Making a Modern Desk Lamp - A Woodturning Project

I've had this idea for a simple mid century inspired desk lamp stuck in my head for quite a while. I love the notion of an articulating lamp with the joints made from wood. I've seen other lamps made in this fashion, but with flat stock, not turned parts. I feel that the round spindle arms give the piece a fun and interesting aesthetic, that is also very classic. I'm so glad I finally took the time to work through the process of bringing it to life.
I'm a huge fan of incorporating vintage touches in my pieces, like the cloth-covered wire, vintage plug and switch, the LED Edison bulb, and the brass wing nuts. The wood is curly ash finished with satin lacquer. All of the electrical and lamp parts were purchased from Grand Brass (no affiliation, link below). I love that there are so many options for customizing this lamp as well. With a simply change in wood species, adding paint or stain, or switching out the cloth-covered wire and socket for other styles and colors, there are endless combinations possible.
There are a few interesting techniques and tips tucked into this video as well, like drilling all of the necessary holes prior to turning, and leaving the spindle ends square to register against the vertical jig for cutting the joinery at the table saw. This was meant as a fun and entertaining video, but please feel free to ask any questions about the project or the process in the comments! Thanks for watching, and please, if you liked the video, consider sharing it with others.
I am absolutely loving my new Harvey Woodworking T-40 Turbo Lathe. This machine is the epitome of quality and is a pleasure to use. Check out the link below for more information.
/ natecrilly
www.harveywoodworking.com/
www.grandbrass.com/

[@onehandedmaker]

So they do woodwork in the USA!
A joy to watch your videos.
Always inspiring and I admire your imagination to keep coming up with great ideas and sharing your knowledge.
Well done.
One Handed Maker - Australia

[@mcremona]

I like the dance you do when applying finish

[@natecrilly742]

I look much better in warp-speed!

[@benchtopwoodworks]

Great design, Nate. It turned out well... not an intentional lathe pun.

[@natecrilly742]

Thanks! I’m always up for a good pun!

[@unitwoodworking5403]

The design of this lamp is nice and idea is great. Thanks for a nice and interesting video.

[@natecrilly742]

Thanks for watching!

[@unitwoodworking5403]

@@natecrilly742 You're welcome. Take care.

[@aligned4good]

Thank you for the video! Nice lamp! How did you weigh the bottom to prevent it from being top heavy?

[@natecrilly742]

I didn’t add any weight. The weight of the two arms does a good job of countering each other. It’s not very tippy or anything. You could easily add some weight in the bottom of the base in the chuck recess if you felt like it was needed.

[@aligned4good]

@@natecrilly742 Thank you. I added small rocks to the bottom of mine after routing a recess for it, but It is still top heavy. My lamp design is different than yours and has a metal top. I'll come up with a solution. Thank you for your response.