LED Headboard

This is part 3 of my daughter's bedroom upgrade. She loves to read at night and was using a flashlight to help give her the light she needed. I thought i could make something better for her. Here is the outcome!

Part 1 and 2 can be seen on my YouTube channel.

The entire frame is made from 2x4's cut to measurements that fit the bed frame.

2x4's were cut to length and then ripped on the table saw to final width.

The basic frame of the headboard. The initial idea to was to have 3 open panels illuminated by LED lights.

Panels were screwed together with SPAX screws.

Notice the notches taken out of the risers in order for the LED strip to go behind them. This will make sense later.

I used 1/2 inch plywood scraps to create a backing panel. Nothing fancy about this.

Cut to length and width and used screws to secure it to frame.

Here is the basic frame.

Notice notches in riser for LED lights.

After the last step things went down hill pretty quickly and i had to redesign the boxes. It was pretty frustrating, but i'm glad i stuck with it, because i'm really happy with the outcome. Here is what happened:

- Realized the plexiglass panels i purchased (.08 inch) were too thin to be unsupported over the space of one of the open panels. I didn't want the panels to break if leaned against or hit.

To fix i decided to put "cross supports" in each panel and inset the plexiglass into the frame using a router/chisel.

Took a bit of time for the redesign, but very happy with how things turned out.

Painted and sanded (again)

The image above will show the actual panels i purchased. Very easy to cut when using the right tool! Don't buy a "plastic cutter". A new razor blade and straight edge work just fine. I then frosted the panels using window film.

Purchased these LED's off amazon.

First chose the end for the receiver and than working my way around the frame "dry fit" the lights to make sure they would fit.

Next removed the backing adhesive tape and began to stick the lights to the frame. I later had to come back and use hot glue to really make sure things were connected.

I then drilled a hole through the frame to connect the remote box to the actual lights. I wanted to keep the IR sensor for the remote control and LED module on the outside of the frame.

To frame out the panels i cut, sanded, and painted Pine lattice strips. I chose these because I wanted something thin to frame out the plexiglass.

Next was the install. I decided to mount it to the wall instead of the bed. No real reason for this. I just liked that the bed could be moved freely. I screwed the headboard into the frame using 4 1/2 SPAX screws and then capped over the screw holes with the top lattice piece. Capped the entire thing off with a piece of 1/2 inch ( i think) poplar. Filled in nail holes and one last coat of paint.

Here it is!

It is perfect for her room and gives her a great light to read by at night. The LED's are great and have different settings so she can choose different patterns. The YouTube video shows the light in action. Super happy with how it came out!

Thanks for checking it out!