(STEP 2)
Next on the list...Build the dang thang!
Using measurements from my previous light fixture and the light bar I had,
I decided I wanted my light fixture to be 30" long and 15" wide at the base.
And before we start building the outer cage...a quick geometry lesson.
(I'm no math major so just go with me here). What you are going to build
is two Isosceles Trapezoids, with four long perpendicular boards connecting them. This means the long sides, top, and bottom will be rectangles. (red
dotted line below)
This is one major modification from the original Filament Chandelier to
my design. The original frame has Isosceles Trapezoids on the ends AND
the two long sides. I tried...and tried...and tried to figure out how to make
this work with the tools I own and the less than perfect attention to detail
I possess...and it just didn't work. So I built the end frames with no tilt
and they looked great.
Next on the geometry lesson...ANGLES! Ugh! I found some really cool
online math calculators and equations for calculating angles in trapezoids...
but let me save you some time...
10 DEGREES
Yes, that's all you need to know to make EXACTLY what I made...
10 DEGREES
Set your mitre saw to the 10 degree mark and DO NOT CHANGE IT.
You will cut four 1x2 boards for each end piece...all cuts are the same 10
degree angle. Here's a quick mock up to show how the cuts look:
(this is not to scale and I didn't add dimensions because it depends on your design)
What I was trying to show on this super fancy drawing is that the top
and bottom pieces have cuts going against each other (red dotted lines).
And the side pieces have cuts that run the same way on the board
(green dotted lines).
Once you have your four pieces of the trapezoid cut...attach them with
wood glue and pocket holes.
Next, cut 4 pieces of 1x2 select pine boards for the long pieces of the frame.
My entire light fixture is 30", so these pieces were 28.5" long. When you
attach the pieces you'll have to decide how you want them to line up. Since
these pieces are not ripped down at an angle, you will have a gap. I chose
to align my long boards with the outer edge of the end frame...leaving the
gap on the top/bottom of the frame. This is the best picture I could find to
show you what I mean...
Attach all four boards with pocket holes. You should now have something that looks like this with only 1x2 boards...
The next step in building the wood frame is to add the 1x6 board that will have the holes for the lights. Cut this piece to fit and drill the holes for lights
BEFORE YOU INSTALL IT. Again, I'm not going to give my measurements
because it will be 100% based on the light fixture you are using.
(KEEP IN MIND: the rectangle lampholder covers that are used to hang
the light fixture are 5" long...so you will need that much space between
the holes to install them properly)
When you are ready to install the 1x6 make sure to install it to be lined
up with the BOTTOM of the top 1x2 of the end frame. You want to create
a hollow section above the 1x6 for all the lighting parts to hide.
Damn...that's super confusing. Here is a pic to help show what I mean:
Now you can cut and install the 3/4" square dowels to the edges of the 1x6.
This will create the sides of the hollow section to hide all the lighting wires.
Al. Most.There...
Just the finishing steps to go...wood filler...sand...wipe down...paint black
(or any other color you'd like!)
And...this concludes the building part of today's program. Yea! You made it. Now you have a complete frame for your own DIY knock off Restoration Hardware Filament Chandelier.
(STEP 3)
Next we need to add some hidden support for hanging and wiring.
This part took me FOREVER to figure out and about 7 trips to
Big Orange and Big Blue. I knew that I wanted to be 1000% sure about the
mounting of the light so it was beyond secure. Also, I had to be super safe with the wiring. So here are the main points:
-»There is absolutely ZERO pressure or weight on the 1x2 pieces of the
frame. ALL of the weight is hanging from the 1x6 board in the middle. I
did this because it's the largest solid piece of wood in the fixture and least
likely to be touched once it's installed.
-»Likewise, there is absolutely ZERO weight on the light bar back plate.
It is secured to the fixture, but basically floating in place.
-»Next...all my pipes and fittings are threaded...no pressure couplings.
The awesome guy at Big Blue who helped me find some of my pieces
assured me the pressure couplings would be ok...but I couldn't risk it.
-»And one final point...this fixture is anchored to a scrap wood 2x4 that is
anchored to ceiling joists. The bracket in the ceiling where light fixtures
are usually hung from has no bearing on the installation of this fixture.
Of course, the wires are connected through the original junction box, but it
is not holding up the weight of the fixture.
Now to add all the mounting and wiring pieces...
