DIY Wood Pendant Light Fixture
Introduction: DIY Wood Pendant Light Fixture
So we needed a new light fixture for our front door entry area and as I had been through two other fixtures that either I didn't like or my sweetheart didn't like, it was time to take a different approach.
I am a hardcore shopper, having done props for theater for many years. I spend hours online sending options to my husband who kept disapproving, saying eh, was lukewarm until I sent him a particular wood one which happened to be out of budget. Of course that was the hit! So I opted to be guided by its design and build my own.
Making your own light fixtures isn't difficult, just take your time and in the end, you end up with something totally custom, totally your own, and something you can be proud of.
This is a two part blog post which contains lots of additional details, tips, and information more thoroughly explained so please come on by and read Part One here and then you can read the follow up wrap up installation Part Two here.
If you'd like to recreate this particular fixture, read on here for the link to my drawings.
Supplies
Here's what I used (and some of this may not apply to your particular fixture location or may vary depending on your design):
recessed can light conversion kit*
hardwire pendant light kit*
2' x 4' piece of 1/4" plywood
powdered charcoal*
spray mount*
1 5/8" Forstner bit*
rotary tool*
sanding blocks and paper
wood conditioner*
stain of choice
paste wax*
buffer*
super glue*
miscellaneous fixture hanging parts
FYI, the * items are Amazon affiliate links so if you purchase, you won't pay more but I'll earn a few cents to keep my handy blog, Flipping the Flip, going and I'd sure appreciate it!
Step 1: Design Your Light Fixture
After studying pictures online of the fixture I intended to replicate and sort of backwards engineering it to figure out how I was going to build it, I used AutoCAD to help me draw up my design. Now, if you don't have AutoCAD or know how to use it, no problem at all. You can draw up your fixture using another program or even by hand.
AutoCAD allowed me flexibility in changes and scaling as well as the ability to print out my design, tape the pages together, and easily transfer the design onto the plywood.
Yes, I printed it out and held it up, trying to gauge if my sizing would work for our foyer. Had to be large enough but also small enough to not get whacked by the front door.
If you would like to replicate the fixture I built, you can download my drawings here.
Step 2: Transfer the Design
The parts I needed cut out of wood were the legs of the fixture, if you will, and the piece that connected these legs to the pendant kit.
After printing out the elements on my regular ol' household printer, I rubbed powdered charcoal on the back side of the legs print out with the black lines of the design on the front. 401
Flip the page over, set it on your plywood charcoal side down, and with a sharp pencil, trace the black printed line to transfer the shape onto the plywood.
In my case, I repeated this 18 times. Yeah, 18, heh, it felt like 100.
For the circular connection piece, I attached two pieces of 1/4" plywood scrap together and spray mounted the print out onto it, then attached the two wood pieces together with a screw in the center.
Step 3: Cut
Using my bandsaw, I cut out the 18 leg pieces, the circle for the connector piece, and the little 1/4" notches that will hold the legs. Lots of cutting.
Step 4: Cutting Notches
Next up was a lot of math which I should have used AutoCAD for and saved my poor brain but, I didn't.
Each leg received 1/4" notch to connect into the circle connector piece. The math was figuring out the spacing along the 4" straight edge of the legs as the legs will appear to undulate around the fixture. 18 legs and they were divided into nine pairs.
You can set the legs to be even all around, undulate down and back up then down, or as I did.
Step 5: Prepping the Connector
Here I used a Forstner bit to drill out the center hole that accepted the pendant kit. The screw that was previously in the center made it very easy to locate the correct spot.
I made sure to purchase a kit that screwed together, so it was like a sandwich cookie. 599