LED Desktop Lamp

Plan

For this project, I made a 5.5" x 5.5" x 4" LED Desktop Lamp.

Design

Materials

4 Pieces of Yellow Pine Wood
4 Pieces of 1/4" Acrylic
LED string
Screws (5)
0.25" Thin Wooden Dowels (4)
1" Thick Wooden Dowels (1)
Wood Stain

Tools

Computer
Table Saw
Laser Cutter
Corel Draw
Inkscape
Drill Press
Band Saw
Router
Screw Driver
Hammer
Sandpaper
Cloth Towels

Safety Tools

Ear Muffs
Rubber band (long hair)
Goggles

Workflow

Cutting the wood pieces:

1. Gather the materials.

2. Put on the safety gear. (goggles, head phones, hair up, closed toe shoes)

3. Connect the appropriate attachments.

4. Line up the wood to the correct measurement using the prepared scrap wood.

5. Turn on the saw and fans.

6. Rip cut the piece of wood using the table saw. (Cross cut after)

7. Write your name on the pieces.

Cutting the acrylic/engraving the design:

1. Open Inkscape.

2. Click file>document properties>orientation>with=30 in & height=20 in. Select grids and change the x & y spacing to 0.25 and make lines appear every 4.

3. Make a design according to this picture. Cut 3 with the larger hole and 1 with the smaller hole. (Optional: Engrave a design onto the top of the box after cutting the acrylic)

Difference circles out of the squares by clicking path>difference.

Make sure to change the objects to paths.

4. Remove the fill color of the sides, top, and bottom pieces and outline them in red. (#255)(Check to ensure your outline has a 0.001 width)

5. Save the file as a Plain SVG.

6. Upload the file into your google drive.

7. Open the file with Corel Draw on a computer connected to a laser cuter. Keep in mind the smaller laser cutter has a more detailed cut.

8. Find a piece of acrylic(/wood) that will fit your design.

9. Place the acrylic(/wood) into the laser cutter. Make sure the edges are flush.

10. Turn on both of the fans connected to the laser cutter.

11. Select the print options.

12. Click Vector-cutting(/Raster-engraving) and refer to the chart above the laser cutter for the. Different materials' preferences.

13. Turn off color mapping.

14. Check the depth and offset. (The wood pieces should be thicker than the acrylic)

15. Turn on auto focus.

16. Send to the printer.

17. Print!

Drilling the holes:

1. Gather the materials.

2. Put on the safety gear. (goggles, hair up, closed toe shoes)

3. Clean the drilling surface with a brush.

4. Adjust the depth of the drill based off of the hole needed.

5. Find the appropriate drill bit for the size of the hole needed. Loosen the chuck and insert the bit.

You will need...

-two pieces with four small holes and one big hole drilled completely through the wood

-one piece with five small holes drilled completely through the wood

-one piece with four small holes and one big hole drilled halfway through the wood

(Mimic the acrylic pieces' designs)

6. Mark the holes needed with a pencil. In the center of the mark, use a screwdriver to make an indent.

7. Turn on the drill press.

8. Align the wood under the drill.

9. Lower the drill.

(Hold the wood with a slightly loose grip so the drill can center itself)

10. Drill the holes!

Sanding the wood/staining the wood:

1. Gather the materials.

2. Tape the fine sandpaper onto a piece of scrap wood.

3. Sand the top, bottom, and sides of the cube. (Optional: Use the electric sander to carefully smooth your edges and ensure a perfectly aligned box)

4. Choose a color and design.

1st lamp-Dark stain/Hand sanding

2nd lamp-Light stain/Bevelled edges (using router)

3rd lamp-No stain/Electric sanding

(Side note: Remember to engrave the box after staining it)

5. Lay down a piece of cardboard beneath you workspace.

6. Put on gloves and find two towels

7. Open and stir your stain.

8. Prop the piece of wood up using scrap pieces of acrylic

9. Dip one towel into the stain and coat the wood.

10. Wipe off the excess stain from the wood.

11. Repeat on all sides unti desired color is acquired.

12. Let dry for 30 minutes.

Connecting the pieces:

1. Gather the materials.

2. Put on the safety gear. (goggles, hair up, closed toe shoes)

3. Clean the table with a brush.

4. Put wood glue in all small holes

5. Align the wood and acrylic. (Leave out bottom piece of acrylic)

6. Using a wooden mallet, inset a wooden dowel through a hole in the first piece of wood. Continue through all pieces of wood and acrylic.

(You make have to use a band saw to trim down the dowels to 4 inches)

7. Do the same for the four other holes.

8. Chisel down the excess dowel.

9. Clamp the cube together.

10. Leave to dry overnight.

11. Clean the drilling surface with a brush.

12. Adjust the depth of the drill based off of the hole needed.

13. Mark the holes needed with a pencil. In the center of the mark, use a screwdriver to make an indent.

(Remark the dowels)

14. Turn on the drill press.

15. Align the wood under the drill.

16. Lower the drill.

(Hold the wood with a slightly loose grip so the drill can center itself)

17. Drill the holes.

Installing the LEDs:

1. Gather the materials.

2. Mark the the center of a side on the bottom piece of wood.

3. Using the pencil, mark an area that will fit the LED string.

4. Put on the safety gear. (goggles, head phones, hair up, closed toe shoes)

5. Connect the appropriate attachments to the table saw.

6. Line up the wood to the markings.

7. Turn on the saw and fans.

8. Cut out the marked area.

9. Use the drill press to drill two circles at the base of the cut.

10. Screw the fourth piece of acrylic to a large wooden dowel.

11. Choose a string of acrylic.

12. Wrap the string of acrylic around the dowel leaving excess to connect to an outlet.

13. Take off the covering the string of LEDs and tape them to the dowel.

14. Screw the final piece of acrylic to the lamp.

15. Plug the lamp into the adaptor and, then, into an outlet.

Final product

Conclusion

Cutting the wood pieces:

I did not have enough material to make a complete lamp. I found some extra wood and used that to make my box.

Cutting the acrylic/engraving the design:

I did not cut my acrylic or choose to engrave a design.

Drilling the holes:

I was having diffuculty centering the drill with my holes, but I learned that if I loosened my grip on the wood piece it would self-align.

Sanding the wood/staining the wood:

My stain was not applying evenly, so I let my lamp dry and restrained the lighter sides.

Connecting the pieces:

I had trouble hammering the dowels into the holes. I iinnitially did not use enough force, but I got help from a teacher.

Installing the LEDs:

At first, my LEDs would not light up, but I switched the prongs to the other side and they turned on.

Overall, I am very proud of my lamp. I enjoyed learning to use the wood shop tools and will give my lamp to my dad for his birthday!