How to Make a Stacked Plywood Table Lamp

Tuesday, February 7, 2017 -
How to build a modern stacked plywood rhombus shaped table lamp

Wow! How is it February already!? Have you ever had a hard time getting back into the groove after taking some time off? I really enjoyed my break during the holidays and being totally honest with you, I was having the hardest time getting my work ethic back (which is very unlike me). I was raised to believe if you aren't working, you're being lazy and being lazy is worse than Nickleback. 

The slump wasn't for lack of inspiration! I always have 100 ideas spinning in my head at any given moment and spent the first few weeks on the year pinning "to-do" items and sketching plans. I finally kicked my butt in gear and tackled a project I've been dying to try - a stacked plywood lamp. I love making lamps! I know electricity sounds scary, but they really are pretty easy. I made a video tutorial for my Ombre Concrete Lamp and we still use our Tapered X Lamps everyday on our nightstands in our bedroom. 

This was such a simple project! I chose a rhombus shape but you could make this lamp any shape and in any size. It wasn't to expensive either. I had a bunch of smallish plywood panels leftover from previous projects - too big to waste but too small for much else. I was able to  build two lamps scrap I had around the shop. I picked up the rest of the materials from Home Depot, which was much cheaper than ordering online. However, if you're an Amazon lover, I've provided affiliate links below for all the items you'll need. 

Materials List:


Cut List:
  • (15) 8-9/16" x 6" x 3/4" plywood 


1. The first step is to cut the plywood sheet into smaller. more manageable pieces. If you don't have a table saw, you can find a helpful worker at Home Depot to rip your plywood sheet down to 6" x 48" strips. 



2. Using a miter saw, set to 20 degrees off square, cut 15 rhombus or parallelogram shapes with 6-3/8" long sides. 


*You may want to print off the image below (scaled to the dimensions listed) and use it as a template. 


2. Using a straight edge, mark the center of each rhombus. Drill a hole in each center using a 7/16" drill bit. 


3. Start laminating the plywood pieces together by applying glue between each layer. Once all 15 pieces are stacked together, place a heavy object on top or clamp the layers together. I made a little time lapse video of the process. 



4. Once the glue is fully dry, you'll want to give the sides a heavy sanding or planing to smooth the uneven plywood edges. I started with a belt sander and 50 grit, then 80 grit. Next, I switched to an orbital sander and sanded progressively up to 220 grit. 

When sanding with a really aggressive grit, often the workpiece won't hold still on the workbench. I screwed a scrap 2 x 4 to my bench top, which gave me a nice vertical edge to hold the lamp body against while I sanded the faces smooth.


5. Lay the lamp body down on it's side. Draw a vertical line straight up from the hole on the bottom. Measure 1" from the edge and drill a 7-1/6" hole, perpendicular and intersecting the center channel hole. 



6. Brush 3-4 coats of polyacrylic over the entire lamp body. Coat the outside of the lamp coupler in glue and press into the top of the center channel hole. At this point, spray paint the 1/2" PVC coupler. 



7. Once the glue is fully dried, you can assemble the lamp components. Screw the 3" nipple into the coupler, inside the lamp body. Slide the PVC coupler over the nipple, creating a neck, then Follow the instructions on the lamp kit package, with exception to the neck. I followed the same steps as when I assembled my tapered-X lamp. It could be a bit tricky to snake the electrical wires up from the bottom of the small center hole. I found it much easier to drop a string down from the top, tie the string to the end of the wires and pull them through. 



The last steps are to screw in a light bulb and attach the lamp shade. That's it!


I used plywood left over from my boys' modern bunk beds for my lamp, but could you imagine how amazing a hardwood like walnut would look? A quarter sheet of hardwood plywood is much cheaper than the real stuff. 



Are you digging the stacked plywood look? I came up with all sorts of fun, stacked plywood ideas and feel totally excited to start building. What should I build first? 



Like this idea? Pin the image below to save the idea for later! 

Stacked plywood diy rhombus shaped lamp tutorial


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6 comments

  1. I LOVE the way it came out! Thank you for sharing the tutorial. Tal

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love that is a rhombus not a square...you rocked it, I want one!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What is the sort of golden stuff on the top of the "block" that is also shiny? I didn't see any steps for painting or something to be any different than the plywood.
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is AMAZING!!!! You did a fabulous job -- super creative!

    ReplyDelete
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