Initial Idea/Assignment
The assignment was to create a lamp using the woodshop tools. Market research was provided.
The inspiration for the shape came from a brick wall. The idea was to create something that would create a wall of light with multiple light sources instead of one focal light. It should also be movable and have an element of customization.
The initial idea was to make a piece with ten columns of 10 units each which would be 60" tall and 42" long. This would function as a light screen on a floor lamp depending on the configuration. It quickly became clear that this was not going to be possible in the time available so we scaled it down to a desk lamp size. This initial drawing also shows an initial idea about wiring that was revised after the test piece.
Test Piece
Initial test pieces for individual unit scale
Landed on a fairly traditional subway tile 6" long to 3" high ratio with a 2" depth. This gave it a pleasing ratio with enough room to house the lights without being too bulky.
I initially tried to use pre-strung LED lights but did not find any with the spacing I required. I used LED's because the lights were enclosed and I did not want heat to be a problem. After doing some online research I purchased LED light tape with double the lights per inch of the typical light tape to maximize light output. I also found the electrical cord, transformer and dimmer online. After watching some videos I soldered together my own custom light strips.
I sourced wood from three different places and ended up going with 10/4 poplar because it was locally available and inexpensive from Total Fabrications. They gave me a piece to test with and also recommended gel stain to obtain even coverage between end grain and edge grain. I did try some oil based stain on the test pieces and was not happy with the coverage or dry time.
Test pieces. The conclusion of the test pieces was that the initial acrylic was too clear, the stain too dark, bevelled edges were beneficial as they cut down on the blocky feeling of the units and the units should be all one color to enhance the cohesiveness of the pieces instead of stained and unfinished contrasting pieces. I did come up with a feasible way of routing the wiring through vinyl tubing, but it was not sturdy enough so alternating aluminum tubing was added to the final plan.
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| Working with one of my teammates, Hongyi, on Rhino to show the scale and rotation. |
Working out the scale of overall the piece in wood and cardboard as well as computer models. I decided it would be 18" high by 26" at it's longest
Final Piece
I created the initial order of operations before making the test pieces. This is the final revised order of operations as well as a bill of materials and an assembly diagram. The assembly diagram shows the final wiring diagram and was a crucial visual for keeping all the different block configurations clear to everyone through production and assembly.
We cleaned the 10/4 poplar to 2" x 3", routed out 1/2" by 1/2" channels in each corner and cut 36 two inch blocks.
We routed out 1/8" channels for the acrylic windows and drilled the holes for the wire and tubing connections following the order of operations
I soldered together three sets of 6 LED light strips with 6" wire in between and a 24" long piece of wire at the end to help us thread them through later
We used a gel stain in a slightly red toned cedar finish to counteract the greenish hue of the poplar. My other teammate, Wanshan, did the initial staining of the insides of the units.
After unit assembly, routing out the bevelled corners and sanding to 400 grit, they were ready for final staining.
After they were stained and waxed we wired together three stacks of six alternating units with vinyl tubing connections, if I had this to do again I would have used aluminum here as well.
Then we ran the long ends of the wire through connecting aluminum tubing and soldered the three sections together.
Once all the lights were working we could insert the final pieces of laser cut white acrylic and glue in the last wood corner piece.
We used a clear acrylic rod with laser cut ring stoppers on the top to connect the ends when it is in a continuous shape.
The end result fits nicely on a desk or end table in a variety of configurations and can be dimmed from a task light to more of a mood light.
