DIY Modern Tripod Floor Lamp

Have you ever seen those designer tripod lamps that are ridiculously expensive, well this week we build one a lot cheaper using a paint bucket and LEDs!

For this project I used:

- A couple of 1x2s

- A small section of 2x4

- Paint Bucket

- Steel Bar

- LED Strip: https://amzn.to/2Glp7bJ

- 12V Power Adapter: https://amzn.to/2DidEci

The first step in this project was measuring out my legs and then cutting them to size.

Then using my disk sander I rounded over the ends of the legs to make to break up having so many straight edges.

Next, I marked the locations for the legs.

After marking ou the holes I went ahead and drilled them with a 1/4" drill bit for the 1/4" bolts.

I traced an equilateral triangle of the right size on a 2x4 and then cut it out on the bandsaw.

Then I drilled some more holes to be able to mount up the legs.

The actual lamp portion of the project I made using a paint bucket that is available at Home Depot. Then I used an LED strip to line the inside of the bucket.

The next step was to install the power jack, so I went ahead and drilled a hole, soldered it up and that was done.

I clipped off the handle and enlarged the pre-existing holes and installed the 1/4" mounting bolts. To diffuse the LEDs I just used a bit of parchment paper cut to size.

Next up I needed to make a bracket to hold up the lamp portion. To do that I just cut a metal bar to size, marked it, and then scored along those lines with the angle grinder to make it easier to bend it. Then I bent it to the proper shape. Really, you could do whatever you think looks good for this step.

To drill some holes in the bracket, I used a self-centering automatic punch to mark the locations and then drilled some more 1/4" holes.

The only paint I used in this project was to give this bracket a light coat of black.

Then it was time for final assembly, I just drilled a hole into the centerpiece for the bracket to bolt into and then finished butting it all together.

That's it, now enjoy the super cool lamp you made with a paint bucket.