Easy Elegant Slat Wood Floor Lamp

Doesn't this floor lamp look pretty elegant?? Making it is pretty easy and you can also scale it up and down easily to your preference. My friend saw this image online and asked if I could make it. I of course loved the idea of me trying out something while someone paid for it! I have always wanted to try this, but could not justify making a lamp with nowhere to place it :-)

1" wide 1/4" thick slat wood about 5.5 feet long -20

10"x10"x 1.5" - wooden board

20"x20" wooden board.

Nails

Drill

Sander

Paint of choice

I think this was the most tedious part of the lamp. Sand each slat and use primmer on it.

Now you have to cut circles for the top and bottom of the lamp.

I didn't have a 20" x 20" board, so I glued two 10"x20"and connected it with another board for added strength.

Now draw a 20" diameter circle and then draw an inner circle so you have a 2" border. Cut the circle out. If you are using one board without attachments you can use the inner circle to cut the upper smaller circle.

I have uploaded an image on the dimentions of the upper and lower circles. For the upper circle I drew a 10" diameter circle with an inner circle after leaving 1.5". Using a lid I drew 4 small half a circles. Drill and cut these out. You would be left with someting that resembles a car stering wheel! Drill right in the center for the wire of the bulb to go through. Also drill another hole in the corner so that you may pass the wire through from inside, thereby hiding the wire. Right at the bottom drill a hole for the wire to pass on the larger circle too.

Now, from this point do as I tell you and not as you see it :-) Paint all the parts!!!

While nailing the slats I realized it would be very difficult to paint inside later, so I stopped and painted the inner part of the slats. It was very difficult, so learn from my experience and paint all the parts first :-)

Keeping about 8" on top drill, glue and nail the slats. Use 2 nails per slat. First do the four corners. Now space out the rest of the slats and start to drill, glue and nail. Once you finish the upper circle you would need help in inserting the lower circle.

While someone holds the lamp up, slip the larger circle inside at an angle from the bottom and then slowly turn it flat.

Keep some boxes at the bottom to balace the large circle at equal distance from the floor. Step back and make sure that you have centered the large circle and the drilled hole on the side is corresponding the the upper circles hole in the side (the holes drilled for the wire). Once you are happy with the result start to drill, glue and nail! One nail is sufficent for the bottom. Now all you have to do is wire it up!

From the top pass the wire through the center hole. Push the wire till it goes right down. Now you can easily wire up your bulb. Once your bulb is fixed, pull up the wire till the bulb is in the height you require. Pass the excess wire through the side hole and down to the corresponding hole in the larger circle. Leave enough slack for the plug to be connected, That way when you ever need to change the bulb you can pull on the excess wire and push the bulb down so that changing the bulb will be easy.

Now step back. Switch it on, and admire your handy work!

I hope you find this instructable useful and perhap,s you can make one too! If you do....I would love to see it!

I am adding this to contests and I would really love and appreciate your vote! Thank you :-)