Oriental-Inspired Lamp

This is an oriental-inspired lamp that features hand-made joinery. No nails or screws involved!

You can change the dimensions, construction, etc to fit your needs.

Materials:
> 1/4" thick wood for the horizontal beams
> 2”x2” wood for the vertical posts
> 1/4" dowel for the legs
> Specialty paper for the lampshade
> Lighting: whatever lighting setup you prefer (keep reading to see the lighting setup I used)

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I decided to use mortised joints for their strength and to hide the joints for a cleaner appearance. This is a 3D illustration of the joinery.

If I were to do this project again, I would select a different joinery method because I had to chop 16 mortises in total and it was very time consuming. See the next step for the joinery method that I would recommend over this one.

The recommended method uses hidden dowel joints. This method still provides a clean look and takes much less time to construct.

The paper I selected met the following requirements:
> Diffuses light well
> Have good heat resistance
> Doesn’t rip easily
> Economical

I ended up using baking/wax paper because it was ideal for my requirements. I used an all purpose glue (Weldbond) to attach the paper to the wooden frame.

In the picture, from top to bottom:
> Compact fluorescent lamp – cool white
> 120V to lamp socket adapter (available at many hardware stores)
> Extension cord, zip-tied onto the beam below it

Not in picture:
> 120V on/off switch at other end of extension cord

Here is the finished product.