Wood lantern - DIY

I have always been looking for a nice flood light. I have a stack of throwing lights, but they are always a bit annoying to use inside, even with a cieling bounce its not a "comfortable" light for me.

Supplies:
Pallet wood
G4 5W 580-Lumen 102 SMD DC 12V
3x 18650 holders
3x 18650 batteries
rocker switch
Mini Red LED Panel Voltage Meter
some nails
some screws
wood glue

I do not have pictures of the inside, but all that is there are the batteries and wiring, nothing exciting.

The light was built from just pallet wood , intentionally rough looking. I wanted it to look like sort of like an old candle holder, but with an LED. The wood is all cut to size, and nailed. The two screws and wing nuts are what holds the back on, pull them out and the back comes off, to change the battery.

I am somewhat concerned over how well the handle will hold on, but so far so good. I was able to glue it in place, and put 3 18 gauge nails in the top and bottom portions. Then I added the support brackets to top and bottom and glued it all together. It is all very tight, we will see how it hold up.

I am very pleased with the way it feels, and how it throws light everywhere. Its a very nice "walking around the house light" Clearly it does a great job lighting up the room too.

Figured it might inspire some to build something similar. Total cost: $4 (light and meter, rest was laying around). Its a matter of taste, but to me, this is very functional, and looks pretty nice. I had the meter and the light hooked up on a test stand, and used that as a room light for the past 6 months, only recently got around to putting this together, so at least I know those components will last a long time. I did think about adding a fuse to the inside wiring, in case something shorts out, but everything is soldered and taped, so i am pretty comfortable.

That is an interesting artistic take on a lamp. You really made it your own concept.

Probably could have paid $140 for something similar in a specialty store.

Cool, nice work! Thanks for sharing.

Looks pretty cool! :thumbsup:

Thanks. For me it was something nice. I realized I am tired of tube lights, already have a stack of them. I also have learned to really enjoy wood products, probably because all of the kids stuff is plastic, wood has a nice feel to it. So far I really like this, might make another one, little more light, 2 or 3 bulbs like this.. I will let this form factor grow on me for a while.

Would love over to see if anyone else has done something similar.

Fun!
I must be old, because I can't help thinking it looks like those old magnetic field generators used to wipe VCR tapes.

~D

Really neat. This is my style & taste too. I would probably add a reflector of some sort. Maybe some tin foil, or say polished inside of a drink can (Coke). That would make a huge difference. I love your ingenuity and style. Keep it coming!

cool, finally there is someone else here that builds wooden lights, i thought i was the only crazy like that here.
here are my builds,
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?337485-plywood-flashlights

http://forum.fonarevka.ru/showthread.php?t=8162

When i thought about making a wood flashlight I did find your plywood flashlights, was very impressed! They were somewhere between 'above my skill level" and "above my time commitment", with 2 little kids who helped every-single-step-of-the-way, I both liked the rustic look, and knew i could get that done. Regardless, its such a genuine feel to a wood lantern.

Really liked your plywood lights

That looks cool and different. For some reason it looks like a lantern I would find in Fallout 4.

Love it.:thumbsup:

DaveC1964 said:

That looks cool and different. For some reason it looks like a lantern I would find in Fallout 4.

Click to expand...

Loved this. So true. First thing that popped into my head.

That is a really cool looking build.:thumbsup: