Lamp shades

[Jake Debski]

Although I've turned my share of lampshades, I would now like to do it on purpose. I have a lamp turned by my father, before I was born, and would like to add a turned wooden shade.

Can anyone direct me to any pertinent information on the subject? Thought checking here first might be faster than the internet search route. Especially since this forum has folks that have turned just about everything I could imagine and some items I never would have dreamed of, e.g. cupcakes!

 

[Dave Roller]

Jake, I haven't turned a lampshade and can't see myself doing so in the near future, considering my skills. One suggestion, however. Before you get very far into your planning, take the lamp to a lamp store and see what size and shape looks best. Good luck.

 

[john lucas]

Peter did a demo at the latest AAW symposium and has a handout in the booklet. I haven't looked it over but will do that when I get home. I don't know if the information is online or not. If I finish downloading all the jobs I shot yesterday I'll try to look for some info. Here is his website.
http://www.woodshades.com/
Basically he just turns the first inch as thin as he wants. Places a light outside the wood so he can see what color it is on the inside. Then he turns the rest of the piece a few inches at a time until it all has the same color or translucency. That's the simple explanation. Wood species is pretty important if you want a really translucent shade.

 

[ray hampton]

what species of wood do you recommended for turning lamp shades ?
open grain or close grain

 

[jimbob91577]

Somewhere I saw a video...

...of a Gentleman who made them out of Aspen. They were end grain, and he basically turned a cone and used a hand saw to part it off. He used the same technique John Lucas described to turn them though.

If I were not at work, I'd find the video and link it....

Good luck!

 

[Russ Fairfield]

I have turned several lampshades over the years, and there were 4 lessons learned.

1. ALL SHADES WILL CRACK from age, use, and the heat. Heat and dry wood will always be a problem if you use the lamp.

2. Aspen or a similar very stable, light colored, and relatively transparent wood is best for a lampshade because they can be used longer before cracking than other species, and there will be some stability from being able to turn them a little thicker.

3. Definitely use a lamp to determine thickness. Otherwise it will be too easy to turn the wood too thin. Also, it may not be uniform and the shadows in the thicker areas will definitely show, and the differences in expansion will cause cracks when the lamp is used.

4. Definitely use one of the new bulbs because they are cooler than incandescent. The lower heat will still crack the shade, but it will take longer.

 

[Jake Debski]

Thanks guys, I now have enough information to be dangerous! Some practice should give me a feel for how to proceed.

 

[Joe Greiner]

Sanding

I have not yet turned a lampshade, but when I do, I'll try to sand the inside and outside at the same time, so there's less imbalance of inward vs. outward pressure. It might be easier to get really thin that way.

 

[Jake Debski]

I have not yet turned a lampshade, but when I do, I'll try to sand the inside and outside at the same time, so there's less imbalance of inward vs. outward pressure. It might be easier to get really thin that way.

Joe, I saw that tecnique demoed on hollow forms at Totally Turning this past spring. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Todd Bowen]

I have a client looking for a wood turner to make a wood lampshade and lamp for her. Do we have anybody on this form who would want to take in on the project and perhaps have examples of previous work for her to see?

 

[Darryl Fective]

I've been interested in trying one as well. Years ago, I met a guy way back when I was just starting into turning. He turned lampshades on a homemade lathe that used half of a truck axle for the spindle. He used a chainsaw to core out the inside somehow. I wanted to see it, but I had lost touch with him and learned he had lung cancer and died.

 

[Jaramiah Severns]

Wood species is critical. Lighter wood is typically better. Anything dark is an occlusive (tannin, spalt, etc.) and will inhibit translucency. Aspen and poplar are good candidates.

I’ve heard of some turners using oil as a medium to help light pass through the wood (the same way the water in fresh cut green wood makes the piece more readily translucent than when it has dried). This can be done with several heavy coats or via an oil bath. I tried the multiple heavy coats route with a piece of flaming box elder turned to <1/8”. After several generous coats of T&T DO and a couple of weeks to cure, the shade was noticeably more translucent in some parts (particularly through the end grain), but still didn’t glow like I’d hoped. Going to try again with poplar and hope for a better outcome.