Home-Dzine made this stylish copycat designer floor standing lampbase for next to nothing. All I needed was my Dremel Multitool, some Rust-Oleum Speciality Metallic Spray, a few accessories and some basic power tools.
This project highlights how easy it is to copy a designer look on a very small budget, to make your own stylish home decor accessories.
You will need:
- Rust-Oleum Speciality Metallic Spray
- 12mm pine dowel 1.8M
- [40] table-tennis balls
- 32mm supawood for base (ask for offcuts)
- Lamp shade, light fitting and electrical cable
- 180-grit sandpaper
- Wood glue
Tools: Dremel Multitool and #516 abrasive point, Drill and 12mm bit.
Here's how:
 1. Cut a long piece of electrical cable and run up the length of the dowel. Use small pieces of masking tape to attach the cable to the dowel. Leave enough cable at the top to connect to the bulb fitting, and at the bottom to reach the nearest plug outlet.
2. Cut a circle out of the supawood and use a 12mm bit to drill a hole through the centre for the dowel. Don't make the hole to big, you want the dowel to fit tightly.
Apply a small bead of wood glue to the hole before pushing in the dowel. Sand around the edges with 180-grit sandpaper.
TIP: Before using your Dremel Multitool to make a hole in the table-tennis balls, seat them firmly in a large piece of Prestik. If you are going to be using a drill for this, secure the balls in a vice or clamp.
 2. Hold the tool upright (left), set the speed setting to slow-medium and gently apply pressure to the top of the ball. If at any time to ball starts to smoke, stop and wait. Turn the ball over and repeat for the bottom hole. Check that the ball easily slips over the cable and rod before continuing with the rest of the balls.
3. Gently push all the balls over the cable down the length of the dowel.
4. Take the lamp base outside, or in the garage, and apply two to three coats of Rust-Oleum Designer Metallic over the entire assembly, making sure that you cover the balls completely.
5. To fit the bulb assembly you will need to sand down the top of the dowel until both the dowel and the cables fit into the base of the bulb assembly. Attach the electrical cables to the fittings. Mount the lampshade.
Dremel Tools are available at selected hardware stores countrywide.
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