Lamp prototype

I just moved, so I’m out of a shop for the time being. The only tools I had access to were a circular saw, a drill press and some hand tools. I had the “itch”. We wanted a lamp with shelves for beside the bed. After seeing a design at Target that she approved of, I decided to make a prototype to use and work with until I can get my shop in order.

The stain isn’t quite dark enough to match the furniture, but that is OK. All I had was a dark Walnut stain and I didn’t want to buy any thing. All I ended up buying was a 1/4 inch dowel rod I cut up to make pins. The shelves are 1/4 inch plywood and the supports are a 1×4 red oak I pulled from my scrap pile. I found a similar design on a webpage that said their lamp was enlightened because it was made from wood. I’m going to tell people mine was made from reclaimed wood and was sustainably harvested. You wouldn’t believe how quickly my scrap pile grows.

It is 12” square and about 5 feet tall. I like the height, but it feels a little big. So I think I’m going to make it 8” or 10” square. The 1/4 inch ply is way too flimsy and the light socket is a cheap porcelain job that just doesn’t fit.

But with a budget of 12 dollars, I think it worked out fine.

I think for the final version I’m going to try a dark hardwood. I’m not sure what to do about the lampshade part.

-- Sometimes... At night... My router tells me to do things to wood. Bad Things.