A Clock With a Lamp

In this project I will be making a clock with a lamp in it. Or is it a lamp with a clock attached? That doesn't really matter.

I made this because, well, I wanted a clock in my room. But of course I don't want any ordinary clock, I want to make one myself. So I decided to make this one, with a lamp in it!

What I'm going to use:

• 3D-printer
• Laser cutter
• Clock (I bought a simple clock for just a few euro)
• Light bulb with cord (I bought a cheap lamp and broke it)
• Wood
• SolidWorks
• Illustator

Inspiration: https://www.instructables.com/id/Lamp-Clock-or-Clock-Lamp/

I needed a clock mechanism. So I bought a simple clock. First I had to disassemble the clock I bought. This is a pretty simple task (at least for the clock I have). Just pull of the hands, unscrew the clock mechanism and remove it. Now I have the clock mechanism and the clock hands. Even though I'm going to design my own hands, I can use the old ones as an example for the size.

Because I want to use new clock hands, I have to design them first. To do so, I use SolidWorks. First I had to measure the old hands, then I could design my own. I went with a simple design.

To make a clock with a lamp in it, of course you need a lamp. I only need the cord and the socket. Since I couldn't find what I needed on the internet, I just bought a simple lamp. Then I had to break it to just get the cord. So I got a cute little hammer and smashed the lamp to bits.

When I was done with the hammer, all I had left was the cord. Just what I needed.

I decided to 3D-print my new clock hands. At school I have access to Up! Mini 3D-printers. Here are some pictures of the settings I used and the result of the prints.

The cube is the main body of this clock/lamp. It consist of 6 square pieces of wood, cut in such a way they can be put together very easily. To design these I used this website to create a template.

http://boxdesigner.connectionlab.org/

The site is very easy to use. Just fill in your desired sizes and it can immediatly create a template to use.

However, I did change the template a bit. Because I want the top to open up with a hinge, it's easier if it's flat.

Of course I don't just want a plain box. I want a little design on it. Because I couldn't think of a design myself, I used another website as inspiration.

http://lightwavelaser.com/library-of-patterns.htm

When I found a design I liked I put it all together in Adobe Illustrator.

After that my design was ready the be cut.

At school I also have access to a lasercutter, so of course I used it.

Now my project is almost done.

To install the light, first I had to cut a hole for the cord to go. Luckily, the whole design is full with holes. So I just cut a bit of the wood away at the back panel.

To secure the lamp socket I used the old stand from the lamp I got. But, as you can see, it didn't fit inside the cube. So I cut it and I bend it 'till it does. With some hot glue I glued it to the bottom panel of the cube.

Ofcourse the panels of the cube had to be glued together. To do so, I used wood glue. I also used a knife to easily spread the glue in the corners. You don't need to put a lot of glue on the sides, because the panels already fit together pretty well. The glue is only to make sure it doesn't fall apart.

I wanted to install a hinge so the top panel could open. This can be useful when you have to replace the lightbulb or the clock's battery.

Installing these hinges was a bit trickier than I first thought. I had to get the nails through the wood, but I had to be careful not to break the wood.

When the nails were in place the were sticking out. So I got some pliers and cut off the end. You can still see a little piece sticking out. It's probably possible to remove that with a hacksaw and a lot of effort. But it doesn't really bother me, so I left it like this.

Installing the clock is actually really easy. Because it is secured with the ring and bolt, I didn't have to use any glue. Just put the clock through the hole and screw the nut on the bolt.

The second hand needs a little thingy to put it on the clock. I got this thingy from the hands of the clock I bought. I ripped it of the second hand and hot glued it on my second hand.

Now all you have to do is put the hands on the clock, and you are all done!