DIY Hanging Edison Light

Justin Stanley
by Justin Stanley
4 Materials
$45
3 Hours
Medium
This is my take on a hanging bulb Edison lamp. This was a Christmas present that I made for my parents. They have a rustic country style house and they REALLY needed a light for the patio. I learned a lot on this build and am really happy with the final product! I hope they enjoy it!
I started off this project with material I had laying around from other projects. I used a 1x6 for the wooden box to hold the lights and all the electrical out of sight. I cut two pieces down to 29", one for the bottom and the other for the sides. The remaining piece of the 8ft board was enough to cover the short sides of the rectangle roughly 7'3/4", cut to fit flush with the sides.
I split the second 29" 1x6 in half, because I did not want the light to be too tall, just enough to hide the wires and conduit box on top. Using the same piece of lumber for the whole project gave me a uniform look when stained.
I then glued and nailed in all of the side pieces using a air nailer.
I used wood putty to fill in all of the nail wholes and joints between each piece of wood to give it a seamless look.
After the wood putty dries, sand off any excess and round any of the rough edges on the piece.
Before staining, I drilled the four holes that I needed to pass the lights through. I then stained the entire piece. If you are looking to put this outside, I would recommend also using a finish to protect the wood from the elements.


I pulled the wire through for each light and tied a knot on the other side so that it would maintain the appropriate length. I wired all of the lights to a dimmer switch and then to a three prong extension cord. This can also be directly wired to an existing light fixture.
I pulled the wire through for each light and tied a knot on the other side so that it would maintain the appropriate length. I wired all of the lights to a dimmer switch and then to a three prong extension cord. This can also be directly wired to an existing light fixture.
After that the project is pretty much done. I used decorative chain on all four corners to hang the light with eye hooks. The chain can vary depending on the height that you want your light.
It serves its purpose on my parents back patio. I used 60w light bulbs in combination with a dimmer switch. If you are planning to not use the dimmer, I suggest using 40w Edison bulbs, they are easier on the eyes and you can enjoy the soft glow of the old fashion light.


If you want to see the whole build process, check out my youtube video. If you enjoy DIY projects like this subscribe my youtube channel! I have several other projects and I am always coming out with more.


www.youtube.com/JustinStanley
Suggested materials:
  • 6 pack 60w Edison bulbs   (https://www.amazon.com/Edison-Deneve-Deluxe-Squirrel-Filament/dp/B01GF9MRYQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1)
  • 4 pack mini pendant light   (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JA4PIIU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
  • 1x6 board   (Home Depot)
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 2 comments
  • William William on Jan 13, 2017
    Looks great! Love it!
  • Tara Collard-Pauley Tara Collard-Pauley on Jan 15, 2017
    This is an awesome idea for outdoor lighting! Our patio really needs some lighting but I didn’t want it to be too bright, this would be perfect. Great job thanks for sharing! BTW - Hey there neighbor from Queen Creek! :D
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