Cantilever Desk Lamp

Frank Lloyd Wright was a famous mid 20th century architect who designed 1000 structures, over 500 of them were completed projects and many are still standing and a number of them are tourist attractions. I would like to note that he had an affinity to straight (vertical and horizontal) lines and a particular fondness for the cantilever.  

I took inspirations from both the straight lines and the cantilever for this desk lamp project.  Also, I used strip LED lights in a rather unique way, as you shall see, compared to how I used them in my earlier LED desk lamp projects.  As always I use the minimum amount of material and making sure no single part is without a purpose.

A cantilever is an interesting engineering structure in that it is typically a beam supported only at one end and the rest of it overhangs with no other support.   Weight is obviously a major consideration when designing and constructing a cantilevered structure.  

I used a light weight pine laminated by thin strips of walnut for strength.

The oval as shown is where the LED strip lights will be internally "wrapped" around facing inwards.

The walnut is from my scrap heap of cutoff from flooring that was given to me by a friend a while back.  

For the post and base I used the same walnut flooring cutoffs.

What fascinates me about cantilevers is that they evoke a dynamic equilibrium - an oxymoron, I know, because dynamic is typically associated with motion while equilibrium simply connotes stillness. But that's the picture I see on an overhanging structure that would very much like to fall at its unsupported end except that it is held in place at the opposite side where two types of forces are in play. There has to be equilibrium for the beam to remain in place and if it is attached to a wall the force at the lower corner is that of compression while there is a shearing force trying to rip it off the wall at the top corner.

I intended for the supported end of the cantilever to sit only halfway on top of the post, adding to the dynamic equilibrium, where the beam appears to be precariously attached.  I used three hardwood pins to anchor that end plus the grooved notch provided ample gluing surfaces between the post and the beam.  It is a very strong joint.

I recently used the most recent development in insulating wire connections using liquid "tape".  It seems to work just fine and I read it is better than using tapes - that can unravel over time.

Accessories

I used a wedge to keep the one magnifying glass holder in place.  I could have fastened the post permanently but this is just to show another fastening technique with wood.  Besides, this allows for allowing the possibility of another magnifying glass that could be longer and bigger sometime in the future, when I will then have to change the holder.

The wedge is easily pushed down or removed through the finger hole

Previously, there were a couple of desk lamps featured in an earlier blog over the same desk.  Then came the cantilever fascination.  That and it is just another reason for a project. There are only so many rooms in the house for beds, desks and other projects, hence this is just as good as any reason to stay busy.

The scissor hanger shown below will be the subject of the next blog.  There is an interesting story there and make note too of the cantilever.