Make it: Book Lamp

Welcome to Six Days of Spring! I'm really excited to share some great ideas to add some spunk to your home for spring. Since I'm not much of a seasonal decorating kind of girl, all of my Six Days of Spring ideas are about bringing something old back to life again, like with a DIY Book Lamp. For only $10, you can make this fun light in under an hour.

I stopped by my local thrift store, and all books were a quarter. Steal, huh? So I bought three in a similar color line, so they'd look pretty all stacked up. Then, I took a trip to Lowe's and got the rest of the parts:

1- ceramic light fixture - the old fashioned, bare bulb style. {$1.47}

1- pancake electrical box (also called "Round Ceiling Pan") {$2.34}

1 - lamp cord with switch on cord {$2.47}

1 - 6 inch threaded rod (from lamp section) {$2.97 for a 2 pack}

2 inch wood screws (several) {on hand = free}

{Plus .75 in books brings total to $10 even.}

And you'll need a few tools:

Dremel with a 1/4 inch router bit (or a box knife)

Hammer

Hacksaw

Drill 

1/2 inch drill bit

Screw driver bit

Wire strippers

Phillips head screw driver

Pencil

Let's get started!

*There are a LOT of steps. Don't be scared - I'm just trying to be thorough.*

First, you'll need to put the books together. Stack them up in the order you would like, then open the top cover and screw through the pages to connect the top 2 books, one on each end (technically the top and bottom of the page.)

Next, flip over the entire stack (being sure that you still have them lined up like you want), and put screws in from the bottom on each end. Now your book stack is secure and will all stay together when you pick it up. Sweet!

Let's light it up! With your book stack right side up, trace the pancake box exactly where you want the fixture to be with a pencil.

On the next step you get to choose: Either do it with a box knife or a power tool. Since Mr. SCC actually did all the work (I made him slow down for pics), he went with the Dremel. If you're not comfortable with a Dremel, you can totally do it with a box knife. 

Use the Dremel to cut into the top book to make room for the electrical box. The bit will sink right into the cover, making a hole to work from. He made many shallow passes around the circumference of the circle, going deeper and deeper with each pass. Eventually, he opened the cover to get the hole deep enough so the box would sit in the hole and be flush with the top of the book.

See the hole? There was a piece of metal there like the other round metal filled hole bits. He took a hammer and popped that out with one whack. {He moves too fast sometimes!} He positioned the box so that the hole was in the back (away from the spines.) Then, it got screwed down in the smaller holes, just like it would in a ceiling.

See that big ol' drill bit? Use it to drill through the hole in the electrical box at an angle through the books. You want the hole to come out through the side of the books, not actually through the bottom of the books. Make sure to press down hard on the stack of books to keep the pages from buckling. {Two sets of working hands = no pics of that step.}

Our lamp rod did not go in easily, so we used a hammer to tap it through the hole. You want to get the lamp rod through the books, so that it's even with the electrical box.

Cut off the excess with a hacksaw. Now give yourself a hand - the hard part is all done. Whew!

Take the cord, and strip 1/2 inch or so off the ends of the cord. Twist the wires that are now exposed so that they make a good connection. Feed the cord through the rod in the book, from the bottom up into the electrical box.

Wrap the wires around the screws on the bottom of the light fixture, then secure them. If your cord kit is made with clear wire, you'll have a copper wire and a silver wire. Copper wire goes with the gold screw, and the silver wire goes with the silver screw. My cord had both sides copper, so there's no wrong way to go.

Last, use the screws on the edge of the electrical box to attach the light fixture to the base. And you're done!

Such a great lamp deserves a great bulb, don't you think? I used a vintage style Edison bulb to make it even better.

The vintage vibe with an industrial twist makes me 1,001 kinds of happy. 

Want more amazing spring ideas? Be sure to check out all the other posts in the Six Days of Spring. And - don't forget that next Monday is your turn to link up with your ideas!

                    

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