Cypress Ceiling Light
I made a Instructable called the Hanging Cypress Table
I was never really happy with the way it came out, so I took it apart and made a ceiling light out of it. I removed the wood filler I had put in the holes and brushed on a few more coats of Minwax Polycrylic Protective Finish.
Gathering the Electrical Parts.
- Wiring Electrical Cord
- Sockets INNOCCY Solid Bronze Lamp Socket
- Light Bulbs Dimmable led light bulb, 4w LED Edison Bulb, 40 Watt
The electrical work box, cover, and cable clamps were all purchased from the local big box store.
The socket is too light to be solid bronze, I believe it's bronze colored aluminum. On the end of the socket there is a threaded pipe for installation. The socket kit included small black plastic strain relief devices which screwed on to the pipes. They're designed to take the weight of the socket off of the connections and on to the wires.
Disclaimer: If you're not qualified to do the electrical connections then have a qualified electrician do it.
Installing the Electrical Box
I purchased 4 Lag Eye Screws and drilled a pilot hole before screwing them in. I went with larger diameter ones because Cypress is a very soft wood and I wanted to distribute the weight evenly. I screwed the work box directly to the wood, and ran the wires from the box through the four holes that were already drilled from it's previous use as a table.
Hanging the Light
I used the canopy/cover from the previous light. And then used a bow shackle to connect the chains to the loop on the bottom of the canopy.
The chain I purchased was zinc plated with a #135 lb rating. I just didn't like the quality of the decorative chains.
I already owned a bow shackle and used that.
Painting
I painted the canopy, chains and shackle a dark brown.
Lighting, Incandesent Vs LED
I had previously purchased some incandescent Edison bulbs from a previous project. I used these first although I liked the look of them, they just didn't put out enough light. Incandescent Lights
So I bought Edison LED lights. These worked perfectly for this room. LED Lights
Conclusion
I'm glad that I converted the table into a light. I like this project better. I forgot to mention that I had embedded a Agate stone in the center of the cypress on the previous project.
Also I staggered the heights of the bulbs so that they couldn't hit each other if bumped.
Thank you for looking.