Final Project Process: Wood Veneer Lamp

I started the lamp by making patterns and a mock up out of brown paper, which I measured in order to sculpt the base out of MDF.

From those measurements, I made new patterns for the base, one slightly larger than the other so that the base would taper slightly. Then I made a rectangle from three layers of MDF and centered the patterns on it. I then shaped the base on various machines according to the patterns, which was more time consuming and difficult than I expected. When it was finished, I drilled the holes for the lamp components to go through.

After that, I realized that a curve on the surface of the base would create a nice wave shaped shadow when the light came through the veneer, so I drew the line I wanted on the pattern and traced it onto the base with a pattern tracing wheel.


Then I added a layer of MDF and shaped it again, and sanded in the curve. The hole for the light socket had to be re-drilled through the added layer.

Jordan_Final_Cork_Process

During my research I determined that I wanted to experiment with a seat design that had a shortened nose- a part of the seat I find to be particularly cumbersome. After removing a portion of the nose and adjusting the size of the rear section, I began welding the various cuts I had made on the bandsaw. I enlisted the help of Jeff Quintor, a veteran welder, for this step. We learned that the gaps were a bit too large, so steel strips were added for support. After welding I used the angle grinder to smooth the surface of the weld. Finally I placed the seat on the bike and went for a test drive. So far, so good.

Jordan_Cork_Final_Process

This is the first few steps of my final project. I began with an existing bike seat. I then removed the rubber cover and foam contents. From there I started bending and hammering the steel frame into a desirable shape.