Shelf Light

I'm getting back into school and needed a place to work and store things. But it was dark! So I made a shelf with a light, two birds one stone.

Step 1: Things Needed to Make Shelf.

• Wood, I used 1x8 rough cut cedar and 2x4 pine.
• Power cord cut to length
• Led T8 48in Ballast bypass Bulb
• Lamp-holders, or tombstones some people call them.
• 1/4 lags 3in long
• Wire nuts
• Wire
• Switch
• Special sticker
• Dowel jig, or some kind of way to attach the wood together screws or nails
• Hot glue gun

Step 2: My Wood Was Split a Little Bit.

I had to glue the wood back because it started to split down the side.

Step 3: Attaching the Lamp-holders

I found the center width and length to center my bulb

Step 4: Build You Shelf.

• The shelf I needed had to be 54in long between my fire place and wall and is 9.5in wide. But you can make it as long as you want but not less then 44in long that way you have room to place the switch with the 42in bulb with lamp-holders.
• If want to make it wider and add bulbs just wire your bulbs in parallel and add support between the front and back of the shelf so it does not move up and down.
• Use what ever method of wood joining you like. I used dowels and glue but nail and screws would work just as well.
• Sand, stain, paint, what ever look you are going for.

Step 5: Wiring the Bulb

• The pins are not connected on the inside of the lamp-holders and on the bulb I have has a fake pin. I'm not sure which one is fake so cut a small piece of wire to send power to both sides of the lamp-holder. BE CAREFUL ONCE INSERTED THEY DO NOT COME OUT.
• The led bulb I have is the ballast bypass type so it works off of straight 120vac.
• It has a NEUTRAL AND HOT side. I always put the HOT side close to the power in and NEUTRAL on the far side.
• I hot glued the switch to the lamp-holder and glued other loose wires up to clean it up.

Step 6: Mounting and Sticker

• For 1/4 lags use 5/32 drill bit to per-drill holes to mount your 2x4 to your wall. I used a stud finder and attached my shelf in to the studs tomake it stronger.

• Don't forget to put your sticker on. If some else gets the shelf are buys my house they would know that it is not a standard bulb. I placed it next to the HOT side with the L and N matching the way the bulbs are.