Have you picked up a piece of driftwood in the sea? Why not make a table lamp! and add a touch of nature to your contemporary decor, shabby chic, vintage or industrial. Easy to make, with some electricity basis and a conventional drill, the most important is to have the imagination to assemble one or two wooden elements and choose the shade that best suits your personal decor. For the lazy, you can buy it here
Table of Contents
The choice of wooden gallows
The gallows shape of the curved driftwood branch (about 70 centimeters high) gave the idea to make this small lamp with suspension. On base, you can place it on a table, shelf, bedside or desk. Usually, driftwood parts are rectilinear. With this gallows form, bet on originality and novelty!
Equipment
- A branch of driftwood
- A plank of driftwood
- A drill
- An electrical cable (here textile) about 2 meters, equipped with 2 electric wires (or 3 if earthing)
- A lampshade
- a socket
- A switch
- An outlet
- A screwdriver
- A lightbulb
- A cutter or knife to strip electrical wires
Completion time: 1 hour 30
1. Drill holes for the electrical cable
Equip your drill a wood drill bit with a diameter greater than the wire. For example, for textile cable is 6.2 millimeters, use a drill 8 mm.
Plan a sufficiently long wick to cross the diameter of the branch, because it is not easy to break of either side making two holes to join in!
Drill every 10 centimeters to allow your wire to meander around the lamp base.
2. Install the wire
If your future lamp measures 70 centimeters high like this, grab the 2-meter electrical cable. If it is apparent, opt for a pretty fabric covered cable. A meter will be dedicated to its connection to the electrical outlet, and a meter will roll and will fit lamp foot height.
Spend the whole cable into the drilled holes.
Strain it and let more than a meter down.
Tip: You can use a wire to pull the electric cable in the various holes.
3. The suspension cable
At the top of your lamp stand, allow 10 to 12 centimeters exceeded the electrical cable.
You will have the strippers about 2 centimeters and provide for the fixing of the socket.
Another case: If the socket is not fixed but pending on the height of the branch (straight lamp), screw a threaded nipple into the wood.
4. Install the socket
Once the two electric wires connected inside the socket, close it.
Remember, if your socket is not suspended, but is set up for your support on the nipple, do not leave much flexible cable!
5. Presentation of the base
On the bottom of the branch, two holes were completed. One pierced vertically keeps the cable in the foot. The second is a small notch on its edge to allow it to escape to the outlet. The same method can be applied if you opt for a plastic cable you completely conceal the notch in the branch.
The base is flat. This is a board driftwood about 60 centimeters long, to stabilize the future table lamp.
6. Screw the base to the branch
On the one hand, grasp the branch to meet the base (having taken care to clear the electrical cable through the notch). On the other, grab the screwdriver with the proper socket to integrate three to five small screws that cross the board to settle in the branch.
Provide screw length.
Just aim and screw! Get help if necessary …
8. Cut the cord to install a switch
Think about the best place to attach the cable switch. I usually choose a location 25 cm from the base.
Cut the cord in two, open the rocker switch.
Strip and connect the two brass twice on each side of the switch, neutral (blue) and phase (red).
9. The recycled lampshade
Your table lamp is finished. It’ll just adorn its shade.
Still, in a Deco recycling craft and recycling, I chose here a mesh metal model. He previously dressed heat lamps for piglets and other animals in infancy (farmers now prefer Heated mattress). I removed its heating system to keep only the lampshade.
10. The choice of the light bulb
In a vintage or industrial style, I relied on a type of Edison bulb, retro filaments.
It brings an extra touch to this decidedly not like other lamps.
thanks for the share