How to Turn a Single Sheet of Plywood Into a Stunning Floor Lamp

Make a leg template

Use the drawing below to draw and cut out a leg template. This can be made from cardboard or any other random scrap sheet lying around your shop. You’ll need a substrate at least 10 x 56-1/2 inches to fit the leg on there, but a little bigger is better.

Divide the 4×8 sheet

Using the table saw:

• Cross-cut your 1/2-inch thick 4×8 plywood sheet at 56-1/2 inches. Take the 39-3/8 x 48-inch drop piece and set it aside.
• Rip the 56-1/2-in.-long piece down the center so you’re left with two 23-15/16 x 56-1/2-in. pieces.

Glue up the leg panel

• Apply a generous amount of wood glue to one of the 23-15/16 x 56-1/2-in. pieces. Use scrap wood as a spreader to ensure even coverage across the entire surface.
• Place the second dry piece on top of the glued 23-15/16 x 56-1/2-in. piece to create a single 1-in.-thick panel. Ensure the edges are flush with one another.
• Use clamps and 3/4-in. 23-gauge headless pin nails to secure the two pieces together. Drive pin nails along all four sides and throughout the center, using your leg template to make sure pins aren’t in the way of your approximate cut lines.
• Wipe away any glue squeeze out along the edges with a damp cloth.

Cut the Legs

• Once the glued-up one-inch panel has had some time to dry, use your leg template to trace out three legs on the panel.
• Before cutting, drive pin nails inside the traced outlines of each leg and around the small notches.
• Use a track saw to cut the straight sides of each leg and a jigsaw for the smaller detail cuts, including the 9/16-in. notches.
• Round over the edges with a wood router and 1/4-in. round-over bit. Rotate and flip the pieces until all the edges of the three legs are smooth.

Build the connectors

• Retrieve the 39-3/8-in. x 48-in. plywood section set aside earlier. Use a 6-in. hole saw to cut the 5-3/4-in. bottom connector disc and a 4 1/4 inch hole saw to cut the 4-in. top connector disc. Sand the outside edges with 220-grit sandpaper until smooth.
• On the bottom of both connector discs, mark three lines at 120-degree intervals from the center as a visual center point for each leg.  Mark 1/2-in. offsets on both sides of these lines to create the outlines for the small triangular leg guides to attach to the top connector and the larger triangular leg guides on the bottom connector.
• Cut the small and large triangular guides from one-inch-thick scraps from the legs using a miter saw.
• Align the triangular guides with your marks. Secure them to the circular bases using 23-gauge pin nails and wood glue.
• For the top and bottom connectors, drill a slightly larger 3/8-in. hole for the electrical cable to slide through.

Assemble the legs

Slide the notch in the legs into the spaces between the triangular guides on the bottom connector. The notch on each leg should seat snugly against the bottom connector. Repeat for the top connector, ensuring the outside face of each leg is flush with the outside edge of the top connector circle. Glue and pin nail the triangular guides directly into the legs from the sides, then drive nails through the top/bottom of the connector discs into the leg ends for maximum stability.

Machine the lamp shade components

• Use a table saw to cut two, 15 x 15 inch squares and 28 1 x 10-in. strips out of the remaining 1/2-in. plywood.
• On one of the 15-in. x 15-in. squares, lay out and cut 4 x 4-inch squares in all four corners of the piece using a jigsaw. Inset the squares one inch in from the outside edges of the 15 x 15-inch squares. Drill a 3/8-in. hole centered on the piece, too, to accommodate the threaded pipe of the light fixture. This will be the bottom of your lamp shade.
• To make the top of the lamp shade, take the second 15-in. x 15-in. square and mark an internal square, inset 1 in. from all edges. Cut it with the miter saw, stopping short of the corners, then finish the cuts with a jigsaw.
• Sand all the lamp shade pieces smooth to 220-grit.
• Round over all the edges on the slats and top and bottom lamp shade using a router and 1/4-in. round-over bit.

Assemble the lamp shade

• Draw a 45-degree diagonal line from corner to corner on the 15 x 15 inch bottom piece of your lamp shade, with the 4 inch squares cut in the corners.
• Center your first two slats centered on a 45-degree diagonal line in opposite corners.
• Use wood glue and 23-gauge pin nails to attach them to the bottom of your lamp shade.
• Install the slats one by one around the circumference of the lamp shade’s bottom. Space them two inches apart from center-to-center, maintaining the 45-degree diagonal angle from the edge›.
• Once you have a handful of slats attached to the bottom of the lamp shade in opposite corners, attach the 15 x 15 in. lamp shade top to the top of the slats, keeping the same 45-degree angle and 2-in. spacing between each.
• Work around the shade, maintaining uniform spacing and angle until all the slats are secured to the top and bottom lamp shade squares.

Poly the project

• Apply wood filler to any deep pin nail holes. Wipe away the excess filler with a damp shop rag.
• Some might call it overkill, but on every project I build that incorporates any electrical, I always add a fire-retardant additive to the finish for peace of mind. This project was no different. Mix the manufacturer’s recommended ratio into a water-based polyurethane and apply two coats to all plywood components. Lightly sand with 220-grit sandpaper between each coat.

Final Assembly

• Apply CA glue to the coupler and insert it into the center hole on top of the base. Allow to dry completely.
• To mount the lamp shade, thread the threaded pipe from the lamp kit through the center hole of the lamp shade’s bottom and top connectors. Use the included nuts and washers on each end to secure it tight.
• Secure the lamp shade to the base by driving four, one-inch screws through the inside of the lamp shade’s bottom into the top connector disc at the top of the legs. Use a countersink drill bit to ensure the screws are flush with the surface.

Electrical Installation & Testing

Not all floor lamp wiring kits are identical, so follow your kit’s instructions, though most will be something like this:

• Secure the electrical neck to the top side of the threaded pipe inside the lamp shade.
• Snake the electrical cord from the bottom connector up through the top of the lamp base and out the electrical neck.
• Following the kit’s schematic, connect the wires to the socket/switch assembly.
• Gently pull the slack out of the cord to seat the socket/switch firmly into the neck.
• Attach the insulation sleeve and the socket shell.
• To test, insert a light bulb and plug the lamp into an outlet. If it illuminates, you are finished! If it fails to light up, double-check all your wire connections

FAQ

What is the distance a light bulb needs to be from the lamp shade?

The distance is based on the wattage of the light bulb you plan to use. If you are planning to use 40-60-watt incandescent light bulbs, one to two inches between the bulb and the lamp shade is fine. If you plan to use higher wattage bulbs, the distance increases by another inch or two. LED lights don’t produce a lot of heat so one to two inches in between is plenty.

What is the best fire-retardant paint additive?

Flamecheck M-111 PS and RDR Flame Stop III are both great products and are considered class A fire retardants. I used RDR Flame Stop III for this project because it is approved for use with latex-based paints and can be added to clear water-based polyurethane coatings.

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