Triton - Fluorescent Lasercut Floor Lamp

Meet the Triton, a DIY 3-bulb fluorescent floor lamp made from lasercut wood and standard parts from Home Depot.  This set of instructions will give you all the information and files necessary to build your very own Triton.  

If you want to build your own Triton but don't have a laser cutter, vote for the project in the Hurricane Laser Contest.  If I win a laser cutter, I will make sets of the wooden parts and sell them online!

Let's get started!

- 200+ lasercut wood parts (more info in next step)
- 6 fluorescent lamp/bulb sockets (3 packs of 2).  General Electric model BP-FM.  Available at Home Depot or Amazon.
- 3 fluorescent bulbs.  48 inches long.  Size T8.
- 1 GE electronic ballast for 3 or 4 T8 bulbs.  Available at Home Depot or Amazon.
- Gorilla glue (a very small amount)
- 3 standard corner braces.  1.5-inch size.  Available at Home Depot or Amazon.
- 1 3-inch PVC pipe.  47 inches long.  Use a hack saw to cut to length if necessary.
- 15 feet of 12 gauge solid-core wire (not stranded).  Available at Home Depot, but I purchase mine at Ax-Man, a local surplus store. 
- 1 pack (5 qty.) of PowerPlug Luminaire Disconnects (fancy wire connectors).  Available at Home Depot.  
- 7 standard wire connectors.  Available at Home Depot.
- 20 flat-head screws.  1/2-inch in length.  Something like this:  Home Depot.
- 1 wire ring terminal.  Available at Home Depot. 
- 1 grounded (3-prong) power cord with plug.  IT NEEDS TO HAVE A GROUND OR THE LAMP WON'T TURN ON!  Amazon.
- 1 lamp foot switch.  (Optional, but you'll have to unplug the lamp to turn it off otherwise).  Amazon.

The wooden parts are cut from 1/4-inch plywood.  I used birch plywood from Home Depot:  Plywood link

A DXF file with the cutting patterns is attached below.  It is laid out for a 24" x 48" cutter.

- A drill
- A phillips screw driver
- A straightedge and pencil
- Drill bits (one for pilot holes, one slightly larger than the shaft of your screwdriver)
- Wire cutters/strippers
- A small amount of Gorilla Glue
- Electrical tape
- Vice grips or pliers (for crimping the wire ring terminal)
- A hack saw (if you need to cut the PVC to length)
- A laser cutter (if you want to make your own wooden parts)
- Some heavy books (for pressing parts together after applying Gorilla glue)

Time to start building!

Parts needed:
- 10 wood pieces for base
- 14 wood pieces for cap

Tools needed:
- Gorilla glue

Assemble the base pieces in order using a very small amount of Gorilla glue on each piece.  Place a heavy book or two on top of the assembly while it dries.

Do the same for the top cap, including the small Triton emblem.

Parts needed:  
- 1 foot switch
- 1 power cord
- 1 wire ring terminal

Tools needed:
- Electrical tape
- Vice grips/pliers/crimper

Instructions:
Begin by crimping the wire ring terminal onto the green ground wire of the power cord.  If you are not using a foot switch, move onto the next step.

If you ARE using a foot switch you will need to pass the black and white wires of the power cord through the switch.  I was unable to find any grounded switches, so the green ground wire will simply bypass the switch.  I recommend taping with electrical tape to the outside of the switch.

Parts needed:
- 1 electronic ballast
- 2 standard wire connectors
- 1 screw

Tools needed:
- Wire cutters/strippers
- Phillips screw driver
- Drill with a small bit for a pilot hole, and another bit that is slightly thicker than the shaft of your screw driver

Pass the the three wires from the power cord through the hole in the base and connect the positive and negative wires to the positive and negative wires of the ballast.  Drill a pilot hole in the PVC pipe about 2 inches from the end of the pipe.  Drill a hole with the larger bit directly across from it.  Pass the blue and red cables from the ballast through the pipe and place the ballast into the pipe.  Line up the bottom screw mount of the ballast with the pilot hole, and place the loop terminal of the ground wire over both.  Put your screwdriver in the large hole and secure the ground wire and ballast to the pipe with a screw.  

Parts needed:
- 2 standard wire connectors
- Extra wire

Tools needed:
- Wire cutter/strippers

Cut 4 pieces of wire, each about 4 inches long, and strip the ends.  Cut 2 pieces about 8 inches long and strip the ends.  Attach 2 of the 4-inch wires to one of the yellow wires of the ballast with a standard wire connector.  Insert the two free ends into one of the bulb sockets.

Attach the remaining 4 wires to the other yellow wire.  Pre-twist these with a pliers if necessary before connecting them with the standard wire connector.  Feel free to wrap these connections with electrical tape if desired.  Attach the two short wires into one of the bulb sockets, and the two long wires into the remaining bulb socket.

If you make a mistake and need to remove a wire, push a paper clip into the vertical slot in the image below to remove the wire.

Parts needed:
- 3 screws

Tools needed:
- Drill
- Small bit
- Phillips bit

Place the sockets so the outer surface of the bulbs will be flush with the opening in the base.  Mark the screw holes, drill pilot holes, and secure with screws.

Parts needed:
- 3 corner braces
- 12 screws

Tools needed:
- Drill
- Pilot hole bit
- Phillips bit


Mark the three positions for corner braces and drill pilot holes in the base and pipe.  Fasten the corner braces with screws.

Congratulations!  The hardest part is over!

Parts needed:
- 180 wood pieces for the main stack (Yes, seriously)

Tools needed:
- Your hands and some patience

Put on some tunes, and start stacking!  Be sure to start with a larger piece so it rests on the base, and alternate the pieces from there.  If the blue and red wires from the ballast get in your way, tape them to the inside of the PVC pipe.  Line up the pieces as you go.  

Parts needed:
- 3 luminaire disconnects
- 2 standard wire connectors
- Spare wire

Tools needed:
- Wire cutters/strippers

The top socket assembly needs to be removable if you want to rearrange the stack pieces.  To accomplish this, the lamp uses luminaire disconnects for the top connections, which are easily and reliably connected and disconnected.

There are 2 blue and 2 red wires coming from the ballast.  The two red wires will go to a single socket.  Each blue wire will go to its own socket and needs to be split into two wires.  Cut 10 wires, 4 inches in length, and strip the ends.  Attach 2 wires to each blue wire of the ballast with a standard wire connector.  Attach each pair of wires to the male end of one of the luminaire disconnects.  Insert wires into the bulb sockets and attach each pair of wires to the female end of a luminaire disconnect.  Connect the three disconnects.  

Parts needed:
- 2 remaining wood pieces

Tools needed:
- Drill
- Small bit
- Phillips bit

Line up the sockets so the bulbs will be flush with the outer edge of the wood pieces and mark the screw holes.  Stack both wood pieces together and drill pilot holes.  Then secure the sockets with screws.  

We're ready for bulbs!

Parts needed:
- 3 fluorescent bulbs (T8, 4-foot size)

Tools needed:
- Your hands

Lower the bulbs through the holes.  Align the pins of the bulbs so they point towards the center (in the unlocked position).  Once all the bulbs are in, place the top sockets onto the bulbs.  There should be a few inches of exposed bulb at the top.  Hold the bulb and twist it 90 degrees to lock it into place.  Do this for each bulb.  

Once all the bulbs are secured in the sockets, place the top cap over the top socket assembly.  This will conceal the top connections and the exposed portions of the bulbs.  

Only one thing left to do!

That's it!  You're done!  Plug it in and enjoy your new Triton lamp!