Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Nov 18, 2002 07:40pm | #1

   I just tore apart an old mahogany lamp that was similar, but 6-sided rather than 4-sided column.  It had been made in 2 halves, coved inside for the wire, and glued together.  The glue line was invisible.

   Are you looking for help in how to make the tapers?  I've seen a couple of handy jigs to do this on a bandsaw, and the usual on a table saw.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   Chris | Nov 18, 2002 10:16pm | #2

   I would appreciate help in all aspects of the project.  I'm an experienced woodworker (hobbiest for 25 years), but I've never made a lamp.  I'm gonna be bold with this project and even try making the shade (stain glassed; praire style).

   My biggest challenge is understanding how to configure the hardware.  For example, I understand that I should have the wires running through a metal pipe inside the column for safety's sake.  How is this normally done?

   Chris

1. 
   forestgirl | Nov 18, 2002 11:59pm | #3

   The hardware configuration for most lamps is pretty simple -- I used to rewire floor lamps and table lamps for our "vintage furniture" store.  Finding a source for the threaded tubing might be a challenge, depending on where you live and what types of stores you have available. 

   Floor lamps (we're talking all-metal in this example) generally have a tube running within the decorative lamp stem -- the tube is threaded on each end.  The bottom end threads into the metal base and into a round weight that provides counterbalance to the tall, and sometimes top-heavy, lamp.  It is held on with a thin nut.  The top part threads into the switch fixture.  There may be some intermediary parts -- I forget -- but I think I still have our wholesale catalog out in storage, so it would be easy to refresh my memory.

   Your challenge with an all-wood lamp is going to be balancing the lamp.  The all-wood lamp I just took apart (darn! wish I hadn't now) had a 3-piece stacked base that provided heft to balance the lamp.  If your base is going to be pretty light, and the top relatively heavy, you'll need to build in a way to insert some weight at the bottom.  Either an inset, or if the lamp has feet, they might conceal a weight.  Or you could build in a decorative marble base, I dunno.

   The top part is easy to deal with -- several different configurations available, but if you're just going straight up with one lamp socket, it's a piece of cake.

   Feel free to email me a reply if you want someone to bounce ideas off of, or want to learn some of the terminology and parts needs.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

2. 
   johnhardy | Nov 19, 2002 12:03am | #4

   I can't think of any reason to run the wiring through a pipe unless you're worried about someone driving a nail or screw through the body of the lamp and penetrating a wire ... sort of like driving a nail into a stud and penetrating a wire inside. That's why the galvanized protectors are nailed to a stud where it is drilled for Romex.

   If you really want to run a pipe, I'd use a forstner bit to create a depression on both ends that allowed a washer and nut to be recessed. You probably will have to have your pipe threaded at a pipe yard, which is easy to do. The diameter of the pipe can be quite small and it may take some doing to find a small diameter pipe in the length you need. Half inch is way, way too big. I'd look at 3/8ths or 1/4 inch. If you do use the pipe, remember to use a file to remove any burring at the ends so that the pipe doesn't cut the wire. If you are not careful, you could actually make the lamp less safe by running the pipe.

   The tapering can easily be done on a table saw with a tapering jig. If the lamp is fairly tall, I'd make a glueup so that you can make the interior hollow (rather than drill it later on).

   John

2. 
   Chris | Nov 19, 2002 12:56am | #5

   Thanks Jamie and John,

   Later, I'll try to post a PDF of the simple drawing I've made in QuickCAD to give you a better idea of what I'm out to do.  Then, I hope you will continue to give me more suggestions.

   Jamie,

   The lamp will definitely be bottom heavy as I have designed the lower half to be a small table.  The base will be a cross of 1.5" x 3" x 16" boards, and a the table will be 16" square with support under it.  Then the center column will extend up another 20" or so.

   Chris

1. 
   forestgirl | Nov 19, 2002 01:18am | #6

   Chris, you're in like Flint if the base is a table.  I'll watch for the drawing.  You should be able to get pipe that is specifically designed for this purpose.  About what length did you think the pipe needs to be?forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

3. 
   fredsmart48 | Nov 19, 2002 06:05am | #7

   Parts for lamps. 

   http://www.grandbrass.com/ 

   but try big box stores I think I have seen some parts there for lamps. 

1. 
   Chris | Nov 19, 2002 07:24am | #9

   Excellent resource!   Thanks Fred.

   Chris

4. 
   Chris | Nov 19, 2002 07:22am | #8

   Drawing of my proposed floor lamp is attached (if I do this right).