Hey /diy/ I made a cardboard desk light. It's adjustable, and the arm and shade is held together by the fixture and the three screws.
My problem is I couldn't make the flat bottom part without glueing. It needs to be a closed box so I could throw in some weight (a handful of coins atm) to prevent tipping.
Any ideas?
Also, I'd be glad to have your general opinion, too.
(I know the cutting looks shit right now, but this is just a handmade prototype, laser cutting is expensive af here, but I already have the plans if you'd like to make one for yourself.)
also don't mind the shitty scavenged cable I had at hand in my bottom drawer, final version gets some fancy textile-clad stuff
needs an LED bulb tho, 60w bulb set the previous model ON FUCKING FIRE
neat.
There is a reason most fixtures you touch are plastic or wooden. Think about it.
>>999477
I had that on my mind from the first concept sketches, but I was not sure it would go down in flames
had to try it
might work with weaker bulbs, but already tried it with a 5w LED, works with no heating problems
![s-l1600[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/n3xNTaX.jpg "s-l1600[1].jpg")
>>999448
I pickup old drafting lamps at garage sales pretty regularly. Art Specialty Co., Dazor, many others without markings. Most are florescent but some use regular bulbs. Some you clamp to a desk, others you screw to the desk while still others just have a weighted base. Never paid more than $5 for one. They are almost always brown too. Picture related. I have this exact lamp.
>>999497
nice catch, love the art deco base
is it metal or bakelite?
>>999495
Not just about heat, also about conductivity
>>999448
So what you're asking is how you make the bottom box without using any form of adhesive?
Just look at other products and see what they do, fast food boxes are good for that because they usually come flat and then are assembled when the food is ordered, look at pizza boxes to see the folding/tab and slot techniques they use and replicate.
Plans? I have access to a lasercutter, id cut you one for free
>>999817
Also, for the base as one piece, id have those base flanges be the long ends of piece that is like your pic, the top hasa slot for the flange and the bottom is like closed double doors
>>999820
And also id make the base box a rectangle with the flange near one end so you can extend the lamp far past the other end
>>999817
Why on earth would you lasercut cardboard? Just use scissors or a knife.
>>999500
Metal. These old school lamps are heavy and made to be very stable on a slanted surface.
>>999824
cutting small diameter curves from corrugated cardboard is a pain in the ass, even with my best olfa precision knife
>>999820
>>999821
guess I had about the same idea, I think I'll go with that
>>999817
I just didn't want to spend a small fortune on building the 3-4 prototypes
the drawings are on my other pc, when I get home I'll put them on instructables or share it somehow so anyone can try it.
>>999821
works with the small base, had to hide some weight in the base box anyways, without that it needed to be ridiculously big
I want it to have a small footprint
>>999856
>drawings are on my other pc, when I get home I'll put them on instructables or share it somehow
You had fucking better. I need to make one of these.
>>999856
>cutting small diameter curves from corrugated cardboard is a pain in the ass, even with my best olfa precision knife
Laser cutting cardboard is overkill.
>>999859
still want to test it, I'm considering selling this as a building kit
>inb4 I want to get rich by making fucking desk lamps
>>999448
good way to burn a house down
>>999448
sell on etsy to hipsters as a green lamp that's made from recycled materials and carries the very essence of mother earth
>>999880
that's my plan
but also making it open source as I'm not a greedy fuck
Check out this gals solutions on this very same project. Shes pretty concise. Shes not bad to look at either. Not my type but something about her makes her mad cute.
>>999893
forgot to link. stoned. heh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHeJn1Hnfh0
>>999893
>very same project
>plywood
otherwise a cool project, cute girl, but irritating voice
>>999858
Will post files tomorrow or the next day
>>999448
I'm having trouble imagining how the cardboard is tolerating enough compression to create enough friction at the joints... Is it soaked in resin, are the joints reinforced somehow, or is it just really dense cardboard?
>>1000052
A lightbulb and a plastic shroud aren't exactly the heaviest of items, and cardboard isn't slick, there would be plenty of friction to hold that up. not to mention there are 4-5 layers there, you ever seen that phonebook trick?
>>1000052
It's just plain 1.5mm corrugated cardboard, the same type they use to make pizza boxes (at least in my country) Surprised me as well how strong it is. It's 13 layers thick at the mid joint, and with the winged nuts tightened, I am not able to move the joints without damaging the arms. The shade part is connected with only two small flaps, and it's strong enough to hold still with minimal horizontal wobbling. The lamp has the same stability as your average factory-made metal three-joint desk light.
>>1000066
I guess I'm just overestimating the leverage, with microphone stands they need to be very tight, but I suppose that's just a case of more weight at a greater distance.
>>1000070
Yeah exactly, I used an old ikea lamp as a mic stand once, needed bracing to all hell just to stand upright and then clamping to my desk with G camps. Microphones are pretty heavy.
>>1000074
It would be pretty easy to calculate the maximum torque a friction joint like this can handle.
>>1000090
Well, yeah, assuming you knew how much pressure the cardboard could take before it deformed permanently. I would want to put a corrugated washer in there
>>1000074
My lamp is a bit more substantial.
>>1000142
well, yeah, I'm an architect, so all I need is to see my keyboard/sketchbook/piece of tracing paper
>comfy workspace, well organized
>fire safety!!!
>10/10 would DIY at
one question tho: do you work standing up?
>>1000142
lol still working on that make-shift AC i see
>>999477
Yeah, it's cheap to manufacture, easy to transport in all moisture and renewable.
Meanwhile, cardboard is LITERALLY FREE.
>>1000142
I'm so jealous
>>999448
That's the largest fire hazard I've seen here for a long time.
>>1000395
Led bulb
Read the thread pls people
>>1000521
only cause you said pls
>60watt set the previous model on fire
guess I was fucking right..
>>1000569
I hope you sleep better tonight then
>>1000570
I wont.
Bumping the thread.
Collected the CAD files from my other comp, will clear it up and publish drawings and instructions.
>>999448
Thats lovely, i especially like the hinge/arm. I'd buy one.
So, OP here, what format do you want the drawings in? dxf, dwg, pdf, or Rhino 3d?
>>1000216
But cardboard will degrade much, much, much, much, much faster.
>>999448
Looks good, now take it apart and use an epoxy resin to strengthen it.
Cardboard is great for prototypes. How heavy will the base be on the final version and will it have a hole, suction, or clamping options? Do something about the cord too, have it attach to the arm so it isn't everywhere.
>>1001818
>>1001838
Yes, cardboard degrades faster
BUT
this is not a workshop light, it's made for reading/office work, and that does not require constant change of its position. Also, if the user is not a complete retard, and loosens the nuts before moving the joints, I don't see a chance for structural damage. Maybe if your hands are constantly sweaty/dirty, you can mess it up.
But, if somehow you manage to destroy the lamp, you can still recycle the paper and make a new one from whatever cardoard box you have laying around the house.
>>1001838
so laser cutting is overkill, but epoxy is not?
if I want plastic, I'll just cut it from a sheet of PVC or plexiglass
>>1002207
>Also, if the user is not a complete retard,
Adorable, thinking end users are intelligent. They are probably going to torch down the place with a cardboard light.
>>1002223
>instruction manual
>use LED bulbs only
>indoor use only, keep away from moisture
>loosen nuts before attempting to adjust joints
>champions dont do drugs
>my ass is covered
>>1002226
>instruction manual
>use LED bulbs only
The only one who might read the manual is the guy who bought the lamp. Anyone else changing the bulb might screw in something unsuitable. At the very minimum, put the warning on the lamp itself.
There's also a chance that your country has legal requirements for lamps which can't be done away with your manual. Better make sure your ass is really, truly covered before selling shit you fucking know is capable of burning down houses.
>>1002I know of several cardboard lights that sell withou any problem
thx for the idea tho, a printed/stickered warning inside the shade should be enough
>>1002233
Who's going around changing bulbs in lamps they don't own?
>>1002252
Mothers? Basically one person in the household will buy the lamp, and not read the manual when setting it all up, and then just screw in whatever fits, and when that burns out whoever is closest will screw in whatever replacement fits.
The lamp looks pretty cool tough.
>>1002255
So after the bulb has been on for 2.8 years and they have to replace it, they should be sure to read their instructions on the most likely fallen apart lamp by then.
http://www.instructables.com/id/FabLamp-Adjustable-Cardboard-Desk-Light/
So I made a shitty instructable.
also, dxf can be found here
http://www45.zippyshare.com/v/7HGR7eNb/file.html
>>1002263
Don't LED bulbs last longer than that?
>>1002265
Sort of, it's said they last 25000 to 50000 hours, I chose the worst case scenario. (25000 hours being 2.8 years)
Though LED bulbs don't 'blow' like normal bulbs do, they just get dimmer over their lifespan.
>>1002266
>25000
yeah, if it's used 24/7
let's say the light is on for 3 hours/day
22 years, and I'm sure a cardboard lamp won't last that long
>>1002266
>>1002271
They can fail prematurely.
Or some other light bulb in the household might have failed and someone takes the replacement from the cardboard lamp, replacing it later with something else.
Or someone just does not like the current LED bulb due to shit color temp or whatever and replaces it.
It's a numbers game. While it's unlikely that something bad happens, it's also unlikely that our aspiring businessman's life won't be majorly fucked by the resulting trial - if it results in a trial. IMO it would make sense to make sure the manual or sticker or whatever is really enough to avoid it and that you don't need a UL approval or whatever. If it's unavoidable but he sees the risk small enough, that's one thing, but pretending the risk does not exist is just stupid.
One way to solve the whole problem would be to use some low voltage LED bulb with a fitting socket and power supply.
>>1002304
I know the good ol' US of A is a litigious place to live, but a cardboard lamp is cardboard.
I submit that the owner who died in the housefire of his own making should get a Darwin award your honor.
A sticker on the inside of the shroud is sufficient to CYA.
If you had a chocolate teapot would you make tea in it? Common sense has to count for something!
>>1002271
That's why I said "the bulb has been on for 2.8 years" and not "owned the lamp for 2.8 years"
>>1002207
But I have many other things I need to get done. I can't be rebuilding a lamp every time my cheetos fingers ruins it. When will I have time to masturbate?
It's a cool idea, but not fr everyone. Its great for that guy in a studio apartment who can build anything because no workshop. Also, REEEECYLINGGGG TEE HEE
>>1002308
this
>>1002308
>Common sense has to count for something!
This would be much more convincing argument if OP himself hadn't failed to realize that a 60W bulb will set his design on fire.
>>1001816
rhino
>>1002207
>so laser cutting is overkill, but epoxy is not?
>if I want plastic, I'll just cut it from a sheet of PVC or plexiglass
Eh, fuck you OP.
>>1001816
>>1002436
It was not a surprise. I expected overheating, so I tested it, and I was right. Fuck off.
>>1002703
Thanks, anon.
Did anyone try to make it yet?
>>1002308
>common sense has to count for something!
Yeah but the problem with common sense is that it's in the eye of the beholder. Now I'm not saying making tea in a chocolate teapot or putting anything but a LED bulb in a cardboard lamp isn't common sense but knowing where to draw the line for other cases is very blurry, what is clearly obvious to some isn't to others, so the safest rout is to just warn people right down to the lowest denominator to cover all bases, eg. coffee is hot, don't eat plastic, don't put hot globes into a cardboard lamp
>>1003467
I might add, especially in this day and age where looking like an idiot in public isn't frowned upon, someone will willingly throw away their integrity for some money, admitting that they don't know coffee is hot, or that they shouldn't eat plastic, just to get something free.
>>1003469
Weird Al had a song about this.
