Amazing Stacked Wooden Lamp, making your own stacked lamp is easy; You can download the templates I created to make this lamp, or you can follow along as I show you how to easily design your own lamp shape and make the templates yourself.
The lamp shape design software and templates are easy to use and completely free!
Step 1: Template or design of yours

You can recreate this exact lamp by downloading the template I made at the end of this step, or you can use some very basic tools to learn how to make your own design.
Do your thing:
Designing your own lampshade is incredibly easy. I used the small but mighty TinkerCAD to design the shape of my lamp.
TinkerCAD is a free entry-level 3D modeling program, you drag and drop shapes onto a work surface and pull them to make the shapes you want.
Don't let the fact that it's super easy fool you into thinking it's just for kids, there's a lot this pack can do for you, and it's a great way to model quick prototypes.
After modeling, you can divide the model into manageable slices with 123D Make, a free program that allows you to convert your 3D model into flat slices that can be cut on a laser cutter or printed on paper and used as a template so one can cut it by hand.
Download the template:
If you'd rather skip the computer stuff, you can download the template below.
Download the stacked lamp template
Step 2: TinkerCAD – Basic Shapes

TinkerCAD is a super easy-to-use computer-aided design 3D modeling program. You can easily place primitive shapes in a work area, then drag and combine them to create new shapes.
Almost all commands in TinkerCAD are click and drag, which makes creating models really easy.
Start by opening a new scene and dragging a cone and cylinder into the scene.
Scale and size will be determined later, for now we just want to get our shapes correct.
Step 3: TinkerCAD – Lampshade

We'll modify the cone to look like the top of a screen, so we'll need to flatten the pointy top.
Click on the cylinder to open the action bar for that shape at the bottom of the screen. Click the move icon on the action bar and you will see arrows appear on the cylinder, move the cylinder over the cone.
It doesn't matter exactly where the cylinder is on the cone, as long as the entire tip of the cone overlaps the bottom of the cylinder.
Click on the cylinder, anywhere in the scene to deselect the cylinder.
From the top item bar, click the combination icon, then subtract in the submenu.
Click on the cone first and then click on the cylinder, then press the Enter key to confirm the selection, this will subtract the two shapes and leave you with a truncated cone.
You now have the lampshade shape for your lamp.
Step 4: TinkerCAD – Lamp Base Part 1 (align)


Since the subtraction action sacrifices one of the primitives, we will have to place a new cylinder.
From the top action bar, click the snap icon (magnet-shaped) to align and join two primitives.
With the snap icon activated, click the bottom of the truncated cone toward the cylinder. The two shapes will be joined and aligned, placing the cylinder centered on the top of the cylinder.
Step 5: TinkerCAD – Lamp Base Part 2 (scale)


Click the truncated cylinder to open the action bar at the bottom of the screen, then clickClick on the scale icon.
Drag the arrow on the cone to enlarge it to about the size of a screen compared to the cylindrical base.
Press the Enter key to accept the changes.
Click anywhere in a blank area of the canvas to clear selections, then click modify from the top action bar, and then press extract from the submenu.
Click on the top of the cylinder to stretch the top of the cylinder to make it longer.
Pull the cylinder toward the bottom of the cone, then move it until it is a size that resembles the basic shape of a lamp base. Press enter to accept the selection.
Tap the grouping icon from the top action bar, then group from the submenu, then click the truncated cone and cylinder to select both.
Press enter to accept the selection and group the two primitives.
You now have a small-scale model of what the lamp will look like - you're halfway there!
Step 6: TinkerCAD – Scale Lamp Part 1 (Cylinder Size)



With the shape of the lamp made, we will need to scale it to the correct size.
Place a new cylinder in the scene, then click on the cylinder and choose the scale icon in the bottom action bar.
This cylinder will represent the central opening inside the lamp.
Scale up to the size you want your interior opening, I went for a 2″ diameter opening.
After changing the size and pressing enter to accept, you can check the size by clicking on the cylinder and selecting the dimension information.
Step 7: TinkerCAD – Scale Lamp Part 2 (Cylinder Height)



On the top action bar, click the Modify button, then press the button from the submenu. Click on the top of the new reference cylinder and pull it up, as you pull the cylinder height measurement will be displayed.
Continue pulling the cylinder up until it is taller than the final height of your lamp.
In my case, since my lamp was going to be 12″ tall, I made the cylinder 16″ tall.
Step 8: TinkerCAD – Scale Lamp Model



Click the fit icon from the top action bar, then click on the bottom of the tall reference cylinder and then on the top of the lamp, stacking the cylinder directly on top of the lamp shade.
As when we group elements together, we will have to ungroup them by clicking on the group icon in the top action bar and then ungroup from the submenu.
To zoom in on the lamp start, click on the models to clear your selection, then click on the lamp to open the bottom action menu and click scale.
Pull out the lamp model to make it larger, then use the selection dimension information on the bottom bar to see how big your lamp model is.
Step 9: TinkerCAD – Channel Opening Part 1



We will use the center cylinder to make the opening inside the lamp form, but before doing so we need to add a rectangular piece to the cylinder to make a channel from the center of the lamp outwards.
From the top action bar, click on the primitive and then click on the submenu box and then click on the scene to drop it.
From the top action bar, click and place the box onthe top of the central cylinder.
We will resize this box to be a rectangle in the next step.
Step 10: TinkerCAD – Channel Opening Part 2




Click on the new cube and choose Scale from the bottom action bar, scale the cube so that the box has the same uniform dimension as the diameter of the cylinder.
Move the hub half its width across the top of the cylinder, so that the edge of the hub sits at the bisecting diameter of the end of the cylinder (see figure 2).
After the cube has moved, click modify from the top action bar and then press pull from the submenu.
Pull the bottom of the hub down to approximately match the length on the center cylinder.
Repeat pressing the press to extend the side of the rectangle outward from the cylinder and away from the lamp model.
You now have the basic shape that we will use to subtract from the lamp model and create the channel and center opening in our lamp model.
Step 11: TinkerCAD – Subtract the slot opening



From the top action menu, click the merge icon, then merge from the submenu, then click the rectangle and cylinder to merge them into one model.
From the top action menu, click the combine icon again, this time click subtract.
First click on the grouped rectangle and cylinder, then click on the lamp model.
The lamp model should now have an opening inside and a channel running the entire length of the model.
On the file menu, click export and save the model as an STL file.
Step 12: 123D Make – Load the model



123D Make is a free program that allows you to convert your 3D model into flat slices.
This program is very good as it converts your model from 3D parts to 2D which can then be printed on a laser cutter or (as we are about to do) on a standard desktop printer.
Open 123D Make and load in the STL file you generated from TinkerCAD.
All the options for how the model will be cut are on the left side of the screen.
We will start with the manufacturing settings that will establish where the model will be printed, in our case we will use a standard desktop printer.
From the manufacturing settings dropdown menu, choose the preset that matches your printer (probably 8.5″x11″), you can check it at the bottom of the screen.
Next on the list is the object size where we will set how big the model will be.
The size should match what you made in TinkerCAD, that way the center opening we measured will be the same size in our print. This is where you will specify the thickness of the material you want to use. I used 1/2″ wood for my lamp.
Finally, we will select the construction technique that will allow us to specify how our model is cut.
I wanted a stacked lamp, so I chose stacked slices.
There are quite a few options you can choose from here, so have fun and experiment.
After selecting your build technique, the model will be split and the model will change from a solid to a stack of slices.
Step 13: 123D Make: Obtain plans (and errors)

If there is a problem printing your model on the paper you specified, the program will highlight the part that is causing the problem.
This highlighted area shows me that this sector in particular it is large enough to be printed on one sheet, and too small to be divided into segments like the larger segments below it.
The program will continue printing, but clipping will occur in this segment.
This is not a big problem for paper prints, as I can write and make an arc with a pencil once the paper template is on the wood, completing the shape.
With the stacked slices generated, we can generate the plans to print.
On the left side of the screen, near the bottom of the list, click Get Plans.
Step 14: 123D Make – Printing Projects

Get plans that will show the sheets the program will generate, for my 50-sheet model with the largest shapes that won't fit on one sheet split into multiple sheets.
These paper prints will be glued to the wood and hand cut to make the shapes.
At the bottom of the screen you can choose the file type to save the sectors to, I decided to save them as PDF and then click Print.
Step 15: Cut templates



After printing the paper templates, I cut them out to cut the outlines of the shape.
For the larger slices that didn't fit on a sheet, the 123D Make program separates them with assembly instructions automatically printed on each sheet, so after cutting I simply glued the corresponding pieces together to re-form the larger shapes.
Step 16: Glue the templates to the wood

I used a spray adhesive to adhere the paper templates to my 1/2″ wood board.
For the only portion I had that didn't print completely, I used a pencil to write the rest of the shape on the wood.
Step 17: Cut the pieces

Using a jigsaw or band saw, carefully cut out the shapes. If you have a 2″ drill bit, you can drill through the center of each piece before cleaning the sides with a utility knife.
I left a little extra on the outside of each piece that I could clean up on a sander and make nice smooth edges.
Step 18: Borders

After cutting all the pieces, I sanded them to their final shape. There will be more fine hand sanding later, so rough edges are fine here.
After sanding the pieces, we can remove the paper templates from the slices.
Step 19: Hand sanding


With the paper templates removed, the pieces can be sanded by hand with a fine grit sandpaper.
I started with 120 grit and then up to 220 grit to give each piece nice smooth edges.
Step 20: Plastic tube

You can find clear tubes at your local equipment, craft, or specialty store. Alternatively, you can always buy it online.
Matching my design I used a 2″ outer diameter clear tube, for greater stability you will need a tube with a wall thickness of 1/16″ – 1/8″.
Step 21: Fit Test


Before cutting the tube to size, it is a good idea to do a test fit. Insert the tube into the bottom piece of the stacked lamp and stack the lamp slats on top to get an idea of how the lamp is constructed.
The tube must fit snugly at the bottom of the lampra, as it will be the connection point and the light can be opened when you want to change the bulb after it has been built.
Step 22: Mark and cut the tube



With the tube inserted into the bottom slice and the lamp slices stacked on top, I marked the top of the lamp on the tube.
Remove the tube from the stacked lamp and use a saw to cut the tube to the correct length, then reinsert it into the stacked lamp to check the height.
When you are happy with the length of your tube, you can sand the ends to remove any rough pieces or edges.
Step 23: Sand the tube to diffuse the light



To disperse the light inside the tube, we will roughen the transparent surface with sanding, creating diffuse light that will shine inside the lamp.
Using 150 or higher grit sandpaper, sand the tube along the long axis, this will keep the sanding strides uniform along the length of the tube.
Switch to a finer grit to smooth out any gouges, then finish with a synthetic scouring pad to even out the sanding and smooth the finish.
Step 24: Electrical components

The electricity for this lamp is super simple:
- Extension cable
- Rocker switch
- Light socket
Step 25: Switch



Having a switch for your lamp makes everything very easy to operate, but not totally necessary.
I cut off the end of the extension cord to plug into the light socket later. I then cut one of the wires about 8″ from where the plug was cut.
The wire was fed into the rocker switch, then the cut ends of the wire were stripped and attached to the switch terminals.
Step 26: Trace the tube to the socket flange


Wanting a low profile for the base of my lamp, I chose to trim the tab on the light socket to fit inside the lowest part of the lamp.
Placing the tube over the lamp holder, I traced the outline of the tube on the connector flange.
Step 27: Cut the flange

Using a band saw, I carefully cut the plastic zip tie around the light socket, following the line I drew. Make sure you use a lever to move the piece around the blade and don't get your fingers too close!
Step 28: Wire the Socket


After trimming the lamp holder, I stripped the ends of the wire with the rocker switch and placed them in the lamp holder.
You can test your wiring by screwing in a light bulb and plugging in the extension cord and clicking the switch.
Step 29: Channel for the cable

The light socket must fit inside the last slice of the lamp.
The cord will need a small channel to sit inside so that the lamp lays flat when resting on the table.
I sensed the outline of the cable at the bottom of the last section and cityI carefully routed a channel to hide the cable, epoxy was used to hold the cable in place.
More epoxy was used to seat the cutout light base into the cutout, making sure to seat the socket into the piece deep enough so that the piece will lay flat on a surface when turned right side up.
You can always add felt padding around the base if you wish.
Step 30: Glue

With the epoxy dry, we can glue the base sections.
The lace should protrude from the bottom cut, to keep the tube in place we will need to glue another smaller piece to the top of the bottom cut.
I used regular wood glue to join the two slices together and complete the base.
Step 31: Add the bulb


After the glue has dried, you can add a light bulb to the socket.
There is a large selection of light bulbs available at your hardware store.
The two main criteria are a bulb that fits inside its tube and a bulb with a low enough wattage that it will not melt the plastic tube.
I found a light bulb that was used for tall, very thin ovens, and about 30 watts.
After screwing in the bulb, place the plastic tube over the bulb and press to fit into the base.
Step 32: The sliced stack

Now comes the fun part...stacking!
There is no wrong way to put this lamp together. So start stacking!
Step 33: Happy stacking!




Stair, flip, rotate: Any way you stack these slices is sure to satisfy!
I decided to coat the wood with boiled linseed oil to get a good finish without taking away the appearance of the wood grain, but leaving it uncoated is fine too.
This stacked lamp looks amazing and can be changed to look completely different at any time.
More Designs:









Have you made your own stacked lamp? I want to see it!
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