Handyman Lamp

Robert Perry of South Miami, Fla., loves scouring the streets for junk. In fact, in his workshop he's got a bit of everything, including a kitchen sink! He turns someone else's trash into his own treasure. Lighting fixtures have become his specialty and in this project he's creating a unique lamp out of found objects.

Materials:

8" diameter x 1" high spun aluminum base*
iron weight for base
24" carpenter's level
speed square
wood file
3/8" BX electrical cable and 2 connectors
1/2" wire hardware cloth
safety glasses
2 flashlight battery spring terminals
20-gauge silver craft wire
2" wide steel bar stock
90-degree arm back
miscellaneous nickel-plated nuts, bolts and washers
miscellaneous 1/8 ips steel threaded nipples
sticky back felt for base
18-2 SPT-1 electrical cable
18-gauge THHN electrical cable
crimp wire nuts
push in wire inserts
plastic cord nut bushing
medium base electrical socket
candelabra base electrical socket
candelabra cup
300-watt full range dimmer
1 T10 40-watt clear display light bulb (medium base)
1 7-watt clear night light bulb (candelabra base)
degreaser

Preliminary step:
* Drill one 3/8" hole into the center of the top of the base and one 3/8" hole into the side of the high spun aluminum base. This is a preliminary step.

Steps:

1. Clean all of the found objects with degreaser.

2. Use a wire wheel attachment on a bench grinder to scratch a pattern into the side of the 8-inch aluminum base.

4. When each piece is polished, use a rotary tool to etch patterns onto the inside areas of the carpenter's level (figure B).

5. Cut a 1-3/4" x 5" piece of steel bar stock to be used to attach the level to the base.

• Drill two 3/8-inch holes in the center of the bar stock: one 2-1/4" from one end and another 1 inch from the same end.
• Drill two 3/16" holes in the other end of the bar stock: 3/4 inch from that end and 3/8 inch in from the sides (figure C).

6. Using the same grinding method as in step #3 clean the steel bar stock, removing any burrs from the holes.