Giant Atari Joystick Lamp

This lamp is a fairly accurate scale model of the classic Atari joystick. It is made out of medium density fiberboard (MDF) and stands almost two feet tall. The red button turns the lamp on and off, and the lampshade is a collage of printouts of classic Atari game covers.

This project was a fun challenge for me, and posed a lot of little dilemmas along the way. In the end I was quite happy with the way it turned out!

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!

I didn't have a real joystick to study and measure for dimensions, so I went off of pictures I got online. I think I got the proportions pretty close though, just through some basic math like height/width ratios, etc.

I purchased one 2 by 4-foot panel of MDF in each of the following thicknesses: 1/4", 1/2", 3/4". I also purchased one 2 by 4-foot sheet of 1/8' hardboard. I had plenty of material left over afterward.

MDF is great for things like this. It's easy to cut, shape, and sand, and it doesn't warp, crack, or split like wood (unless it is left out in the elements, or you drill a screw straight into it). Be sure to cut, route, and sand it in a well ventilated area.

If you plan to make one of these, I would recommend finding a real joystick to work from. Measure it and make all your pieces proportional to it.

The top piece is cut from 1/2" material. See photos for details on cutting the beveled edge.

The side panels were made from pieces of 3/4 inch MDF with 1/4 pieces glued on to create the step-down shape. The pieces were cut at a 5 degree angle so they would taper slightly inward down from the top of the base. See photos for additional details.

I needed to make some 1 1/2 inch blocks for the corner pieces. These corner blocks were needed so I could connect all the side panels together, and provide shapeable corner pieces that could be carved into the bi-layered, tapered, and curved corner shape that I wanted.

The corner blocks needed to be attached fairly well, but metal fasteners were not an option since I was planning on cutting and shaping them once they were attached. I used a combination of wood glue, wooden dowels, hot glue, and clamps to put it all together.

I used a pull-saw, files, and sandpaper to shape each of the corners. Masking tape was placed on the side panels next to the corner pieces to avoid scrape marks from the pull-saw.

This ring is made from 1/8 inch hardboard. In order to make this piece, I made a template jig out of 1/2 inch MDF, glue the hardboard to it temporarily with spray adhesive, and use a flush cut bit on my router to cut it out.

I was kind of dumb and cut out the hole for the button early on in the project, not knowing exactly where it was headed. That's how you learn I guess.

I plugged that hole with a new piece of MDF, and glued down the raised ring on top of the base. This made it possible to make a clean, flush cut all the way through both the ring and the top of the base for the button.

To make these three concentric rings, I had to layout and cut each one with the jigsaw. After sanding them smooth, I used my router with a roundover bit to make the curved top on each one.

In order to route these pieces safely I had to temporarily mount them to my small workbench with dowels. The shorter pieces had to have shims placed underneath so the router bit had clearance from the table top.

The heights for the rings (starting with the largest diameter ring) are 1/2 inch, 3/4 inch, and 1 inch. The 1-inch ring was made from a ring of 3/4" MDF, plus a ring of 1/4" MDF.

The stick was made from six separate pieces of 3/4 inch MDF. They were cut at a slight taper, with all the side cuts at 30 degrees. These cuts were made with the jigsaw. To make room for the light socket, I used a pull-saw and chisel to cut away excess material.

The six separate pieces for the stick were glued together with wood glue, using a bead of hot glue along the joint on what was to be the inside of the stick. This would hold the pieces together while the wood glue dried.

To make the collar, I cut two 3/4 inch thick circles of MDF slightly bigger than the bottom of the stick. I traced the bottom of the stick onto each circle. I marked six sections on each circle piece which corresponded with the six sections of the stick, and marked each section so I knew where it was to match up with the stick once they were cut out.

I cut out all these pieces with a jigsaw, and placed them back around the stick where they matched. These were all glued in place with hot glue and covered with a couple layers of wood filler. To make the top taper of the collar, I filled it with a few layers of wood filler. Then I gently sanded the collar and the taper smooth.

The bottom outside edge of the base was rounded over with the router, and sanded smooth.

The bottom panel was cut from 1/2 inch MDF, with 1/4 inch circles glued on to it. To attach this to the base, I added cleats to the inside made of 1/2 MDF.

The lampshade was made from a simple kraft paper lampshade from Walmart. It was covered with printouts of classic Atari game box covers.

I got the pictures of old game covers from the Atari Age website. I made them all the same size and then printed them from my home printer.

The pictures were glued to the lampshade with spray adhesive.

I primed all the pieces with two coats of gray spray paint primer, sanding with 320 grit sandpaper in between.