This is a lamp that I designed to use a particular kind of glass given me by a supplier. It is a three layered glass with the central layer completely crashed to form a sort of spider web texture. This is a wonderful glass, expecially when you illuminate it. So I decided to use it on a lamp and, why not, a wooden lamp! Hope you enjoy the built...

Step 1: The Sketch

As always in my design process, everything start from a sketch.

In this case, I made the sketch on a toned tan sketch paper with Copic markers, ink pens , and a white pencil .

Step 2: Cutting Wood to Size

After the sketch, I decided the dimensions, basing them to the size of the glass, and I cut the pieces of cherry wood to the right size and thickness with my bandsaw. This could be done with a table saw, a circular saw, a jig saw or even a hand saw if you want.

Step 3: Hand Planing

After roughly cutting all the for sides of the lamp, I hand planed them to size and squared all the sides. I used a number 6 and a number 4 old hand planes to do the job. If your blades are sharp, and you know how to square a piece with the plane, it takes less time than you may think.

Step 4: Making the 45 Degrees Cuts

After planing the for sides of the lamp, I cut them to 45 degrees to build up the frame of the lamp. There are several ways to make this cuts. I used my bandsaw because that was the handiest machine to use in that moment. I first marked them to the right length, then, after the cut, I put them together to check for the squareness of the frame.

Step 5: The Top of the Lamp

For the top of the lamp, I used the same wood of the frame, making a thick veneer out of it. I made some strip of wood and glued them to a 9mm thick piece of plywood of the right size. After that I hand planed the surface of the wood and finally, I cut it with my bandsaw, following the sides of the plywood.

Step 6: Rabbets for the Top Panel

To fix the top of the lamp to the frame, in a way it isn't visible from the sides, I made a rabbet on the frame to accommodate the top panel. So this rabbet had to be as deep as the panel. To make it I first marked it with a marking gouge and then I cut it with a Japanese saw and than refined with a rabbet plane. I could have made it with a router on my router table, but since I love hand tools, for this project I decided to mostly use hand tools.

Step 7: Texturing the Frame

To add texturing and decoration to the frame of the lamp I carved a pattern with a gouge. I find this operation to be a very relaxing activity and it doesn't take too much time to complete the job.

Step 8: Gluing Up the Lamp

After completing the carving, it was time to glue up all the pieces. The operation was pretty simple, using a band clamp and due to the squareness of the pieces and the rabbet for the top cover.

Step 9: Chamfering the Top Edges

When the glue dried, I first marked and then chamfered at 45 degrees the top edges of the lamp with a hand plane.

Step 10: Making the Keys for the Joints

These keys have an esthetic function, so I made them with a dark wood to create a nice contrast with the cherry wood of the lamp. First I cut the housings for the keys and then glued some pieces of walnut into the grooves. When the glue dried, I cut the excess and pared the keys to the lamp surface, adding the same texture with the gouge.

Step 11: Adding Holes

The next step was to drill all the holes for the wiring and for the steel lanyard.

Step 12: Finishing

For finishing I used a couple of coats of Danish oil and a coat of beeswax polish. The cherry wood with this finish retains a light color that will tend to become reddish over time.

Step 13: The Internal Reflector

To ensure that the light is spread evenly I make an internal reflector with a 1mm thick sheet of aluminum. After cutting the aluminum I hammered it to have a rough surface to spread the light in all directions.

Step 14: Final Assembly

It's now time to assembly all the electrical components and the other fixtures, and internal white plexyglas sheet, to hide the inside of the lamp, and the glass. The glass and the plexyglass have been fixed with four brass screws and spacers. After assembling the wiring I turn it on to be sure it works. As a light source I used a 2GX13 40W circline lamp. I didn't used LED for this project because I already had the lamp and all the other component, so I decided to use them for this project.

Step 15: The Lamp Hanging!

Here are the final shots of the lamp hanging!

Thank you very much for checking out this instructable. Some of the steps are quite difficult to describe with picture only. If you want to have a more complete experience of the making process, you should check out this video (nice music inside!):