Progress – Glass Block Lamp

For my main project, I have been making a mid-century modern furniture inspired floor lamp. It uses glass blocks and diffused LED strips as the primary lighting element, and the frame is being manufactured using finished hardwood. The overall height of the lamp will is ~3.5 feet tall, and is powered by a wall plug. The LED strip I am using is a warm white color with adjustable brightness, which and I can adjust using a remote. My hope is to create statement piece for my living room, that utilizes my favorite materials.

Since the start of this project, I have made good progress towards the final result I am looking for. In my previous posts, I have shown off my CAD model, and since then, have purchased all of the materials that I needed. The first thing I purchased was the 5 glass blocks that I wanted. While I had a lot of options, I opted for the ‘wave’ style of block, due to both the cheaper price and organic look. For the LED strip, I ended up using one that I already had, since it already had a diffused material over it that mitigated the need for more diffusion. For the frame, I purchased pine hardwood boards from Home Depot. I went with pine due to its affordable price, ease of staining, and modern look, which contributes to my target aesthetic of mid century modern. Once assembled, I plan on staining the frame a darker color. I have also bought some supporting brackets for the corner, and pads for the feet of the lamp to be supported.

The glass block I purchased ended up having a coating of paint like material around the sides, which is used on some blocks as a primer for for cementing them together. As it turns out, this layer of primer was thin enough that I could use it as a diffusion material on the sides of the blocks that are facing the LED’s. I have spent quite a bit of time scraping of this layer from the exposed sides of the glass blocks, so that they are able cast light throughout the room. I have not been able to get it perfectly smooth, so I may need to get some paint stripper to get it all off.

For the wooded frame, I have been making progress on cutting the pieces to the correct length and making the slots. Most of these features can be quickly made using a table saw or chop saw. I still need to spend more time in the ITLL to get all of the slots cut, but I do not expect this to take too much longer. What remains for me is finishing the wooden pieces, and gluing everything together to make the final assembly. I have the fasteners and glue for this already, and it is a pretty simple assembly, so I think I will be able to get everything done on time.

Sources:

All photos and CAD made by me.

Glass Block List: qualityglassblock.com