Veneer Lamps

You'll enjoy adding the warmth of wood to a room with this veneer covered lamp. You can make it any size you wish from a small uplight to a large floor lamp.

Materials:

wood veneer
MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard)
1/4-inch luan
1-inch by 1-inch wood strips
finish nails
electrical lamp kit
glue gun and hot wood glue sticks
black permanent marker
pencil
Minwax stain pens
Krylon matte finish sealer
polyurethane
paintbrush
metal straight edge
craft knife
utility knife
scroll saw or RotoZip Spiral Saw
miter saw or handsaw and miter box
hammer
iron
masking tape

Instructions:

Determine the dimensions of the lamp and cut the top square from 1/4-inch luan. Draw diagonal pencil lines from corner to corner. Draw lines 1/2-inch each side of the diagonal lines creating four triangles on the top. Using a scroll saw or RotoZip Spiral saw, cut out the insides of the triangles. Drill a hole in the center for the harp to pass through.
Cut 1-inch by 1-inch wood strips the length of the tops of the sides, mitering the corners.
Hot glue the wood strips to the top of the lamp using wood glue sticks.
From MDF cut the bass of the lamp. Draw lines 1 inch from the edges and cut out the center.
Cut 1-inch wood strips the desired height of the lamp and secure them to the base by nailing them to the corners from the underneath.
Cut four pieces of veneer for the sides of the lamp slightly longer than the side measurement. Lightly pencil in the desired geometric design that will be applied with wood stain pens. Apply a coat of polyurethane to the veneer to seal in the lines. This will cause the veneer to curl. When the polyurethane is dry, iron each veneer piece on the back to straighten.
Add a couple of strips of masking tape to the back of a straight edge to build up a little height. This will prevent the stain from bleeding under the straight edge. Place the straight edge along the marked lines and score with a craft knife.
Line up the straight edge with the scored line and apply the wood stain from the stain pen.
When the design is complete, spray with sealer. Apply another color or coat of stain. Seal with polyurethane.
Hot glue the veneer pieces to all four sides with the veneer extending below the base. Trim veneer sides even with the bottom of the base using a utility knife and slicing straight down against the base.