How to Create a Glistening Bamboo Desklamp
Intro: How to Create a Glistening Bamboo Desklamp
Hi everyone!
I know what you are thinking!
"Huuuh? is this bamboo? What does bamboo and glistening have in common?"
Well, ...
First of all this isn't bamboo... And secondly, yes, they have something in common.
If I see bamboo, I see "green" , I see "Mother Nature", ... Mother nature who is suffering because of us.
I can predict what you are thinking!
"Oooh! It is about the environment"
I know that this will sound boring for some of you.
But, don't stop reading now !
I have to admit, I am not an environmentalist, but the suffering of Mother nature these days is for real guys!
We can't go on for ever like this.
That's where my design story begins, namely the use of recycled and sustainable materials.
These materials are our "Glistening spark" for the future !
(The Glistening Bamboo Branches)
STEP 1: Materials & Abilities
Materials:
- Synthetic felt plate (≥ 1 x 1 x 0,006 m)
- 2 x YPHIX G4 (GU4) LED lamp 12-24V
- 2 x LED G4 Fitting
- 1 x Electrical LED Voltage Transformator 12V
- 1 x Switch + plug
- Scrap wood (≥ 0,15 x 0,15 x 0,006 m)
- Insulation sheet radiator (≥ 0.50 x 0.50 m)
- Cyano-acrylate glue
Abilities:
- Soldering
- Basics electronics
- Basics wood working
STEP 2: Mainboard: Cutting the Felt Boards in the Right Dimensions
In step 2, are we about to cut the synthetic felt plate into 2 pieces, which will serve as the mainboard of the desklamp. You can find a blueprint of the 2 pieces felt in the photo gallery.
First of all, cut the 2 big boards out of the sheet.
Use the drawing legend to know which type of cutout is needed.
Then cut the lines indicated in the blueprint.
I recommend you drawing the lines with a pencil preparatory to cutting them.
This will avoid you making any mistakes.
The big dotted lines are full cutouts, whereas the tiny ones are only 75% deep cutouts.
If you finished the cutting part of the 2 boards, you can proceed to the glueing part of both the boards.
This will create the mainboard of our desklamp.
As you can see in the blueprint, the flaps are nested like a puzzle.
This puzzle structure will ensure that the flaps won't pop open suddenly.
When glueing with cyano acrylate glue, make sure that everything happens fast, because this glue hardens in just seconds.
! the glue can not be spread on the flaps !
Otherwise the flaps won't open anymore.
The result of step 2 is shown in the photo gallery.
STEP 3: Leafs: Cutting the Felt Leafs
In step 3 will we cut the 2 tiny leafs for the LED's and the 2 big leafs for the reflective insulation sheet.
A blueprint shown in the photo gallery will help you getting the leafs into the right dimensions.
First of all, as said in step 2, draw the leafs onto the remaining felt pieces preparatory to cutting them out.
Take your time, this will avoid you making any mistakes.
Use the drawing legend to interpret the line types right.
When finished the cutouts, bend the 75% cutouts so that the leaf tip will lean upwards.
This will prevent the light blinding the owners eyes.
STEP 4: Branches: Making the Scrap Wood Branches
In step 4, will we shape some scrap wood into 2 types of branches which will hold the big and tiny leafs.
The dimensions of the branches are given in the blueprint.
You may want to use a woodworking machine to shape the branches with detail.
If necessary, sand the edges a bit.
STEP 5: Glueing the Reflective Insulation Sheet
In step 5 are we glueing the reflective insulation sheet to the big felt leafs.
You can use cyano acrylate glue or double sided tape.
First of all, cut the shape of the big leaf out of the reflective insulation sheet.
Make sure that the shape is 1 cm less at all edges, than the shape of the big leaf.
This is just for aesthetic reasons.
STEP 6: Soldering & Fixing the Wiring
In step 6 will we solder and fix the wireing.
A blueprint of the electrical circuit is given in the photo gallery.
This is a very basic electrical circuit.
The electricity flows trough the plug with a voltage of ca. 230 to 240 V, while the LED's can only have 12V.
This is the reason why we needed a Transfo.
The G4 Fittings are a sort of quick access point to fit LED's in.
They are important for the design, because the design must be set up / break down quickly.
The fittings are poped out trough a hole, which is made to access the LED leafs.
The LED's are simply glued to the tiny leafs as shown in the photo gallery.
STEP 7: Setting Up the Desklamp in Under 5 Minutes
This desklamp design is meant to be set up and break down in under 5 minutes.
It is a bit based on the KIS principle. "Keep It Simple"
I like this principle as much as brilliant and complex designs.
This design is just one example out of an infinite range of possibilities to work with sustainable materials ...
I hope I can be an innovator for today's industry...
It was an honor to be able to participate in this contest ;)
4 Comments
deluges 7 years ago
I am very confused by your reasoning in the first step, as none of the materials you used is more sustainable than bamboo itself or any other wood. You used an excessive amount of materials made from fossil ressources to take a stand for ecology ? What is the logical reasoning behind this ? If the "suffering of Mother nature is for real guys" as you say, why build a lamp out of non renewable materials with a bunch of extra features with no functional purpose rather than use a piece of bamboo that you can replace/make carbon neutral by planting a tree ? I'm not criticizing the design and I appreciate art for art, but it seems contradictory here to make this environmental speech at the beginning of such a project. Maybe the answer is in the video - I haven't watched it. But I'm confused.
Bert Vuylsteke 7 years ago
First of all, thank you for giving me feedback.
I really understand, your confusion.
When people are making Instructables, they post everything in the right order, as how the crowd will have to see it.
I think this can be the reason of your confusion, because like you said yourself "I haven't watched your video".
As it is given in my instructable, the video was the first thing you must have seen in preparatory to reading the INtro.
Maybe I mustn't have continued after the video, but just firstly repeat what is said in the video.
If you look at the video, you could have seen that I worked 90% of my design with "synthetic felt". This is namely a material, which is being recycled for many years, but is unknow to many people.
I think i learnt a good thing out of your feedback.
Namely that in the future, I will have to think about wether or not repeat what was said in my videos ;) .
Thank you for your comment and kindness.
Swansong 7 years ago
This is a really interesting design! Great job :)
Bert Vuylsteke 7 years ago
Thank you !