Table Lamp

DOWNLOAD PDF PROJECT PLAN

Our table lamp is reminiscent of the Prairie style of design, with lines that Frank Lloyd Wright might favor. In spite of its complex-looking shade, this elegant lamp is within reach of any intermediate woodworker. We've figured out a straightforward system that tames all those nasty angles and guarantees good results. The wiring is also simple, even if you haven't done much electrical work. All the parts are readily available through the mail or at a lighting store. You may find that the hardest part is selecting the stained glass. There is a bewildering array of colors and textures to choose from, but that's part of the fun.

Build the Sander Frame
The shade is made of four identical frames. Use a stop block for all the cuts.
1. Mill the 4/4 mahogany to thickness and rip the boards into 1-in. widths. Rough-cut three 12-in. pieces and one 18-in. piece for each of the four frames (K, L, M). Cut enough parts to build an extra frame as a precaution and for setup purposes.
2. Attach a long auxiliary fence to your tablesaw's miter gauge. We added an acrylic guard just as a reminder of where not to put one's fingers.
3. Make a setup block for setting your miter gauge angles by cutting a 38-degree angle on one end and a 26-degree angle on the other one. Use an accurate miter saw to cut the block.
4. Set the miter gauge to cut at 38 degrees (Photo 1). Miter both ends of the frame sides (K) and frame bottoms (M) to final dimensions. Miter just the left edge of the frame top (L). All these cuts can be made using one miter fence setting.

5. Cut the half-lap joint on the mitered end of each piece (Photo 2; Fig. B). Use scrap wood to set the blade height and a stop block for each cut. You will need to rotate the miter gauge 38 degrees right and left of center to accomplish all the angles.
6. Dry-fit all the pieces together and mark the position of the half-lap on the right side of the frame top (Photo 3). Then cut the rest of the top half-laps.
7. Glue each frame assembly together with small C-clamps. When the glue has set, cut off the waste on the top.

Rabbet for the Glass
8. Make a template out of 1/4-in. plywood to cut rabbets in each frame. Simply place a shade frame on the plywood, trace the interior and mark lines 1/4 in. to the outside of the tracing lines. Cut to this line with a jigsaw. Keep the template 3 in. wide to support the router.
9. Rout the rabbet with a 1/4-in. straight bit and guide bushing (Photo 4; Fig. C). Take several passes of to get the rabbet to full depth. Clean up the corners of the rabbet using a chisel.
Cut the Compound Miters
10. Use the setup block to set the tablesaw miter fence to cut at 38 degrees and angle the blade to 26 degrees.
11. Place a frame, face side up, with the bottom against the fence. Cut the compound miter (Photo 5), leaving a 5/8-in.-wide side (Fig. C). To ensure a clean joint, make two passes. The first cut is just shy of the line. For the second cut, add a shim, such as a playing card, to the stop block. This will take just a whisker off for a super-clean edge.
12. Next, place the freshly cut side against the miter fence and adjust the angle so the uncut side is parallel to the blade. This should be approximately 76 degrees on the miter gauge. Then miter the second side.
13. With a beveled side against the fence, adjust the miter fence so the frame bottom is parallel to the blade. Reset the blade to 90 degrees; rip each bottom to 3/4 in. wide (Fig. C). Reset the blade to 45 degrees and bevel the underside of the frame's bottom just up to the routed rabbets (Fig. E).
14. Remove the miter fence, flip the frame over onto its face and use the tablesaw fence to bevel the top.
15. Glue the four frames together using spring clamps (Photo 6). When dry, clean up the glue and sand.

Cut the Glass and Shade Hangers
16. Make a cardboard template 1/32 in. smaller than the frame opening. Mark this pattern on the glass using a felt-tipped marker.
17. Make a single scoring cut just inside one of the lines (Photo 7). Place the scored edge over the end of the bench and, with a gentle downward motion, snap the glass at the scored mark. Repeat until all the glass is cut. Be sure to wear gloves for this step. The freshly cut glass can be razor sharp.
Tip: Minor adjustments to the glass shape can be made using an 800-grit waterstone. Do not use a grinder or power sander.
18. Cut the two shade hangers (J, Photo 8). Make a simple crosscut jig (Fig. F, F-1) to safely cut the 45-degree chamfers on the tablesaw. Cut the top hanger until it just fits inside the mitered top of the shade. Drill a hole in the center of each hanger for the nipple (X).

Make the Base and Arm
19. Mill 8/4 mahogany to 1-1/2 in. Rip stock for the four base sides (A) to 1-1/8 in. Miter to the final dimension.
20. Glue up the base with a band clamp. After the glue dries, cut slots for the splines (N) on the tablesaw (Photo 9) using a shop-made sled (Fig. F, F-1)). Glue in the splines and trim them flush when dry. Cut the reveal around the bottom of the base (Fig. A).
21. Cut a notch in the base (Fig. A) with a dado blade.
22. Mill 4/4 mahogany to 5/16-in.-thick stock and rip to 1-3/8 in. for base lip (B). Miter to fit inside the base, and glue.
23. Cut a 45-in. length of 1-1/2-in. x 1-1/2-in. mahogany for arm assembly parts (C, D and E).
24. Cut a deep groove for the conduit in the center of one side (Fig. A).
25. Miter the arm assembly parts. To make clamping the miter easier, leave part E long until after the glue-up.
26. Cut the notch in the bottom of Part C (Fig. A). Dry-fit the base and the vertical arm.
27. Drill two holes (Fig. A, Det. 2) for the screws that attach the base and arm. Drill a third hole for the lamp wire.
28. Glue the arm assembly one joint at a time (Photo 10).
29. Cut the splines' slot in the assembled upright, as in Step 19, and glue in the splines. Cut the spines and sand them flush.
30. Cut arm end (E) to final length.
31. Make cover plate F, G and H (Fig. A, Det. 1) from a 40-in.-long strip of wood. Cut the rabbets so the cover plates fit snugly into the groove with hand pressure.
32. Miter the completed cover plates to fit the upright.
33. Sand the shade, base, upright and hangers to 220 grit and apply the finish.
34. Install the stained glass in the shade. Rip stops on the tablesaw (Fig. E). Miter the stops to fit behind the glass and attach them with No. 19 x 1/2-in. brads.

Assemble the Writing Conduit
We've wired this lamp the safest way possible using metal conduit to protect the wires. The lamp cord has a polarized plug for safety and a add-on power switch for simplicity.
35. Cut two 10 in. pieces from the end of lamp cord (Q) and set aside for wiring the sockets later.
36. Feed the lamp cord through the hole in the upright (Photo 11). Assembling the conduit is just a matter of screwing Parts S through X together and feeding the wire as you go (Fig. G). Don't overly tighten the two armbacks (W) as they can cut through the cord insulation. Make sure several inches of cord feed past the end of the nipple (X). Tip: Reverse twist the cord before screwing on the last armback so the wire is not wound in the conduit. 37. Lay the conduit in the upright assembly (Photo 11).

Wire the Bulb Sockets
38. Screw the two arms (CC, Fig. H) into the cluster (BB).
39. Feed 10 in. of lamp cord from the cluster through each arm.
40. Wire the sockets (AA, Fig. I). Strip 5/8 in. of insulation from each wire end and wrap the bare wire three-quarters of the way around the screw.
41. It's standard practice in lamp wiring that the neutral wire is marked. Our wire was marked with ribbing on the insulation. Other manufacturers may use different colored insulation or a colored strand in the wire itself. No matter how it's marked, you can always tell the neutral wire; it's the one that comes off the wide blade on the plug.
42. Attach the shade to the upright (Fig. K).
43. Twist wire nuts on the three neutral wires and the three hot wires (DD, Fig. H). Take care that all the copper wire strands are in the wire nuts. Push the wires into the cluster and screw the cap on.
44. Attach the rotary switch (R) to the cord (Fig. J).

Figure K Attach the Shade
Attach the shade and lamp hardware with the arm upside down.
1. Screw the hex nut onto the nipple until it's just below the surface of the arm.
2. Install the cover plates.
3. Screw the upper shade hanger to the arm. To determine where to place the screw holes, fit the upper shade hanger upside down over the conduit. Draw the outline of the arm end onto the hanger. Remove the hanger, and countersink and drill three holes for the screws. Drill pilot holes into the arm end to prevent splitting.
4. Set the shade on the upper shade hanger and place the lower hanger over the nipple. Tighten nut A and its washer onto the threaded conduit.
5. Install nut B and washer about halfway down the nipple.
6. Thread the lamp socket cluster onto the nipple. Stop when the nipple reaches just inside the cluster.
7. Back off nut B to lock the socket cluster in place.

See the Cutting List

Sources:
Grand Brass Lamp Parts, (212) 226-2567, www.grandbrass.com, One 10-ft. 18/2 SPT-1 cord with molded plug, #WIC10FTBL, $1.50, One black rotary line switch for SPT-1 cord, #SW423BL, $0.80, One 1/8 ips female black bushing, #BG201B, $0.10, Two 10-in. x 1/8 ips steel pipe, #PIST10, $0.75 ea. One 9-in. x 1/8 ips steel pipe, #PIST09, $0.75, Three straight coupling brass 1/8F thru #NE449, $0.20 ea.
Two 1/8m bottom x 1/8f side, 1/2 ball 90-degree armback #AB335NP $0.75 ea. One 5-in. x 1/8 ips nipple steel, #NI5-0X1/8, $0.60,Two 1/8 ips.slip star lock washer, #WA1/8STAR, $0.02 ea. Three 1/8 hex nut, brass, #NU424, $0.08 ea.Two 3-1/2-in. plain (J) arm brass 1/8m ips, #ARJL, $2.25 ea. One small turned cluster body,
2-piece, #BOS2XB, $2.50, Two MD wire nut, #WINUTG, $0.10, Two cast-brass uno-threaded keyless socket with 1/8 ips bushing and setscrew, #SO9347CB, $10 ea. Processing fee for order under $50: $10. Total cost: Lamp electrical parts, $50 plus shipping.

Southern Front Stained Glass, (281) 890-5860, www.southernfront.com, Wissmach Glass, W0101, Dark Green and Opal Wispy, Five 10-1/2 x 16-in. panels, $27, Fletcher-Terry steel glass cutter, $4.

Woodworkers Supply, (800) 645-9292, www.woodworker.com, Felt discs, #04A51, $4 roll of 48
1/4-in. straight bit, #03-140, $13, 1/4-in. router guide bushing #938-048, $7, Danish oil, 1 quart, #859-973, $11.