Buying plywood and cutting it - Reader query (Part 1)

Blog FAQ Reader query

While I normally direct any generic questions on how one can start basic woodworking to my 17 point recipe, I also get very specific questions which I respond to. Considering some of these questions are to the point and can be of use to others looking for similar answers, I thought it is best to document these questions-answers in the blog as part of reader queries series. As first post on this series, here’s my e-mail interaction (Part 1) sometime last week with Sai.

Taking cues from your website, I had planned to make a small table for my pooja room (This is my first task, and I have big plans once am successful with it). Since I had never done any drawing am not able to put my things on paper. My design is simple - Size of table top - 1 1/2 x 2 feet, and height of the table 1 feet. (In future, am planning to have some draws placed to this table, so is the height acceptable or do I need to increase it a bit more?). Now, guide me in moving forward in doing this job. - Sai.

Plywood : when I checked at the shop next to my place, he has asked me to take the whole sheet of 18 mm thickness of 6x4 size.  Do, I need to pick the whole sheet?  I clearly know that it's waste for now, but can be used for my next task.

My response : I normally buy plywood as per my requirement. Luckily I found someone who was more than willing to part with the smaller planks of wood that he had. The only challenge I have with buying the entire sheet is storage and transportation. And not knowing what my next project is can mean I may not be able to find use for the additional plank immediately.  Normally, vendors push the entire sheet as it makes more business sense for them. However, if you can find someone who can give you sheets based on need, nothing like it.

Note : Besides my car boot, I also store all my unused plywood in my service area, balcony and even the underside of the cot. While I think I will have ample use for these pieces of wood, I have not been able to put them to functional use because of lack of requirements - A major reason why I prefer buying based on need.

Unused plywood stacked in the boot of my car

Cutting : Can I myself cut the sheet with saw that we get in the market or do I need to get it done outside?

My response : You can. However, that just means you need to have a circular saw or a jig saw. If it is 12mm plywood sheets, you can cut it using the hand saw, but that by itself is an effort. Ask if your plywood supplier can do it himself for an additional sum. I get it done through the plywood vendor. Owning the tool is a challenge for me because of space constraints. I live in the 4th floor of an apartment, and so it poses noise issues for those below.

Note : Since not having a tool should never be an impediment to begin a hobby, I always recommend that some of the tasks are outsourced. The key is to get going with the project, learn and acquire skills as you move on with it. 

I added the notes as an after thought and it was not part of mail response. Sai had more queries related to tools, fixing the table legs and finishing the table top which I shall update in the Part 2 of this post. Meanwhile, if you have queries that you want clarified, shoot me a mail (somu@woodooz.com). While I shall happily help you with what I know, I will also respectfully tell you if there is something I cannot help you with because of lack of information. 

Recycle project - From unwanted glass doors to functional shelves

Blog recycle idea

Not much is really happening with DIY or woodworking. Too many things have happened, life has taken a 180 degree turn and all in the positive direction. As cliched as it may sound, sometimes we wish a day had more than 24 hours. The project that I last started is in its almost complete state for more than 3 months now. It is only the last mile that I need to complete and yet, it remains unfinished. My hands itch at times hoping that I get to do something, however small it might be.

Anyway. Remember the glass door that we installed for our TV unit. There was a major draw back to it that I never foresaw. Because it was not a see through glass (partial see through), I had to keep the door open every time I had to use the remote. While we put up with this for a long time, we decided to do away with the translucent glass door and replace it with clear glass.

Recycling project 

One glitch though.  What do we do with the already existing partial see through glasses. It would really break my heart to just throw them away after having spent some bucks on them. And just when this thought was running through my mind, a situation presented itself that gave me just the right opportunity to reuse these glass doors. And voila ! Without having to spend a single penny (except of course for the hinges which cost about 40 a pair) we had the glass doors converted into bathroom accessory stands / shelves.

Recycled glass - Serving as a bathroom accessory stand

The smaller glasses were just perfect and didn’t require any cut. The bigger ones were cut into 4 quarter circles and used as corner stands. All I did was I gave the directions to my plywood vendor and he had them all cut for me. He also smoothened the edges. I needed 12 hinges to have them installed on the wall and had the electrician install the once-a-door-now-a-shelf for me (While I normally do my installations, I have never tried drilling into a bathroom tile. I am also scared that I might puncture the concealed pipes. So just this, I leave it to the professionals).

Please ignore the not so perfect quarter circles

Corner shelves recycled from glass door

End of the day, it made two happy owners and possibly two happy tenants too.

Everyone is asking, Have you lost interest in Woodooz ? Have we ?

Blog general hobby

I have to accept. 2014 was not a great year for Woodooz in terms of the number of posts and projects. Compared to the previous year, the count is paltry – A mere 18. Not even two posts a month and the blog has been dormant, if not dead, for the last 3 months.  And this is making many ask me, “Are you done with it? Have you lost interest? Is this not a sustainable hobby? “.

A 2014 project - Side Table

Before I answer that question, I wanted to look back at 2014. Despite few posts, we had some interesting things happening at Woodooz:

• First was the coverage in Smartlife Magazine. This gave us a big motivational boost.
• Second was my visit to the Bosch DIY Square in Bangalore. Woodworking is fun and to experience it in a proper studio kind of environment was very exciting for me.
• Third was meeting up with a fellow woodworker. It was an evening well spent talking about not just carpentry, but also about life in general.
• And lastly, a lovely vacation to end the year. To be lazy and do absolutely nothing was the objective of the holiday and Kumarakom ended up being the perfect destination for it.

 At the banks of Kumarakom Vembanad lake

All good things ? Yet there was a dearth of posts. Why ? Have I lost interest ? Has the passion died ?

The truth is, there have been too many activities in the last 3 months that have been taking my attention. Activities that I have started to enjoy and pursue as parallel hobbies that I ended up giving very little time to Woodworking.

Cricket

To start with, I have taken to Cricket every Saturday morning. Not the professional sport types, but the tennis ball kinds that you play with friends. This I took up to introduce physical activity into my schedule to stay more fit and active. Much like every Indian, I love playing Cricket and now this takes up good 4 hours of my every Saturday.

Lots of action in the cricket ground

Photography

We recently bought a DSLR with absolutely no knowledge on using one. The prime reason was to start taking better pictures of our Woodooz projects. But then, what happened ? As I started exploring the camera and the basics around using it, I was involuntarily drawn into photography. A sudden surge that prompted me to go click click and click. The result – I have been spending way too much time in getting my techniques right. I love this so much that we have even started going bird watching to explore photography more.

Butterfly - Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary

Row of Park Benches

Spot Billed Pelican - At Pallikarnai Marsh Land

Reading

And finally reading. A collection of books that is supposedly epic novels written in my native language Tamil. I started reading the first in the series and realized how much I have been giving my mother tongue a step motherly treatment. These books written by Kalki Krishnamurthy are beautifully written novels that use fiction around real historical characters and events. What this did was not only unearth my interest in my language, but also in history. These books about the pallavas, and cholas are among the best that I have read in a long long time. And so, you can imagine. I still have another 5 parts to complete and I intend to be glued onto them.

Kalki's Ponniyin Selva collection

All said, what happens to Woodworking ? Had a little positive distraction in 2014 that made us give divided attention to Woodooz. However, we are resolute now to find all possible excuses to create newer projects that will keep us and Woodooz engaged throughout 2015. Which in turn only translates into providing you with quality updates, how tos, FAQs and other project updates at frequent intervals.

On that positive and forward looking note, we want to wrap up our 2014. We don't know what is in store for us in 2015. But the year that went by has certainly been enjoyable and exciting.

Wish you and your family a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Meet Indranil Banerjie - The man behind the blog IndianDIY

Blog DIY Woodworking Indranil Banerjie interview

While the purpose of a blog may be to showcase ones own work, there is also the intent to encourage others to take up the idea being promoted. More and more blogs on a particular niche is a sure sign that the idea is catching up. Woodworking in India is one concept that is not widely popular. And so it is a tremendous boost when a blog like IndianDIY is doing its bit to ease the concept to hesitant, yet interested Indian hobbyists. Meet Indranil Banerjie, the man behind IndianDIY who is an ardent Woodworking hobbyist from Noida.

I was prompted to write this feature after my interesting meet with him in Bangalore. He said, “I have learnt so much from the Internet. And it is time I give back without expecting anything in return”. His blog is all about giving back to the DIY community. Read on and know more about him. Over to Indranil.

Indranil Banerjie of IndianDIY.blogspot.com

An introduction

I took to woodworking four years ago after my 51st birthday! After working hard all my life on a desk, I wanted to do something creative with my hands, something physical that I could hold and feel. Woodworking interested me, but I never had the time or the money to pursue it . At 51, I had the time and a little money to seriously consider it. 

We had settled down in a sleepy suburb 35 km from Delhi and there was nothing much to do. There were hardly a couple of restaurants, one movie hall that showed only Hindi movies and no coffee shops either. I began in a small way wondering if I would ever be good at it or make something worthwhile. Today, I am at an intermediate stage and have not looked backed ever since.

Teak Wood Book Shelf

 How did you discover your passion for woodworking ?

Beautiful things always fascinated me. I liked the elegance of fine furniture and in my extensive travels all over the world came to admire wooden objects as much as object 'd art. Like in all crafts, there is something of the creator that gets imprinted forever in the object. Perhaps my pathetic quest for immortality :)

Kitchen Wall Cabinet

Why is age, sex or location a barrier (or not a barrier) for hobby woodworking in India ?

Like the marriage ads that say age, sex or caste no bar, I feel all good enterprises in life are indissoluble. A beautiful woman is so regardless of age, caste or geography. The call to arts and crafts is similarly exalted.

I want to get into DIY Woodworking. But I don't know where to start. Your advice ?

I found the greatest difficulty was to actually do something instead of just thinking about it. The fear of failure is always high and the only cure is to plunge in. Make something, no matter what others might think and the days will not be far when you will feel fulfilled. That is the road to excellence.

Indranil with his dovetails

Is the required platform / Tools available in India for someone to pursue DIY home repairs and carpentry ?

Yes, everything is available. You have to search and adjust your capabilities and acquisitions according to your pocket. Power tools are not necessary but nice if you have the money. Hand tools on the other hand are relatively cheap and will last a lifetime.

Quality can be a problem at times but good suppliers can be located with a little help.

Your favorite project so far ?

Inlaid dovetail box.

Dovetailed Wooden Chest / Box

And lastly, what have been your 3 big challenges in this journey of yours ?

• The weather - North India is horrendous for 6 months of the year and I can barely pursue my hobby during that period.
• Time - there is so little each day.
• Bringing myself to the cut - I always hesitate and procrastinate. I wish I could be more resolute and actually cut the wood without thinking on and on whether I will make a mistake.

Beer and biriyani

There is so much to ask. Yet, will stop here hoping this little interview leaves you with wanting to know more about Indranil's wonderful blog and his woodworking adventures. He is celebrating completion of 100 posts on his blog and has an exciting giveaway for you. Do take a moment to check his contest announcement and participate. I am yet to send in my entries and have already laid my eyes on the two books he is giving away. Meanwhile, do leave me a comment if this feature impels you to take up Woodworking as a hobby.

P.S. All photos are owned by Indranil. Kindly do not use these photos without express consent from the owner.

Assembling your DIY Navaratri steps [Step 3] - A video post

Blog DIY Woodworking Golu padi Golu padi series Golu steps video

This is the final post in the golu padi series. This one will be about the assembly of the golu steps. Do ensure you check out the two earlier posts. I am a bit relieved that we don't have to go in search of bricks, card boards, or left over planks to build the steps like we did the last two years.

Before you read the rest of the post, do spend some time to understand what a pilot hole is and what is a cross dowel. These two concepts are essential to get a better grip of the post / video.

Since the video is a little elaborate, I will write only a bit about what needs to be done with pictures.

Check Out ! Complete guide to build your own Golu steps

• [Step 1] Golu Padi Design (Built using Google sketchup)
• [Step 2] Materials required and cost involved
• [Step 3] The actual assembly of the steps [Video Post]

Disclaimer : Materials used and measurements depicted are suited for the collection of dolls we have. Kindly assess your collection and accordingly choose 12mm / 19 mm ply for your steps.

The Golu Padi - Final look

Step 1

Join the vertical teak wood support with the horizontal strip of wood. Drive pilot holes and use the nuts and bolts to tighten the wooden pieces.

Do this on both sides of the plywood strip to get the basic support structure in place. (Watch video to know how this is done)

Vertical supports joined at the bottom using a horizontal wooden strip

Step 2

Join the side risers with the vertical teak wood support. Make sure the top rear of the side step is aligned with the wall, and the bottom is parallel and placed on the floor. This is critical to get the required stability. Again, use pilot holes, nuts and bolts. (Watch video to know how this is done)

Side riser joined to the vertical support

Attach the other side riser to the other side of the support structure. Notice how the side steps are balanced without any further support?

Other side riser attached to the 2nd vertical stem

Step 3

With side risers in place, start joining the steps (padis) to the sides. You can screw the step planks to the side steps, but then, it would make assembling and dismantling on a regular basis a pain. To overcome this, use nuts and bolts the way cross dowels are used in the flat pack furniture industry (Watch video to know how this is done).

Start with the top step. Use two bolts on both sides of the planks.

Start adding the step planks - Top one added

Keep adding all the other steps in sequence. For the 2nd, 3rd and 4th padis, it is enough you use only one bolt on both sides.

For the bottom step, use two bolts on both sides. This will ensure the steps do not split at the bottom.

All the step planks joined with the side risers

Finally, evaluate your outcome. Think the steps are wobbly ? Check if the bolts are sufficiently tight. If required include an additional horizontal support connecting the two teak wood vertical stems on the top. And most important : If you know someone who would benefit from this post, do remember to share it. Just click on one of the share options at the end of this post :)

Happy Navaratri 

Materials required and cost involved in making Navaratri Steps [Step 2]

Blog Golu padi Golu padi series Golu steps Navratri steps

I started this project with a budget of Rs 700-800/-. And with that, I set out to look for light weight wood at the timber store. They are sold for Rs.30/- per kg. Sounds good right? It was not as rosy as it seemed. I visited few places and unfortunately no one saw my requirement as giving them good business. And so, no one offered to help and I was left to pick up what I needed from the huge pile of wooden planks. Bugged after a while, I left the place and came back to my favorite raw material – Plywood. Thought there will be no hassle of wading through at the timber yard.

Before I move on, let me remind you that this is a series post about how you can build your own Navratri steps. Here's the list of post in this series :

Check Out ! Complete guide to build your own Golu steps

• [Step 1] Golu Padi Design (Built using Google sketchup)
• [Step 2] Materials required and cost involved
• [Step 3] The actual assembly of the steps [Video Post]

Materials Required and cost :

So, here is what I ended up buying for my Golu Padi :

• A 4 ft x 7ft plywood (12 inches thick) board – Rs. 37 per square feet
• I got the strips of Wood (for the Padi and the side step) cut at the Plywood store
• To save the trouble of explaining, I decided to cut the side step (The stairs) myself

12 mm plywood planks for the side riser and the steps

• I bought two 1 inch thick teak wood (4 ft in length) for the vertical support – Rs. 25 per foot (Rs. 200 in total)
• I had left over wood from earlier projects which I decided to use for the horizontal support

Left over wood - Support for the steps

• Additionally, I had to buy nuts and bolts for this project which costed Rs.73/-

Nuts and bolts

Total Cost = Materials + Joining accessories = Rs. 1309 /-

The only major effort in this case is for you to cut the side step stairs pattern (you can also get it done at the plywood store for a cost). Considering thickness is only 12mm, you can very well saw the pattern using a hand saw. If you have a power saw at home, that would be an advantage. I used my oscillating multi-function power tool. In the next post we will look at the actual assembly of the steps.

And that's me using the oscillating multi-function tool to cut the stair pattern

Related reading (External video link) : Watch Indranil Bannerjee explain how easy it is to use general purpose hand saw and cut wood. Of course, little bit of practice is required to master the skill. I am still trying to get a grip of it.

We have seen the basic design so far and also the materials required for making the padi. I will come back and write about the assembly for get the steps in place. Until then, leave me a comment and let me know what you think of this project. 

[How to] Build your own 5 step Golu padi - [Step 1] Basic design & the measurements

Blog DIY Woodworking FAQ Golu padi Golu padi series Golu steps How tos Navratri steps

• Want a dismantleable Golu Padi for this Navaratri ?
• Feel the ones in the market are very expensive ?
• Had trouble trying to find a carpenter to get it done for you ?
• Did you land up here looking for means to build your own DIY Golu Padi right from scratch and at a much lower price ? 

Well, you have come to the right place. Just browse through the 3 posts from the drop down below and learn about the basic design, materials required and cost, and the assembly procedure (a video).

Check Out ! Complete guide to build your own Golu steps

• [Step 1] Golu Padi Design (Built using Google sketchup)
• [Step 2] Materials required and cost involved
• [Step 3] The actual assembly of the steps [Video Post]

Preethi had started the Golu display at our new home with make shift Golu steps. This year, we wanted something that is more permanent and easy to store and assemble. And so started the Golu padi project. Before that, I would like to thank Love and Lentil for their tutorial from which I took the design with minor additions.

Basic design of the Golu Padi

So, what do you need to get your basic 5 step Golu padi up and running (Well ! Not literally)

• 2 side steps that will support your Golu padis
• The actual steps (5 of them)
• Vertical support for the side steps
• Horizontal support

The focus of this post would be to explain how to arrive at the measurement for the side steps based on the width of each of the Golu padi. And in turn, arrive at your total amount of wood that you need to purchase.

Key Decisions

First decide on the following : What should be the height between two steps ? What should be the width (depth) of the steps ? What should be the length of the steps ? All these three decisions will be completely based on your own collection of dolls / idols. For convenience, choose the height and width (depth) to be same.  In our case, we chose 8.5 inches as the height and depth.

Choose the width, height and length of your steps

Dimensions for the side step support

Here is where Pythagoras Theorem comes in handy. Don't really remember using it for anything functional in the last so many years. Your padi width / height (indicated by 'a') being the sides of a square, you will need a plank that is 5 times the diagonal of that square. The below illustration will help you decide how much of side step support plank that you would need based on your choice of width and height.

How to arrive at the dimension required for Side step support

For 8 inches wide step, you would need just one board of 4 feet x 7 feet plywood. This will suffice for a 5 step golu padi. If you keep increasing the width dimension or increase the number of padis, the total requirement would change. However, the same logic as explained above can be used to calculate your total plank requirement. Again, the below illustration is self explanatory :

Total (ply)wood requirement for an 8in x 8in step (4 feet long)

Horizontal and vertical support

The vertical support is required to hold the structure in place without falling down. And the horizontal support is required to prevent the structure from falling sideways. Both these supports are critical to the stability of your entire structure. You can either use the left over wood (as indicated by the wooden texture in the above photo), or buy the required amount in addition to the 4ft x 7 ft board. The length of these supporting pieces are not provided as they are straightforward and can be derived by merely measuring using an inch tape.

Vertical and side support for the overall structure

To summarize, we saw :

• What is the basic design of the steps
• How much wood is required depending on your choice of width dimension
• How the vertical and horizontal supports help holding the golu steps in place

I will shortly (In 2-3 days time) follow up this post with what I have used for making the steps and the cost involved. Meanwhile, you will have to tell me if this DIY will be of any use to you at all ? Would you be prompted to go ahead and try this out for this festive season ? Let me know in the comments section.

At the Bosch Brand store & DIY Square - An afternoon well spent DIYing

Blog Bosch DIY Square DIY Woodworking Wall clock woodworking workshop

Yeah ! An afternoon well spent making my own DIY Wall Clock. Before I even say anything, I have to mention that the use of the DIY Square is completely free. You can walk in and have a hands-on tools experience with absolutely no sales pressure.

So, what is this DIY Square ? It is an activity center in Bangalore that allows hobbyists to work with power tools and experience the joy of hobby / DIY woodworking. It is an attempt by Bosch to reach out to interested DIYers by providing them with an environment to give wings to their creativity. It also houses a range of power tools and working materials that you can procure.

Bosch Brand Store and DIY Square - A place to unwind DIYing

What turned out to be the highlight of my visit was the amount of fun that I had. I was like a kid in a candy store. While I was a little hesitant initially, Mr.Bhaskar at the Square gave me quite the needed push to try the Jigsaw and the power sanders. He along with Eesha ensured they took me through a DIY project in quick fire time. I was using these tools for the first time and I ended up having the confidence to believe I can use them with all ease. 

Mr. Bhaskar taking us through the tools

I was told that one can walk in to the square to execute his / her own ideas.  Picture wanting to build a small stool or a table or a shelf and also having someone to hand-hold you while you give life to your imagination! It is lovely place for anyone who has been contemplating DIY Woodworking for a long time, and didn’t know how to go about it.

Trying to make my own clock and using the Jig Saw

To anyone who asks me how to get into DIY woodworking, I tell them to take a plunge. However, a visit to the DIY Square can be an intermediate step that can make your plunge seamless. You can get your queries clarified from an expert. You can get an idea on the kind of tools you may need. You can even feel, and use the tools (with expert supervision as needed) with no pressure of buying anything. Walk out making your own piece of art and show it off with friends and family.

With my Wall Clock - Thanks Eesha and Bhaskar

Even better. You can visit the Square as a group. With friends. And with your family. Quite an appealing proposition right?  Which is why I need one in Chennai too.

Some tools on display on the activity table

It was a fruitful afternoon and a very humbling experience for me. I thought I can tame these tools at the first go. But then I realized practice and more of it is what will lead to mastering the use of any tool. I left with a sense of excitement. Maybe, it is the right kind of propulsion I needed. More projects have been there in mind. And now there is enough motivation to pursue them.

DIY Square Kayvee Associates Opp to Bosch Banerghatta Road, Bangalore Tel – 080 – 22109036 /65679561 Mon-Sun 10am-6pm DIY Square

Bosch Brand Store & DIY Square 62/2 Sarjapur Road Opposite Salarpuria Sanctity Bangalore 560035 Tel – 080 – 42177732, Mob: 9886082223 Mon-Sun 11am-8pm

Disclaimer : My visit to DIY Square was sponsored by the event organizers. However, I was not asked or influenced in anyway to write this post. My opinion here is voluntarily written and is completely mine.

Popularizing DIY culture in India - An interaction with VP, Bosch power tools

Blog Bosch DIY DIY home tools DIY Square DIY Woodworking general interview Media

DIY in India is certainly a concept that is catching up. While there are individuals in pockets already indulging in Do It Youself, the idea by itself cannot gain widespread awareness unless there is more focus, attention and thrust coming from the industry at large. Bosch, India, is now getting to broaden that interest through its Home and DIY power tools and its DIY experience center, The DIY square.

Home and DIY Power Tools stall

I recently had the good fortune of interacting with Mr. Vijay Pandey, Vice President of Bosch power tools, India, at their facility in the Garden City. The event was organized for folks from the media to break Bosch’s image of being a predominantly Automotive focused organization and was aimed at introducing the audience to the other streams of business lines that it was already flourishing in - DIY, Home and Garden power tools being one of them.

Click here for more images from the event

Mr.Vijay Pandey at the Bosch Brand DIY Square

Here’s couple of interesting things that came out straight from the horse’s mouth.

He said,

“Bosch provides the joy and first hand experience of DIY by allowing interested hobbyists to unleash their creativity at the Bosch brand store and DIY Square – An experience center that provides tools, assistance and all the needed guidance to overcome the hesitation of using power tools. The use of DIY Square is completely free (unless there is considerable amount of materials used) and there is absolutely no sales pressure. Walk in. Walk out. And have fun in between.”

When asked about the target market,

“We are not trying to replace the carpenters, nor are we trying to convince every individual to DIY. There is a certain section that knows DIY is cool and the outcome of DIY is worth showing off. We want to target that section by providing them with a platform to learn and the right tools to experiment and experience DIY”

Tools demonstration at the venue - Got to hold and try the tools

It was also interesting to note that the tools are very easily available through Flipkart, Amazon, Snapdeal and other E-commerce portals. Bangalore is lucky in one sense that this whole revolution is starting with the city. We had a tour of the DIY Square (And that is a separate post by itself) and I spent the most time there laying my hands on the tools and watching others get a grip of it too. Friendly staff eager to see us brim with joy was an added bonus. Try it and if you like, buy it is an idea I wish existed here in Chennai too. 

Bosch tools on display

Bosch Home Smart Kit 

The whole event left me with a sense of pride. I walked out with the resolution to up my ante. DIY is cool and I hope to continue enjoying the benefits that it has to offer. And it is indeed nice that Bosch is doing its bit to popularize the DIY culture in the Indian sub-continent. That said, what is your take ? Do you think there is growing enthusiasm to embrace this culture ? Share your thoughts as a comment.

Disclaimer : My entire visit was sponsored by the event organizers. However, I was not asked or influenced in anyway to write this post. My opinion here is voluntarily written and is completely mine.

Throwing some light on walls, floors and ceiling with wood, fabric & lamp fittings

Blog Lamp Shade

I have this bad practice of deferring things. If something can be done tomorrow, I would rather not put that effort today. So bad this habit of mine is, that it took me 7 months to complete a project that would have otherwise taken 2 days of dedicated work. Don’t know if it was lack of motivation, but I certainly found every bit reason to tell myself, “Hey, enough for today. Let me do this tomorrow”. And that tomorrow eventually arrived yesterday.

I had to commission a floor lamp for my aunt and the only specification was the feature wall backdrop. Finally after months and months of delaying, I managed to complete the lamp shade and deliver it.

DIY Lampshade

For the base of the lamp shade, I stuck to a very basic design that I have earlier done. The 6mm thick plywood beading was just perfect for what I needed to build. The top of the base has an inset on which the lamp shade frame would comfortably sit. 

Lamp shade base built using plywood edge bands

The lamp shade frame was also built using the beading sticks. You can see the skeletal frame in the inset of the below photo. I personally feel these plywood beadings have more purpose and functionalities than just being used as beadings. If only we can wrack our brains and let creativity take over, there is so much more that can be made with these otherwise simple and seemingly useless materials. We instantly fell in love with a nice fabric that we thought would be in right contrast to the dark backdrop.  

As for the shade design, I broke the monotony by introducing a section in the middle that would split the height of the shade.  This was something we were skeptical about right from the beginning, but feel it was worth it in the end. What is your take ?

Fabric wrapped around the wooden frame

The increasing challenge that am facing of late in making shades is that am not getting ample supply of the required bulb holders. Either because am in a very remote part of the city or because there is no much demand for it. The last time I went to the electrical store, I brought home all of the supplies that he had. Here’s a top view of the lamp shade. 

My suggestion : Use CFL lamps as they are warmer and give a very pleasant effect.

Top view of the lampshade - bulb holder  fixed in the center

And finally, the lit effect. We are absolutely loving the outcome. Notice how light is getting distributed in the middle ! Well, it is easy for us to love our work. Do you like it too ? Let me know. If there is anything that needs change, what would be it ? Let me know your thoughts.

The lovely effect when the lampshade is lit

DIY Lampshade

I hope to continue with more such projects in the future. For some reason, I soooo love making lamp shades. The color, the vibrancy, and the charm around ambient lights is so remarkable that making one has such a fulfilling effect on me.  

And now your turn : How do you feel about making something from the scratch that someone else is putting to really good use ?