Introduction: Veneer Lamp
The idea for this lamp came from pieces of veneer I had at my house. A while back I was walking next to a veneer factory, when I saw a large amount of leftover veneer that was about to be thrown away, and decided to take it.
The veneer was just sitting my house taking space, and I was going to throw it away, when I noticed how flexible veneer strips are. I took time to think, what can it be used for. I experimented with gluing veneer strips and after some sketches (which I sadly didn’t keep) focusing mainly on form, I realized it could be used to create a beautiful light fixture. After playing a bit with the proportions of the strip length to the cube sizes, I arrived at the final result.
Materials:
Enough veneer to produce 24, 1” x 16” strips
One or more square wood planks, large enough to cut down to 6 cubes 2” x 1” x 1”
Paint
Light bulb socket, electrical cord, plug
Light bulb
Tools:
Xacto knife, ruler, saw, drill, cup drill bit, wood glue, clamps, sanding papers, spacers
Step 1: Preparing the Veneer Strips
The strips used for the lamp are composed of 2 veneer strips glued back to back. To glue the strips together, apply wood glue to each veneer strip and clamp them together between two wooden boards. After the glue dries, cut the veneer strips. The double sided veneer is vital for the structural integrity of the fixture. Two plies are enough to give the required strength while allowing flexibility.
Step 2: Preparing the Wooden Cubes
Take the wooden profiles and cut to 6 equal pieces. on each cube paint the inwards facing, and the outwards facing sides in a color of your choice. (I chose black)
Step 3: Placing the Bulb Socket
With a cup drill make a hole in one cube, and sand till a perfect fit.
Step 4: Putting It All Together
Use wood glue, clamps and spacers, to glue pairs of strips on opposite sides of each wood cube. And that’s it :)

Participated in the
Wood Contest 2016

Participated in the
Lamps and Lighting Contest 2016
4 People Made This Project!
- StefC3 made it!
- rwhit052 made it!
- rwhit052 made it!
- balisticsquirel made it!
60 Comments
Question 3 years ago
Hola. Excelente proyecto. Los que tienen varias luces, como colocan los cables y que no se noten??? Gracias. Luís.
4 years ago
Great! I'm going to try and make this not with a lamp, but with the high-powered LED's I ordered yesterday so that you cannot see the lightbulb sticking out :)
Reply 4 years ago
Did you start your project? Let me know your progress! Thanks!
Question 4 years ago on Introduction
Can someone provide a part number for the light socket? Also the veneer strips seem narrow at one inch. Has anyone built this project using the dimensions provided? I have my veneer and I'm ready to start!
5 years ago
Awesome! I love it!
6 years ago
Nice job, i will also try. My house is under construction and wood work is currently in progress, lot of veener is going waste after carrying out required cutting. So i can make plenty of veener lamps. Thanks for sharing and making my waste useful
Reply 6 years ago
Thanks a lot, I'm sure it will turn out great :) Good luck with the construction
6 years ago
I have been looking for a design for our kitchen and other parts around the house that would give a theme to the house and I think you have given me an inspiration to begin!
Reply 6 years ago
glad to hear, it's my pleasure :)
6 years ago
I so want to make one of these ?
Reply 6 years ago
where there is a will there is a way ? :)
6 years ago
Very elegant design, well done! And I have some oak veneer somewhere...
Reply 6 years ago
Thanks a lot! Let me know if you have any questions :)
6 years ago
Awesome design!
Reply 6 years ago
Thank you very much :)
6 years ago
Beautiful as it is simple and ingenious. Kudos.
Reply 6 years ago
Thanks a lot :)
6 years ago
Awesome design!! You've got my vote
Reply 6 years ago
Thank you very much :)
6 years ago
So smart, simple and elegant. You got my votes