Lots of New Lamps & a New Bench Too
Boy howdy am I behind on posting updates. But, the good news is that I’ve been busy down in the shop, and I’ve just posted a batch of new lamps and a new bench. Number three in the slat lamp series has emerged.
This one is quite a bit larger than the first two models, and features a very simple arrangement of redwood slats. The cool thing about these slats is that they not only vary in thickness and outside surface angle (they slant in slight different directions), but all the pieces feature the rough saw marks from when the wood was originally milled down from its rough state. These saw marks have a consistent texture and angle all the way around the lamp, adding a nice visual detail. The slats are spaced far enough apart to allow direct viewing of the Edison-style bulb inside. This lamp features the same cloth twisted cord, antique style plug, and polished sockets as the other lamps.
Next up is this simple pendant style lamp made from an antique wiring spool that I came across in an architectural salvage yard. In a similar vein of simplicity, I also ran across this old cooking lid in the same salvage yard. I cleaned it up and sanded it to get this polished aluminum look. I love the beehive-like layers in the design, and the piece looks nice with the antique style socket and bulb.
This is one that I suspect I’ll be making more of for sure. It is made from an old drawer that was removed from an apartment remodel. I removed the handles and cut it down to the length that you see here, but otherwise left it as is. All the old nails, paint and glue marks, and other imperfections are all visible. The worn utilitarian look works well with this antique style electrical hardware.
Here is a slight deviation from what I have been making so far…this is a tabletop accent lamp that is meant for highlighting a surface like the one you see here, a hallway table, etc. it’s made from an old shipping pallet that has this cool red paint still visible. Other than cutting the pieces to size, all of the original dents, marks, and imperfections are left as is. This lamp features a big ‘ol 25W Edison style bulb, twisted cloth cord, old style wall plug, and an inline on/off switch.
And the last of the lamp posts for today is yet another deviation. This time I am posting a lamp that already existed, but was in pretty rough shape. I took the lamp apart, cleaned everything up, then re-assembled it with new wiring and hardware. This is a great classic modern style lamp. This was my first attempt at refurbishing an existing lamp, and I look forward to doing more projects like this
And finally the last item that I posted today was the second bench/table creation, this one made from a combination of shipping pallets (the legs) and a salvaged redwood plank that I found off of Craigslist. I sanded everything down just enough to remove the dangerous splinters, and all of the imperfections are definitely visible but add lots of character to this piece.
