Introduction: FabLamp Adjustable Cardboard Desk Lamp

The lamp was designed as a part of my Architecture studio project. Also, this is my first project on Instuctables :)

It can be made from 1.5mm corrugated cardboard, or, well, whatever sheet material you can lay your hands on... (Cardboard can be recycled from pizza boxes.) Parts can be cut with a laser cutter, cardboard cutter or an x-acto knife/scissors.

To assemble, you'll need three M6 bolts, preferrably with winged nuts, and a standard bulb fixture with collar nuts. I used a cheap E27 fixture. To prevent tipping, throw in a handful of coins -or whatever weight you have lying around on your desk- in the bottom box. The bottom part is not finished yet, it needs some glue to assemble. This is a design in process, I uploaded here to have some reviews, so feel free to criticize it!

WARNING! USE LED BULBS ONLY, STANDARD BULBS CAN CAUSE OVERHEATING AND FIRE!

Step 1: Cutting the Parts

First, download the PDF or dxf file. You can use that to cut directly with a laser cutter, or print it and transfer to your sheet of material. It's A1 size, so you can rearrange it to fit your equipment.

Step 2: Fold the Head

Carefully fold the shade along the red folding lines. I recommend using a ruler to keep the fold nice and straight. Add the fixture and use the collar nuts to adjust it and fix the shade.

Step 3: Make the Middle Joint

Connect the layers of the arm with a screw. You have 7 bottom and 6 top pieces, meaning you have to start and stop with a bottom piece. Make sure the parts have the same diameter at the connection!

Step 4: Make the Bottom Connection

So this is the tricky step... First, pre-fold the bottom box. Don't assemble it, just make the creases so it would be easier to complete it later. You have to make the layered bottom joint by putting the T-shaped pieces trough the hole, lining up the pieces, then connect them with a bolt. After that, add some glue on the bottom of the T-shaped part and the wings of the box, and fold it into shape. Put some coins or scrap metal into the box to prevent the lamp from tipping, then close it.
I know this is not the ideal solution, I'm working on a better way to do this...

Step 5: Make the Top Connection

By now you must be a pro at making these layered joints, so this will be easy. Connect the shade to the arm, add the three small cardboard washers between the layers to maintain the thickness of the arm.

Step 6: Add Wiring, Bulb, Switch, and Enjoy...

For extra cable management points, use eye bolts (the ones with a small ring on one end) to contain your cables. Mine is still in a prototype phase, so I just used a piece of scrap cable I had in my bottom drawer. I recommend buying colorful textile-clad cables.
And let me just leave this here again:

WARNING! USE LED BULBS ONLY, STANDARD BULBS CAN CAUSE OVERHEATING AND FIRE!
(Well, they not only can, they surely will cause a fire. Been there, done that...)

I hope you like my project, I know the lamp and this instructable itself is not perfect, but as I said before, this is a project in the making. So please make it, use it, and then come back with reviews.