Arts & Crafts style lamp holder

I finally got around making a lamp post (holder, bracket, whatever it’s called) for my bronze lantern. It was always meant to be outside, so I used the redwood scraps from our deck construction, made a quick Sketchup drawing and went away…

This project had a lot of design choices while building though. The groove in the upper part was an accident… but it turned out to be a good one, because this gave me extra space for the chain connection to the wood. I found this nice chain on an antique flea market (I needed an all brass one, to prevent corrosion and keep the look), but had no hook. When I went through my leftover metal scrap, I found a brass rod, and came up with the idea to put the rod all the way through the wood, and “riveting” it over two brass washers. I really like the way the chain disappears into the wood (and it can never be taken off again, ups!).

I know this is for wood projects only, but I should mention that I also build the lamp. It was my final piece in a metal arts class that I took at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. You can see the project laid out in the last picture. So basically, I build everything except the chain :)

I am pretty proud of this project, although I find it tedious to work with redwood—it’s so damn soft. I managed to ding it here and there when drilling holes etc.

The finish is Sutherland Welles Polymerized Tung Oil Medium Lustre, in case you wonder. It stinks, but works.