How to Make an Edison Lamp 2026

On this occasion we will teach you how to make an Edison lamp to surprise your guests and give a different touch to your bedroom. There is no substitute for the warm glow of a vintage incandescent bulb.

I've been wanting to design a lamp with an exposed Edison bulb for a while, and it occurred to me that since the tip of a lamp like this is an exposed bulb, the rest of the lamp should be minimal and very simple.

Why draw attention to this beautiful bulb?

Video of how to make an Edison lamp

Click to see the Video.

Steps to make an Edison lamp

#1: Design

All I did was offset the two by 3″, then draw an egg shape around them offsetting the profile by 1 1/4″.

This gave me a 4 1/4″ X 1 3/4″ X 2″ tall block that everything would fit perfectly.

I designed it in Fusion because I wanted to make sure I was getting the right depth, but there's no reason you couldn't do the entire project by measuring it directly on a block of wood.

It has a fully modeled switch and socket; This could be useful if you want to model your own lamp using the same parts.

The .PDF file is the template that you can use as a guide to cut the pieces.

Edison Lamp Layout
Edison lamp STL
Edison Lamp

#2: Tools and materials

MATERIALS AND PARTS

• Vintage filament bulb
• Phenolic Medium Base Bulb Base
• Lock Push Button Switch (5A 250V)
• 2 Conductor 18 Gauge Black Cotton Parallel Cable (5 Feet)
• Rectangular rubber plug (black)
• Hardwood (2″ X3″ X6″ laminated piece)

TOOLS:

• Bench drill: This is important because the holes must be perfectly flush.
• Forstner bits: 1 1/4″ Ø, 3/4″ Ø, 1 7/8″ Ø, 1 1/8″ Ø. Every carpenter should have a set of these!
• Band saw
• Sanding supplies: I used a belt sander, but this could all be done by hand.
• Welder
• Heat gun
• Silicone gun
• 18 gauge wire
• Heat shrink tube

#3: Lamination and Perforation

• I laminated 3 pieces of 1″ Hard Maple to get the block I needed.
• I thought a 3″ base might look good, and I was laminating anyway, so I tried it.
• I ended up cutting everything back to 2″ on the table saw because the proportions looked better, so it wasn't necessary.
• 24 hours later I sanded the block on the belt sander on all sides to make sure they were flush.
• With the sides flush, I applied the stencils with spray adhesive, taking great care to align the stencils with the sides of the block.
• The two templates are different: one has smaller holes to fit the socket and switch, the other has larger holes to allow room for wiring.
• Larger holes should be drilled in the back leaving approximately 1/4″ deep at the top of the pieces.
• This creates friction for the socket and provides a surface to tighten against the switch nut.
• To set the depth, I marked 1/4″ on the side of the block, lowered the drill bit to align with the mark, then used masking tape to mark the depth on the threaded post on the side of the drill press.
• I didn't place the stop nut on the threaded post because this depth does not have to be exact.
• Using the center marks on the templates, I aligned the front drill bits with the holes and clampedtea the blocks.

#4: Cut the profile

• Using the band saw, I cut straight lines on both sides of the profile.
• To cut the curves at each end, I made a series of straight cuts that ended at the profile of the curve.
• This prevents the band saw from snagging when following a sharp curve.
• With the profile almost cut, I took the piece to the belt sander to clean up the jagged edges.

#5: Make a channel for wiring, finish the wood

• To wire the lamp, you need a channel at the bottom of the base to allow the wires to run to the switch.
• To make the channel, I simply marked a line between the bottom hole and drilled about 1/4″ deep with a 1/4″ Ø front bit.
• With the holes drilled, I used chisels to clean the channel.
• With the channel made, I drilled a 1/4″ Ø hole in the back of the base to allow the power cord to exit the base.
• When this step was done, I also applied a little oil to seal the wood and prevent stains.

#6: Wiring

• One wire from the power cord is connected to the switch, the other wire from the switch is connected to one of the wires from the bulb socket, and the other wire from the bulb socket connects back to the other wire from the power cord (as shown in the diagram).
• Cut some 2″ 18 gauge wires and tin the ends. If you twist the wires and tin the ends (soak them with solder) before soldering them to the switch wires, they will fuse instantly and completely.
• Solder the wires to the wires on the switch.
• Use heat shrink tubing to cover the wires.
• Engage the switch mechanically. To do this, I inserted the switch, attached the nut, and then used a pair of pliers to hold the nut in place while I turned the switch by hand.
• Insert the socket and snap the ends into your cables.
• The bushing on mine fits perfectly with the friction, so there was no need for adhesives on this part.
• Connect one of the cables from the socket to one of the cables from theswitch.
• I soldered them and covered them with heat shrink tubing, but you could also do this with crimped end connectors.
• Pass the power cord through the hole in the back of the base, strip and tin the ends.
• Solder one of the wires from the power cord to the other wire on the switch, and the other wire from the power cord to the wire from the outlet that is not yet connected.
• Using the heat shrink tubing enclosing all the connections, enclose the wires connecting the switch to the bulb and the wire to the channel using hot glue.
• I also used hot glue on the power cord to keep it in place. NEVER rely on soldered or crimped connections to structurally hold wiring. Your wires will eventually be cut and you will burn down your house!
• With the plug housing on the power cord, I attached the ends of the power cord to the prongs on the plug, then assembled the end of the cord.

#7: Enjoy

That's all about it! I did the entire project in about 3 hours (not counting the glue drying overnight).

It's very small so there's plenty of room on my nightstand, it gives off a lot of light and has a nice warm glow.

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