I need ideas for floor lamp.

[Michael Ginsberg]

If anyone has any suggestions for making a relatively modern style floor lamp, your ideas are welcome and appreciated.

I have a 5 x 5 x 40" pc. of bloodwood to work with. That doesn't mean that I mind adding other woods as well. I was thinking that I would cut the piece into smaller pieces and turn them individually of different abstract forms (perhaps pierced). I was thinking of texturing each form differently on different sides of each piece. I was pondering spacing out each piece with an aluminum ball or bushing of some kind... each wooden piece would be on a different axis.
What do you folks think???

I certainly
don't want this to come out like the first turning I ever did in middle school that partially resembled a fire hydrant...

Michael

[Dan Forman]

One generally wants some sort of unifying factor that appears throughout the design to hold it together. What you are describing sounds to me rather random, the result of which may be a bunch of parts which might not relate to one another in a pleasing way. Hard to with just a verbal description, but...

Here are a couple of links which talk about the elements and principles of design. Elements are what we have to work with, principles are how the elements are put to work. The two links differ a bit in terminology, but are talking about basically the same thing.

This one gives a basic overview: http://www.4-hcurriculum.org/projects/kidspace/E-P.htm

This one goes more in depth, is specifically geared toward watercolor painting, but generalizes to wood turning. http://books.google.com/books?id=64ANEszcf64C&pg=PA87&lpg=PA87&dq=principles+of+design+whitney&source=bl&ots=Y7iHPHOKjp&sig=0r6CaVS2mB4CN_w9FhcTSsJYhjs&hl=en&ei=lRChTY33LrPUiALinvyPAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDoQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=principles%20of%20design%20whitney&f=false

I highly recommend spending the time to absorb this information, it will help your turning a great deal. Design is what gives a piece that extra pizazz.

Dan

[Roger Wilson]

Try this fellow. The lamps are very elegant modern style. They are laminated I believe.

http://www.lampmaker.net/


191491

[Michael Ginsberg]

Thanks for the input... Dan, I will do some brainstorming. I was thinking of kool shapes like the turner from New Zealand (Gram Priddle).
pierced, textured, maybe burned...who knows.

[Mark Hubl]

Try googling danish modern floor lamps and checking out the images. There are some nice ideas and some turned pieces. This style of furniture is very contemporary.

[Reed Gray]

There was an article in Fine Woodworking a few years back by Ernie Conover. He did a floor lamp in the old style (originally candle holders) in 5 pieces. A base, a stem, a plate like middle piece (to catch wax drippings) another stem, and a top piece. Put together with tenons and drilled holes through the plate, and hole in the base. Really looked nice, though it was old fashioned style. I never got around to making one. I think he cut the stem pieces in half, routed out a channel for the wire, then glued it back together. Of course, I have no idea which FWW it was in.

robo hippy

[Brodie Brickey]

The piece you have won't be long enough with out secondary woods, but what about this...


191569191570

This is from David Marks' WoodWorks program: http://www.djmarks.com/woodworks/512.asp

You might also be able to make it rise from a mount in the wall instead of the floor. That would save you some wood.

[Michael Ginsberg]

Thanks Brodie, Very cool lamp... I have his Easy Wood Tools.... Anyway... not exactly what I was invisioning. I was thinking turning individual pieces of organic shapes, texturing and somehow have a tube go through them at their different axis. I don't know exactly. I am going on vacation in the morning. I will have the week off to sketch some concepts.