Giant Luxo L-1, "Luxo Senior"

UPDATE 07 OCT 2020 - Scroll to the end to see it installed inside.

This project is entered in the Lighting Contest. Please vote if you like it.

PROJECT SUMMARY: Make your own GIANT Luxo L-1, the famous industrial task light designed by Jac Jacobsen in 1937, using standard PVC pipe and fittings, along with some custom designed (in Autodesk's Fusion 360) 3D printed components, and heavy-duty garage door springs.

If you're not familiar with the Luxo L-1, I'm sure you're familiar with the "I" in the Pixar Animation Studios animated logo. The short film created by John Lasseter all the way back in 1986 was inspired by the Luxo L-1. That was Luxo Junior. This is Grandpa, Luxo Senior!

(If you want to get straight to the project details, ignore my Side Stories.)

SIDE STORY: Somehow in one of my many Google Image searches for I don't even remember what, I came across this: Great JJ Outdoor Floor Lamp (08 August 2022 UPDATE, sorry link is broken, just search Google for Great JJ Light.)

Now, since I don't have $11,243 just burning a hole in my pocket, I looked at it and said, "I can make that for much cheaper!" And whenever that phrase is uttered, Watch Out!, because I'll often times prove myself wrong by spending way more, but usually succeeding in making the same item but a much better quality version or vice versa; much cheaper but maybe less quality or with limited features of the original. This project definitely falls in the latter category. But as with all my projects, the journey to completion is the reward, and this was a very fun build.

REFERENCE: Here's a link to the exact same light still being produced, 83 years in continuous production!, not many products that can make that claim. LUXO L-1 (Latest Version with LED Lights)

The Super Size contest that ended back in late June was an additional motivator for this project, but I had too many coals in the fire at that time, and actually had to rush to finish in time for the Lighting Contest.

1. 1-1/4" Schedule 40 PVC Pipe
2. 1-1/4" Schedule 40 PVC Fittings - 90 Degree Elbows, Tees, Caps, and 4-Ways as Shown
3. 1/4" Hardware, 4-1/2" Long Bolts and Nuts
4. Garage Door Springs
5. Hooks for Springs
6. Ceiling Light Fixture
7. Giant Plastic Pot (Tall)
8. Giant Plastic Pot (Short)
9. All-Thread with Appropriately Sized Nuts and Washers
10. Electrical Wire and Wire Nuts
11. Spray Paint
12. Ready Mix Concrete
13. 4" ABS Drain Pipe and Two Endcaps
14. 12mm Socket Head Bolts, 25mm Long and Washers

TOOLS:

1. 3D Printer
2. Radial Arm Saw
3. General Shop Tools

To begin this project I purchased a vintage Luxo L-1 to use for reference. I took detailed measurements of each joint and scaled it up in size. I had two actual components that would go into the build that could serve as a gage to base the scale from:

• PVC (A range of sizes)
• Garage Door Springs

I chose the PVC since it is more prevalent in the entire project and could thus easily be adjusted to accommodate the springs. The scale came out to be 1 : 4.13 with choosing 1-1/4" PVC pipe. (Hindsight I probably should have gone a size or two smaller.)

See images above for the base, middle, and top (shown in order) joints as designed in Fusion 360. Each is printed in two halves. This serves to allow the parts to be 3D printed without supports and oriented to get the most strength out of the layers. You also need the joints in mirrored halves to be able to insert the PVC fittings later.

NOTE: This was a very labor intensive design and iterations took several days as each part (each half) took around 12 hours to print with 20% infill.

CAUTION: This design is tied to the specific brand of fittings at my local Ace Hardware. During the build, I got some fittings from Home Depot and even though they were still the correct 1-1/4" size the outer surfaces were completely different.

Even though its completely out of order with how I designed and built this project I'm going to start at the base and work upwards.

I was able to find these large plastic pots at a local nursery. I couldn't find anything close to this size online (and believe me, I looked extensively). They are 32" diameter pots.

I used the the shallow pot as a form to make a concrete base that would have sufficient weight to serve as the main support and also allow the entire light to spin around just like the real Luxo L-1.

Starting with the images above in order:

1. Dry fit two 4" PVC couplers with a short section of ABS pipe (Black part inside the white couplers)
2. Wrap the coupler assembly in four layers of standard thickness office paper
3. Use hot glue to place a bead at the bottom of the paper wrapped coupler assembly and secure it in the bottom of the pot on stable and level ground and apply a thin layer of oil to the entire surface that the concrete will touch. This will help in mold separation (Don't tell my wife, but I may have used fancy avocado oil from the kitchen since it was in a spritzer bottle, but any vegetable oil is fine.)
4. Mix the concrete, (this was exactly two 80lb bags), to a little bit of a runnier consistency than you would use if doing normal concrete work

While the concrete cures tap gently all around the outside of the pot and the coupler assembly to get bubbles to separate and come to the surface. Use a vibration sander to speed the process along, but be careful as too much may help to separate the coupler assembly from the bottom of the pot and ruin the pour.

Cover the surface to lengthen the time for the cure. (The longer concrete cures, the stronger it will be.)

Wait at least 24 hours before attempting to take the mold off. Won't go into all the details of how I got this demolded, but suffice it say you may have to get a bit creative. I think I spent a solid hour on this step, but once completed, the 4" ABS fittings slid in perfectly with just the right amount of clearance to allow the light to spin inside the central hole.

NOTE: The paper wrapping in the previous step was the key to get a perfect slip fit. Without that step, #1, you probably would not be able to remove the couplers, and #2, even if you could remove them, reinserting them would be difficult and would not allow the light to freely rotate inside the concrete base.

Transfer the 12mm threaded hole pattern on the bottom of the 3D printed base assembly to one of the 4" ABS end caps and secure as shown with the 12mm hardware.

CAUTION: Do not overtighten the bolts. I used plain PLA for the prints and they have printed threads, which initially can take whatever torque you give them, but over time the material will creep and you will lose the torque. Its best to "snug" the bolts and then give maybe 5 degrees of rotation.

Cut a section of the 4" ABS pipe to a length that when mated to the base joint's end cap and the other end cap will give just the right height to slip in the concrete base. Goal is to get the bottom end cap to the floor (the same surface the concrete base is on)

NOTE: Slip joints are fine for the 4" ABS. Glue is not necessary and will just make disassembly later (if required for moving the entire light) more difficult.

I was rushed for time and did not take precise notes of each length of PVC pipe. This was very much a trial and error project build. If anyone wants exact measurements just message me and I'll provide.

In the image above, you may notice black rings at each point where the PVC pipe enters a fitting. I created these to help soften the edge and create a radius transition. The goal was to attempt to hide as much as possible that it was built with PVC. The STL file of the trim ring is attached below. (They are ornamental only and not required.)

Continue building upwards to the top joint.

NOTE: The top joint is the only joint that is limited in its range of motion compared to the original L-1. It has tilt only and not rotate.

Refer to the images above for how to connect the top joint to the large pot, which serves as the light fixture. It is built from a 4-way fitting, two 90 degree elbows and an ABS threaded nipple with the threaded portions removed from the nipple and glued into the 90's. Threaded end caps serve as a backer nut similar to a bulkhead joint.

The light fixture I found was from Lowes and it was on clearance, so I'm not sure if its still carried or not. And I inadvertently already threw out the box it came in, so unfortunately I cant provide details on it.

1. Add three holes to the light fixture's housing equally spaced at 120 degrees apart
2. Match this hole pattern to the pot, and secure the all-thread to the pot using nylon lock nuts
3. To account for the difference in diameters between the pot and the housing, add reducing washers (as shown in the last image) or something similar to keep the light fixture centered in the pot

Attach the pot and secure with the threaded end caps. Hand tight the caps. Now ready to mask and paint the project. I really wanted to do some proper research and see what colors were available when the L-1 task light was first introduced in the 1930's, but as mentioned before I ran out of time, so simply went with plain black (Satin Finish).

I think the color scheme would work better if the springs were chrome plated (but the garage door springs are all black). All in all, I think it turned out well. Now I just need to find a place to put it!

DISCLAIMER: As of this writing (17 August 2020) the spring choice was insufficient to properly support the light even with all the design considerations to limit the weight. I have the next size up springs currently on order and hopefully they will solve the issue. I'll update as the project progresses.

Well Kinda. A few things left to be done:

1. Properly route the electrical cord down through the PVC piping
2. Hook up to a smart outlet - "Alexa turn on Luxo Senior!"
3. Dial in the springs
4. Stain and wet look finish the concrete base (Plan to stain Onyx Black)
5. Rebuild the original vintage L-1 I bought on Ebay to help with this project

Thanks for taking the time to read through my Instructable. Please send me any questions or comments you might have. I try to answer them all. Stay safe and healthy! Happy DIY'ing!

Remember to vote in the Lighting Contest.

UPDATE (21 August 2020):

This light fixture is extremely bright. If I bring it inside I'll likely have to see if it can be dimmed (I don't think so), or modify it by removing some of the LED strips.

Just wanted to add a few pictures showing it fully installed in the new home gym room. Its directly attached to the ceiling light fixture, so all the articulation is no longer functional (well its still functional just not usable), but its nice to just simply flip the wall switch.