Laser Cut Light Shade

This is a laser cut light shade that uses friction fitting and no glue! I designed this light shade because I wanted a versatile fixture for my bedroom and every existing product I either did not like, or was too expensive. The light shade is just over 7 inches in diameter at its largest point, and 14 inches in height (not including the socket attached).

• 1/8 inch thick plywood
• Light Bulb Socket
• LED Bulb
• Laser Cutter

Download the Final Light Cut adobe illustrator file below. Note that the elements in the file should not be scaled, because the notches are made to fit the plywood's thickness. If you want the light shade to be a different size, you will have to ungroup the notches and scale the rest separately.

Upload the file to your laser cutter and cut on 1/8 inch thick plywood. There are extra vertical pieces in the file in case a few don't cut correctly or break when taking them out. If you do not have a laser cutter, you can send the file to be cut at laser cutting lab.

Once it is cut, start assembling the light shade! It might take a little pushing and wiggling to fit the notches into the wood but that is alright because we want it to be a tight fit since there is no glue. The bigger circle with notches is at the bottom, and the smaller circle without notches is at the top.

Put at least 10 vertical pieces in the base circle before fitting them into the top circle. It is also a good idea to screw the light bulb and socket into the top circle once it is steadily attached, but not all the vertical pieces are in, so you have more room to attach it inside. Once the bulb is in, finish putting the vertical pieces in and your done!

Plug the light in or attach to the ceiling with a canopy and enjoy!