You can also watch the full video at the end of the article, where you can find more information on how I made this lamp.
So let's get started!
Materials that will be needed:
- Wooden blocks - buy at your local store or sawmill.
- Acrylic glass can be purchased at your local hardware store.
- RGB LED strip with controller - .
- Epoxy resin
Instruments:
- High performance rotary drill dremel.
- Cordless drill.
- Soldering iron.
- Stripper.
- Jigsaw.
- Metal ruler.
- Scissors.
Cutting wood and acrylic glass to size
For this project, I decided to use solid wood. I had a small piece, 20 mm thick in my workshop, which is perfect for this purpose.
The acrylic I used was 5 mm thick, and I think this is the perfect combination with wood.
The base of the lamp is 16 by 9 cm.
The upper figure, placed vertically to the base of acrylic has dimensions - 28 by 14 cm
My experience with acrylic cutting showed me that with a slow movement of the transverse sled, acrylic melts, so I need to move faster to get clean cuts.
Drawing design of the top of the LED lamp
Now I need to design the top of this lamp. I want to make a modern and clean design that will fit my room.
I drew its outline with a pencil and cut out the shape with scissors.
Then I drew some lines using a ruler. The pattern consists of strips with the same width but different lengths.
Then I made all the cuts, and the drawing is transferred to acrylic.
Engraving picture
It is time to use an engraving tool.
Flexible shaft engraver is an excellent choice for this business.
To make perfectly straight lines I used a metal ruler. Engraver engrave a drawing on glass.
Then he cut off the unnecessary parts with a jigsaw.
Drilling holes in the middle of the wood for LEDs
Now I can go to the base of the lamp.
Mark the middle of a wooden block.
On the drill, I attached a 35 mm drill for holes and drilled a hole for the LEDs.
Do not damage your table while drilling - put a piece of wood.
We make a groove on the top of the base
For an engraved acrylic piece, I need to make a groove on the top of the base of the lamp. I drew an outline with an acrylic pencil, placing it vertically in the middle.
The best way to make a groove is to drill as many holes as possible inside the contour, and then remove the excess with a file.
I’ll put LEDs right under the acrylic, but I need to make more room for them. So, the groove is 10 mm wide and 4 mm deep.
Make a hole in the bottom of the base for the controller
The controller will be located at the bottom of the base. It is quite large, but I didn’t have a smaller one, which means I need to find a way to insert it into the bottom of the tree.
I only use hot glue to fix it.
To make a square window for the controller, I drilled a hole 12 mm in diameter, and then insert a jigsaw into the hole. I cut out the window and trimmed it with a file.
Another thing I need to do is drill 2 holes on the back side below. These will be the holes for the adapter and infrared receiver. Since I have a controller with a remote control.
LED Strip Light
I used color RGB LED strip. A length of 50 cm is quite enough, so I took the scissors and carefully cut along the marked line between the copper pads.
Before putting all the parts together, I removed the protective film from acrylic.
LED lamp assembly
I started the assembly by gluing the LEDs into the groove.
Then he switched to other objects, and glued them with epoxy.
Epoxy-based adhesives adhere well to acrylic glass with wood, so I recommend that you use it.
After all the manipulations, we clamp the base with a clamp and wait for the entire structure to dry.
Grinding and staining the base
Temporarily I placed the LEDs inside the base, and covered them with masking tape so that the dust did not get.
Next we go through the fine-grained sanding paper.
The surface is ready for painting, so I apply a clear varnish (shellac) to emphasize the beauty of beech wood. This is the most enjoyable part of the whole project.
Controller Installation
To place the controller inside the base of the lamp, I need to cut off half the cable length and the outer insulation. The cable consists of 4 wires, 1 common positive wire and negative 3 wires, one for each of 3 channels.
I brought the wires in and brought the ends out, and then solder them to the LED strip with a soldering iron and solder.
I checked if everything is fine - we connect the 12V adapter to the controller.
Everything works correctly, so I can put the controller on hot glue.
Then brought the IR receiver.
In order to avoid scratches on any surface, I will make the legs of felt. I cut out the squares and glued to each corner.
Installing an acrylic shape in a groove
Finally, I removed the protective film from the acrylic figure and set it in the groove, fixing it with epoxy.
Left everything to dry completely. My lamp is almost ready.
Enjoy the beauty of the lamp
Now I can enjoy the beauty of this beautiful design. This lamp is very simple and at the same time very modern.
It was a very interesting and fascinating process of creating a lamp. I hope that this detailed instruction will allow you to make your own lamp with your own hands. In continuation of all the above, I recommend watching the video instructions for the manufacture and testing of the lamp.
