Wood Adjustable Lamp

by tody

7.1K885

Intro: Wood Adjustable Lamp

I made this lamp for my really small kitchen

I had just a ceramic base with a light bulb screwed in it and that made the light very harsh on my eyes.

Now with this lamp i can control the direction of the lighting.

This project has a low cost and can be done in a weekend.

STEP 1: Tools

You need :

a drilling machine

sanding block

an awl

a jigsaw

a screwdriver

some wood drills and something to measure with

STEP 2: Parts and Misc.

I used three m6 bolts: 4 cm long , 2.5 cm long and the third 5 cm long.

two wing nuts and washers

a ceramic light bulb base

Wood parts.

The lamp consists of:

base 13/13 cm

base arm 7 cm long two pieces plus a spacer needed

middle arm 15 cm long one piece

top arm 12 cm long one piece cut at an angle to attach the bulb base like in the picture

STEP 3: Cut the Wood Parts

Cut your pieces on the table saw . If yo do not have a table saw you can use the jigsaw instead .

All pieces except the base are 3.5 cm wide and one cm thick.

STEP 4: Mark and Round

I used a big washer to make all the ends round so i measured where the center of the washer should be.Also the center of the washer is where the hole for the bolt will be.

Cut the ends using the jigsaw.

STEP 5: Drilling

I drilled the base arm in its bottom and glued in a screw.This is a pivot point for the whole lamp.I used a two part resin as a glue.

I also drilled holes for the connecting bolts in all pieces

STEP 6: Base Arm

The base arm is made out of a spacer glued in between two pieces of wood.

I had to put the bolt in as I glued the parts so the holes would be aligned.

STEP 7: Cut the Shape of the Base

I made the base out of two board pieces but the square shape was a little boring so I cut it in a diamond shape.

I then drilled a hole in the middle of it. This is where the base arm will connect .

STEP 8: Cut the Angle for the Bulb Base

One piece was cut at a 45 angle and connected to the bulb base.

STEP 9: Sanding and Waxing

I sanded all surfaces and applied a coat of wax paste.

Wax is a really nice finish and it also prevents cracking in the wood.

STEP 10: Making the Lampshade

I took a flower pot and added a layer of baking paper and plastic foil .

I then brushed wood glue on it and twisted sewing thread round it .

I then brushed another layer of wood glue and left it to dry for a day in a warm place.

STEP 11: Assembly

I connected all three arms to each other with bolts and wing nuts.

The base is connected to the base arm by using two nuts .

I added the electric wire which was threaded through two hook eye screws and then connected to the bulb base.

The wire is also passed through the base and a knot is made on the back side so that the wire can never rip out from the wall connections .

I then glued the lamp shade to the wood using some contact cement and two staples.

STEP 12: A Video Aid

Hope that the video is helpful to show the process in more detail.

If you like this kind of projects please subscribe to my YouTube channel.

4 Comments

amcgamcg 7 years ago

Hi Tody. I'm impressed by your saw skills - I've never dared to use a revolving saw and just use a vice and a hand saw. Having kids around the house didn't help either. But I'll try out your great kitchen lamp anyway. I love the plant pot-lampshade idea and from now on I'll be looking around for lamp shaPes to make lampshaDes! Just one question: What happened to the nut, bolt and electric wire under the base? Did you level them out with a hole in an extra base underneath? Thanks!

tody 7 years ago

The lamp is mounted on a plaster board wall so the bolt and nuts are resting in the hole in the wall through which the main electricity wire is coming out.

I also was scared of the table saw but after a few cuts and some safety training it is as simple to use like a hand saw.