http://www.getwoodworking.com October 2019 The Woodworker & Good Woodworking 77
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THE LIGHT
AUTUMN PROJECT
TABLE LAMP
Takes: One weekend
Tools you’ll need: Circular or table saw,
bench and block planes, biscuit jointer, routerUsing leftover oak-veneered MDF from
a previous project, Phil Davy’s table lamp
base makes an ideal small projectSometimes a project can evolve after rummaging
around in the offcuts pile. In the case of this table
lamp, I had a rather nice piece of oak-veneered
MDF left over from building a recent vanity unit.
Not really big enough for anything on a grand
scale, the gorgeous quartersawn figure on one
face was striking and it seemed a shame not
to display this in some way. Consisting of several
bookmatched leaves of narrow veneer, the
pattern repeated itself across the panel. This got
me thinking about how I could use the 19mm
MDF for a small project if it was cut into four
separate pieces...
Preferring subdued lighting for the living room,
I’d never actually made a table lamp before. This
is probably because I’d tended to view them as
woodturning territory and had never thought
of a base as anything but cylindrical. Noticing
some simple but elegant square lampshades in
a local store, however, the cogs started turning...
Of course, you can make a lamp base from
virtually anything. If using solid timber you won’t
need to hide the board edges. Either use lap
joints, barefaced housings or mitre them if you’re
feeling like a challenge. Build the box from MDF or
plywood and you could veneer it with something
highly figured or exotic, though it would be wiseto add a balancing veneer to the inner surfaces
before gluing the sides together. By choice,
I would make the panels somewhere between
12 and 16mm thick, as 19mm material makes
the base pretty heavy. At least mine won’t tip over.Ensuring symmetry
In this case, cutting the MDF into four equal
pieces meant finding the centre of each pattern
to ensure symmetry. To hide the exposed edges
I found a couple of lengths of brown oak; these
provided slight contrast in colour and grain
without being too garish. I used biscuits simply
for locating these corner pieces when gluing up.
Here they don’t really add strength, so you could
dispense with them if you don’t have a jointer.
The base measures 290mm high × 170mm
wide overall. Each veneered panel is 100mm
wide before adding the corner pieces.
The corners are 25mm square and glued
flush with the back of each MDF panel. I used
veneered MDF again for the top and bottom,
though this meant lipping the edges. It’s easier
to drill holes for the flex before gluing the base
together as you can use scrap wood to prevent
the bit breaking out underneath.
The top and bottom can be fixed to the boxitself with biscuits, screws or brackets. Don’t rely
solely on glue if using MDF, though, as the finished
base is quite heavy and could separate when the
lamp is moved.
This project would provide a good opportunity
to experiment with inlay if you’ve never tried the
technique before. A relatively plain veneered panel
can be made to look dramatic with careful use
of the router table and the appropriate cutter.
Experiment on offcuts first, and make sure
that any mitred corners are sharp and clean.SAFETY
WARNING
It’s essential to use three-core flex
if fitting a metal bulb holder, and the earth
wire must be attached correctly. Always get
a qualified electrician to check your work if
a project involves wiring of any sort. Do this
before plugging in the lamp for the first
time because even a straightforward
project like this could be dangerous
if you get it wrong1 With veneered boards, find the centre of each
bookmatched pattern in order to maintain symmetry