Like alot of my other instructables I'm not keen on paying to much for simple household items and furniture. I don't know what the prices are in other countries but here in Holland lighting is very costly. When I was searching for a dual hanging lampshade for my kitchentable I nearly fell out of my chair because of the high costs. Prices up to a 1000 euro's! Then common sense kicked in and I decided to make it myself.

You'll need:

- Scrap wood (pallet wood in my case)

- Electrical wire

- Socket cover

- 2 lampshades (ofcourse you can use anything and any number of shades you like)

Step 1: Making the Base

For the base or cover that will be fixed to the ceiling I used palletwood. Ofcourse you can use any type of wood you want. I considered making the base out of MDF so I could finish it off nicely with high gloss white paint. In the end I liked the worn, weathered, rustic look of used wood beter.

The cover is nothing but a simple box. I came to call it my 'wine box' since it looks like a oversized wine crate. I used woodglue and small nails to fix the box together. I wacked the nails a bit further into the wood with a driver so they became less visible. Don't use screws because you will see them when you are done. Since it is used wood you don't have to be very precise. Everyting does not have to be super straight or level. It all contributes to the worn look.

I'm not sure about the measurements. I think my box was 1 meter 60 long, 4 cm high en 10 cm wide. It all comes down on your own preference and situation.

When the box was done I took my angle grinder and roughed up the wood to make it look even more weathered. The last step was sanding the whole thing down (not to much!) with grid 120.

Time for the electrics! Well this step was pretty easy. I just made 2 holes in the box for the electrical wire. I chose a thick transparent electrical wire for looks and fastened it close to the holes so the wire couldn't move in or out of the hole.

Step 2: Fixing the Base

When your (wine)box is wired up and done you can fix it to the ceiling. Carefully measure where it has to be fixed. A string with a heavy weight on 1 end is usefull for center aligning your box with the table. I chose a method by fixing 2 blocks to the ceiling first. The blocks fit perfectly in my box so the box can be fixed inplace with a few nails. (around the blocks)

The blocks are hammered in place with something called a 'slagplug' here in Holland. The closed to a translation I came is a 'blow plug'.... yeah. I have a picture included. It's just a screw&plug which kan be hammered inplace instead of screwing it in. (the screw thread is actually only for screwing it out) It's quick and reliable plus you can make a hole through the wood and the ceiling cement in 1 go.

When the box is fixed to the ceiling you can wire up the lampshades en the electrics going to the socket. The last step is installing a cover for the electrical socket.

Step 3: Done!

After a bit of fiddling I got both lampshades at exactly the same height. All in all i'm pretty happy with how it all come together. I love the old rustic look it has since I left cracks and chipped wood visible.

Now I can sit with my mates and actually see what kind of beer I am drinking! Proost!