Hello everyone! Today we're building a small lamp that looks like a mountain climber! This little guy will hang from the wall outlet and light up your nights... Hopefully, he'll never get tired! :)

This project is pretty easy to build and requires very little materials and tools. I hope you'll follow me and make your own wall climber :D

Even though the photo of the supplies shows an incandescent light bulb, I soon changed plan in favor of and LED lamp because the climber would get too hot otherwise... being made out of wood, he was really fearing for his life (and me for mine!).

Supplies

A few small wooden sticks (I used 5mm diameter bamboo skewers)
A couple of thicker sticks for arms and legs (I used 10mm wooden dowels)
A wooden ring and a small wooden disc (for the feet)
Power plug
About 30cm of thick wire (thickness is for aesthetics, but any wire will do the trick)
Small bulb socket and LED lamp (important, because other lamps may get too hot!)
Wood glue and a saw

Step 1: Making the Body

First of all, we're making the body of the climber. The idea is to stack a few squares made of bamboo skewers one on top of the other. Measure the diameter of the bulb socket, because the squares should be big enough to fit it inside (see first picture).

In order to achieve the best look, cut the skewers to a length of the diameter of the bulb socket + 5mm, so they will cross as shown in the second picture. Sand each piece if you want, then glue them with wood glue :)

Make as many squares as you like, I made 22.

Step 2: Testing Height

Stack the squares and test the fit of the light bulb.

I stacked them as a spiral, but feel free to try different layouts before gluing it up. For example, you could try alternating squares at a 45° angle, or you could have two different spirals winding with opposite directions or at a different rate along the length! :D

Step 3: Gluing the Body

Once you're satisfied with your design, glue the squares together. Make sure to apply the glue only where it is needed, or you may make a mess!

Step 4: Adding Arms and Legs

You now have to cut a few more pieces to make the limbs. You can still use the skewers if you want, but I decided to go for a thicker dowel. I cut the arms 7.5cm long, while the legs are 8.0cm.

About the arms: I decided to sand away a bit of wood from the shoulders, for better looks. I then glued the arms to the body while clamping everything down with rubber bands. At last, I added the wooden ring. I would recommend to make a small recess near the hands of the climber to make the ring easier to glue. Unfortunately, I didn't think about that and to make it sturdier I had to drill two small holes to fix the ring with wood screws.

About the legs: I made the feet by splitting in half a wooden disc (3.5cm in diameter, 1.5cm long). I then made a hole and sanded the dowel to glue it easily. Then, I glued the legs to the body, clamping them with clothespins.