This cool desk lamp is made with LED strip lights and maple. It features a very simple design where the wood is really in focus and has a remote control that attaches to the back of the lamp. This lamp would be great in a lot of different settings, and of course you could use whatever wood you have on hand.

Step 1: Milling the Wood

So I started off with this pretty big block of maple. First I needed to make sure it was square, so using a smoothing plane here to joint the edges to make it easier to go on the table saw. Checking with a level and doing some more planing.

Then out to the table saw to do some resawing. Since this wood is really dense, I'm cutting it a little at a time here. Now you could definitely do this cut on the band saw as well.

When I had my measurements drawn up I went outside to do some sanding before cutting the pieces to size. And I'm just cross cutting these parts on the miter saw.

Step 2: Attaching the Strip Lights

Now let's move on to the lights. So I have this LED strip here, and you can cut them every three lights on the copper section. So for this design, I need six lights on each cut and a total of 13 strips. Then you simply peel off the back, and stick the strip to the wood. It adheres pretty well to unfinished wood. And just go on all the way down. Then just making sure each strip is well attached.

Next I'm just tinning each of the contacts on the positives on one side, and the negatives on the other. Then I've got a piece of wire here and I'm stripping it to remove the insulation, and I'm attaching it with hot glue on each side. Then I'm tinning the wires, and then cutting up small little pieces of wire here to connect to the contacts. Then soldering each wire to each tinned contact, which means all the positives on one side, and all the negatives on another.

And just going down the line, cutting up some more wire. I'm using a new soldering iron, and this one is so much better than my old one, it's definitely one of those things I wish I had upgraded sooner.

So let's see if this works, and it does. With the variable power supply here I can see how much light it gives at different currents which is kind of cool. OK, so we're done with that part.

Step 3: Dados

Now let's get to work on the wood. So I need to cut a dado in the base, so the back can sit inside it at an angle. I also need a dado in the back so the light part can sit inside it straight.

So I'm starting with cutting a dado on the back piece of the lamp. And I'm simply taking repetitive cuts on the table saw here. I'm creeping up on my marks to make sure I get a tight fit.

Next I'm doing the same thing but at a 22 degree angle for the base, and this matches the 22 degree bevel cut I made on the bottom of the back piece so that it fits tight.

And this is what it will look like all together. Then I'm cleaning up those cuts here with a chisel.

Step 4: Drilling Holes

Now, I'm going to run a wire down from the light so drilling a hole here so I can get it to the backside. And testing if that fits and that was a little too tight, so changing the bit. And now the wire fits through much better. The wire will run down a groove in the back piece, so that's what I'm cutting now on the table saw. Just making a very shallow groove with a few light passes. Then sanding the pieces a little.

Now, let's work on the base a little. So I'm drilling a hole in the side here, and that's where I want the plug to fit. On the underside of the piece I'm drilling a large hole with a forstner bit, and that's where the wires will be connected from the plug to the lights. Then I also need to drill a hole on the base here so the wire coming down the back can reach to the underside of the lamp

And I made enough room to get the plug in from the underside to the side.

So here are all the pieces now, the base, the back piece, and the light.

Step 5: Assembling & Adding Weight

Time to assemble. So making sure I'm getting the wire through, and then gluing the pieces together. And a little gentle tapping to get it in place. Then gluing the light piece in and putting on a few clamps to let it set up.

Now, to give the base a little weight, I decided to drill another hole here. And I've got some lead. I'm just hot gluing this in place. So I used this because I already had some lead on hand, however you could definitely use bbs or any other type of weight just to make sure the lamp is a little more stable. And then I'm just covering the whole thing with hot glue.

Step 6: Connecting the Wiring

OK, so time to connect the wiring. So I have the wire coming up through the back piece, so I split it off, and I'm soldering the positive to the positive side, and the negative to the negative side.

Then I'm simply hot gluing the wires in place, and hot gluing the wires into the back.

Then attaching the plug into the side here with some hot glue, and then soldering together these wires. I'm using some heat shrink here to protect the wires. And then since I have the room, I decided to add an addition piece of lead, can't go wrong with extra weight.

Step 7: Finishing Touches

So almost done, a little fine sanding, and then I'm putting on a coat of my tung oil wax polish.

OK, so to really finish this piece off, I'm cutting up a piece of black fabric for the base, and I'm simply hot gluing that in place as well.

Also, these lights are operated with a small remote control, so I'm gluing on a piece of velcro on the back here, and another piece on the back of the remote - that way I'll always know where it is!