Epoxy Tree Lamp From the Forest of Wubadu

I looked over at my boring old IKEA nightstand lamp and knew it was time for a change. It was time I entered the forest of Wubadu to bring back a magic tree. If you'd like to a have this fun little lamp too then follow along!

Spread wood glue on the wood blocks and clamp. Leave clamped for at least 12 hours until dried.

Epoxy releases from plastic once it is cured so I took advantage of the old plastic lampshade to use as a mold for the lampshade I was making.

When using epoxy resin it's important to follow the instructions that come with it. Generally you will pour a 1:1 epoxy resin to hardner ratio in your mixing cup.

I started by mixing 50mL Epoxy Resin and 50mL of the Hardner. I added 3-5 drops of green dye and a small baggie of glittery flakes then mixed thoroughly for 3 minutes. Be sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the cup while mixing but be careful not to mix too vigorously since that will cause lots of bubbles.

Once mixed, pour a small initial layer to cover the bottom of the mold. Blow torch the bubbles out of the initial layer before adding the empty oatmeal container.

Tape the outside of an empty oatmeal container with clear masking tape. Place the oatmeal container in the middle of the mold and clamp it down. Pour the rest of the epoxy resin around the outside of the oatmeal container. Continue to make more epoxy resin and fill the mold to your desired size.

Let the epoxy resin cure for at least 24 hours to harden completely. Carefully remove from the mold and then remove the empty oatmeal container. I then added another small layer of epoxy resin to the inside in order to fill in small gaps.

I took the glued up stack of wood blocks and started carving it with my Angle Grinder. I went slow and carved out the general shape of a tree trunk. I then started refining the base with my orbital sander using 40, 100, 280, and 320 Grit sandpaper.

To make the lamp shade base, start by tracing the epoxy lamp shade on your black walnut board. Clamp down your board and cut the circle out using a Jigsaw. Sand the wood base down with the orbital sander using 40, 100, and 280 Grit sandpaper.

Clamp the base and drill all the way through using a 1in hex shank drill bit. Once the base is drilled, place it in the middle of the lampshade base and trace a circle using a pencil to mark where to drill. Drill a hole through the lampshade base using the 1in hex shank.

Next, take the lamp innards out of the old lamp and make sure it slides through both holes without getting stuck. If so, file out some of the hole to make room (although everything should fit). Once you have confirmed everything will fit, insert the lamp through the base, and mix together the 90 second quick set epoxy. Wipe the 90 sec epoxy inside the base hole and around the lamp. Once the quick set epoxy has cured, turn the lamp base upside-down and mark where the cord touches the bottom. Using the rotary tool, with a cylinder carving bit, carve out a small space for the wire to rest in.

To make a setting for the lampshade to sit in start by drawing an outline on the lampshade base. Clamp the base and route out the inside of the outline. Be very careful not to touch outside the outline.

Use a level to confirm the base is flat before gluing. Once level, use wood glue and clamps to glue both bases together.

The epoxy resin may need to be smoothed out and shaped after coming out of the mold. To give the lampshade a great sheen start by sanding with the orbital sander with 100 grit and work up to 320.

The lampshade will become unclear and foggy once you start sanding, don't worry it will get better!

Continue hand sanding with wet/dry sandpaper starting at 400 grit working all the way up to 3000. Make sure the sandpaper is wet while sanding and wipe the lampshade down with a wet paper towel in between each grit.

Once done with sanding, wipe the lampshade down with polishing compound and buff completely. Buff lampshade until you are satisfied with the sheen.

Wipe the entire lamp down with a microfiber rag and small amount of mineral oil wax.

Enjoy your new lamp! Or as my son said, "tree from the forest of Wubadu."