts from Home Depot. This included:

  • About 8' of chain
  • A canopy kit
  • Some eye screws
  • A quick link
  • Some D ring shackles
  • A pair of bolt cutters (to cut the chain)
  • Some 18/3 wire

Step 2: Preparing the Wheel

With my materials all set, I started by drilling 4 holes on opposite sides of the wheel to attach the eye screws into, and then threaded them in place.

Next, I took my chain and bolt cutters and cut out 4 equal lengths of chain. I started by cutting them to 24", but decided to shorten them a bit to 18" in the end. Then, I attached all the chains to the quick link carabiner, and attached that to the canopy kit. I then used the shackles to attach each of the chains to the eye screws from before.

I then used my palm router to round out a deep opening in the center of the wheel. This serves as a junction box area for the wire connections.

Be aware that, being a unique DIY project, this will likely not be up to electrical code. I couldn't find a junction box small enough to fit inside the wheel where I needed it, and I'm using some push wire connectors to keep everything secure and contained. Rest assured, if I had any doubts about this project's safety, I wouldn't hang it in my house.

Step 3: Wiring the Wheel

With the hole cut, I started to lay out the wiring. A single 18/3 wire comes down from the ceiling and connects to each wire that feeds each light socket. Then I started to connect all the wires together, black to black, white to white, and the green ground wires to each other. Each feed was then joined together at the push connectors.

At the bottom of the wire coming from the ceiling, I added a round piece of aluminum to act as a junction box cap, and placed a hole in the center for the wire to pass through.

All of the weight is going to be on the chain and the canopy bracket which I reinforced to the ceiling and attached directly to the beam with 3" screws.

Step 4: Setting Up the Lights

I cut some lengths of wire for every other spoke on the wheel, which gives me 6 lights total. I fed these through some smaller holes into the center junction box and attached it down with a wire staple so it can't be pulled out.

I ended up wrapping the spoke with each wire, because I like the look of it, plus it would be much more difficult to tuck the wire inside.

For the sockets, I went with a more retro look with some sockets I found online. The bulbs themselves are also vintage, Edison-style lights from Amazon.

I wired each of the 6 sockets and plugged it in to test it all out.

Step 5: All Finished!

Finally, I hung it up in the dining room, And this project is finished!

I hope you've enjoyed this project, and I hope you learned something as well. This chandelier adds a lot of character to the dining room and to the ranch theme of the house. If you want to see some more stuff I've created, check out any of the links below!

How to Build a Memorial Flag Case

DIY Industrial Pipe Lamp

Thanks again for checking out this project, and I'll see you next time!