How to make a table lamp

Making homemade lamps is a task as fun as it is simple. You don’t have to be a DIY professional to create a table, ceiling or any other kind of lamp. A job as entertaining as it is pleasant, with which to give a special touch to any room.

Light plays a fundamental role in our home, both in the practical part and in the purely decorative part. In both cases, the wide variety of existing designs makes it easy to choose the aspect that best suits your approach. However, if you are a handyman, you may be interested in the idea of ​​creating your own lamp, according to your own preferences and the design that you like the most.

Best of all, this process is much easier than it may seem, mainly due to the approach of these products. So if this DIY project catches your eye, go ahead and make your lamp with the guidelines below.

Parts of a table lamp

As with a kitchen recipe, when it comes to a table lamp it is necessary to know what we are going to need for its construction. Something that we can easily solve if we know the parts of a table lamp.

The structure of the lamp consists of three main elements . The first of these would be the base of the lamp, which must be stable and allow it to rest correctly on the surface on which we are going to place it. The second is the electrical part, which consists of a cable, a lamp holder and a plug. You can also include a switch in the cable structure, although it is not required.

To finish off the design, the lamp includes a screen or similar, which covers the bulb and generates a more pleasant light by diffusing it. However, this last element is no longer as essential as it was a few years ago, thanks to the design and finish of many light bulbs. In fact, some already offer a diffused and pleasant light by themselves, also having a design worthy of being seen.

How to make a homemade lamp?

Once we have the components that are part of the lamp, it is time to get down to work. If you notice, we have not talked about specific materials for the structure, since it can be created with almost anything . The most common is to use wood, because it is easy to work with and adjust to the way we want. But you can also use metal tubes or even glass bottles. The latter are drilled at low speed and are perfect for turning into lamps.

Regarding the electrical part, it is convenient that the cable is adapted to the space available inside the structure that we have built, also having an adequate length so that the lamp can be placed wherever you want. It is very important to always use a grounded cable , to minimize risks during the use of the product. It is also convenient to verify that the chosen lamp holder fits well in the structure and that it is of the appropriate size for the bulbs that we need to put. 

The most powerful bulbs require thick sockets, type E27, while the lightest ones use thin sockets or E14. By the way, to mount the lamp holder, just strip the cables, insert them into the corresponding sockets and tighten the screws correctly. Something similar happens with the plug connection, which follows the same principle. Simply strip the wires, connect the terminals and close the plug.

Something more complicated is the process of placing the switch, although more because of the steps to be taken than because of its complexity. In fact, if we simplify it a bit, the placement of the switch is similar to the plug, only in this case it is only necessary to cut and strip one of the two power cables. We will leave the copper wires of that cable exposed and connect these to both sides of the activation plate, subsequently closing the switch. Although, before doing so, it is convenient to verify that it moves correctly.

The final step would be to build the shade for the lamp, in case we have not made a visible finished product. Since this process is somewhat more complex, we have dedicated a specific section to it.

How to make a lampshade?

Although we have already briefly commented on the fashion of visible bulb lamps, the truth is that the most classic finish is given by lampshades . These are used both in table lamps and in ceiling lamps, making it easy to coordinate their design with the rest of the room or doing the opposite, so that the lampshade attracts attention.

In general, this screen consists of two parts, the frame and the cover. Racks can be purchased ready-made, which simplifies the manufacturing process. However, you can also make them with wooden rods, taking the corresponding measures and creating a solid structure that adequately resists use.

Regarding the screen itself, the part of the coating, here the options skyrocket. The most classic solutions are fabric or paper shades , which offer multiple designs to choose from. You can also resort to rope screens, which are built by rolling the rope over the frame until it is completely lined. Something similar happens with macramé or crochet models, more laborious, but also very elegant and original, especially in bedrooms. 

And once you have your lamp finished and placed on your bedside table, you can dedicate yourself to other tasks, such as reading about what a thermoregulating mattress topper is, opinions about them and how it helps you sleep better.