I want to take you through the steps of a fun, woodworking project: the making of a simple wooden wall sconce. This is a lamp that hangs on the wall and provides soft, diffuse light from behind a sculptural shade. The shade is built from a wooden frame with translucent fabric or heavy paper stretched over the center. These lamps can be abstract or representational. Depending on the wattage of the bulb they can be a serious source of light or a nightlight.
Let’s have some fun!
Materials:
Pine board at least 10 inches wide and 3 feet long
Wood glue or hot glue
Wood Screws or nails about 1.5 to 2 inches long
Sandpaper and/or rasp
Acrylic paint or polyurethane (your choice)
Paint brushes
Candelabra size light bulb (LED or flourescent)
Fabric or thick translucent lampshade paper
Medium size Screw eye
Tools:
Drill with large and small drill bits - including a 1 inch drill bit
Clamps
Coping saw or jigsaw
Pencil
Marker
Staple gun
Step 1
Make a sketch of your lamp
Do a sketch of your lamp. Try to distinguish between the parts that will be solid wood and the empty space(s) in the center where your shade will be stretched. Your lamp can be all sorts of shapes, but try to leave enough wood around the edges of your frame to make it strong. Really thin wooden edges are likely to crack or break.
Step 2
Transfer your drawing to a pine board
Using a pencil transfer your drawing to a piece of wood. I would go over the lines you intend to cut with a darker marker, especially if a child is cutting it. Otherwise it’s easy to cut the wrong thing in the heat of the moment.
Step 3
Drill Big holes where the shade on your lamp will go
Using a drill, make some substantially sized holes. They need to be big enough to insert the blade of a coping saw or jigsaw. Make sure there are a few along each interior edge of your lampshade area. These holes will provide you a place to turn your saw when you get into a tight corner.
Step 4
Clamp down your wood and start sawing
Clamp your wood to the edge of a table, making sure the part you will cut is sticking out over the floor. Using your coping saw or jigsaw, begin to cut out the exterior and interior shapes. It’s usually easier to cut away one little bit at a time until what remains is your main shape than to try and cut out a complex shape all in one go.
When cutting out the interior shape, start by cutting from hole to hole until a main central area falls away. This will give you some space to maneuver your saw. Then move on to cutting out the little details around the edges and precisely following your cut lines.
Step 5
Make the rectangular top and bottom supports of your project
You will need to rectangular pieces of wood to stick about 4-1/2 inches out from the back of your lamp. One on the top and one on the bottom. The width of these pieces can be determined by the overall form of your lamp. You’ll want them to be hidden behind the lampshade, but wide enough to give it adequate support at the top and bottom. The rectangular piece on the bottom will have a 1 inch hole for your lamp kit. The one on the top will have a small hanger attached so you can hang it on the wall. The one on the bottom will need a large 1 inch hole for the lamp kit to be installed. Make sure they are centered so their weight will cause your lamp to hang correctly.
Step 6
Sand your wooden pieces
Sand your shape to remove rough or inconsistent edges. Start with rough sandpaper like 80-100 grit and then move up to smoother 150-220 grit sandpaper. Use a rasp to remove any big bumps or lumps.
Step 7
Put your pieces together
Use wood glue or hot glue to put the rectangular holders on the back of your lamp, Wait about ½ hour for the glue to harden and then drill pilot holes with a small drill bit and add screws or nails for additional strength. Two screws or nails on top and two on the bottom. Glue alone is probably not strong enough.
Step 8
Decorate your lamp
You can decorate your lamp using acrylic paint or clear protective polyurethane. Before painting it’s always a good idea to use primer for better adhesion and let it dry completely. If you use clear water based polyurethane to keep the wooden appearance, don’t use primer, but do remember to use around 3 coats for real protection. Let the polyurethane dry for about 1 hour between coats if it is relatively warm and dry.
Step 9
Add your fabric shade
Find a piece of fabric or thick paper in a color and texture that works for you. Cut out a piece that is just slightly larger than the empty space at the center of your lamp. Carefully stretch the fabric over the back of your hole(s) and use the staple gun to secure it in an evenly stretched form. Trim off any extra.
Make sure not to put flammable fabrics really close to a hot bulb or you could have a fire risk. Make sure the lamp has a low-wattage fluorescent or LED candelabra bulb and/or the fabric is far from it. These bulbs do not get very hot like incandescent bulbs do.
Step 10
Add a wall hanger
In order to have a way to mount your sconce lamp on the wall, you will need some kind of circular hole that will be flush with the wall. You can use a pre-made eyelet screw, or make your own by taking a thin piece of wood like thin plywood and drilling a modestly sized hole in it between ¼ and ⅜ of an inch. Then you can attach it to the top of your lamp using glue, woodscrews, nails or a combination of these.
Step 11
Install your lamp kit
The lamp kit from American Woodcrafters will fit neatly into a one inch hole. So your bottom support will need a 1 inch wide hole. You can use any 1 inch drill bit for this, because it doesn’t have to be that neat. The lamp kit will snap in neatly and stay there. Candelabra style bulbs are available in most stores and smaller than normal bulbs, but often just as bright. You can choose a wattage and a color of light that suits your project.
Step 12
Hang your lamp and enjoy!