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Universal lamp shade polygon building kit

by dan on October 13, 2006 Table of Contents Universal lamp shade polygon building kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intro: Universal lamp shade polygon building kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 1: What you need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . File Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 2: Cut out your pieces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 3: Assemble! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 4: Assemble! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 4 4 5 5 6

Step 5: Other Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

http://www.instructables.com/id/Universal-lamp-shade-polygon-building-kit/

Author:dan MonkeyLectric
Dan Goldwater is a co-founder of Instructables. Currently he operates MonkeyLectric where he develops revolutionary bike lighting products. He also writes a DIY column for Momentum magazine.

Intro: Universal lamp shade polygon building kit

One simple cut-out shape lets you build all sorts of different designer-looking lampshades! You can make dozens different geometric forms using various numbers of the cut-out shape made from paper or plastic. All the standard mathematical polyhedrons and such are possible. The pieces just fold together by hand into rigid forms, and you can take them apart and build into new shapes any time! this is fun and educational for kids and adults alike, and you get a really nice lampshade when you are done. As seen in ReadyMade Magazine, Dec. 2007/Jan 2008 issue

Image Notes 1. 30 identical pieces assembled together. this one is made from 0.5mm acetal (delrin). in the photo it looks amber but in reality it is pure white.

Image Notes 1. this one uses 24 pieces, made from 0.8mm nylon. it is a bit annoyingly yellow-ish in reality

http://www.instructables.com/id/Universal-lamp-shade-polygon-building-kit/

Image Notes 1. this one has 35 pieces. it is basically a tube with two end-caps. it is made from 0.8mm HDPE

Image Notes 1. 24 pieces - side view - this one has a 'cool white' light in it rather than 'warm white' in the others.

Image Notes 1. 80 pieces - side view

http://www.instructables.com/id/Universal-lamp-shade-polygon-building-kit/

Step 1: What you need

I saw a lampshade made out of the shape below at a friend's house, so I traced the shape and made my own. the lamp i saw used thin plastic for the pieces. I believe the original design for this lamp was done over 30 years ago by the firm Iqlight, they sell pre-cut parts in case you do not want to make the parts yourself. Below is the shape as an image, and i've also attached a DXF file. You will need sheets of paper or plastic that allow light to get through. The stiffness of your material determines how large your pieces can be - stiffer material for larger pieces and larger lamps, thinner material for smaller pieces and smaller lamps. (see next step) You will need a lamp fixture - just a raw socket on a cord. I found some nice ones at Ikea for $4, and some fluorescent bulbs. Use a compact fluorescent bulb so you can get more light without melting the plastic. I experimented with a number of different plastics and sizes for the parts, here are my results: - HDPE: works well, looks good, cheap and easy to get. I used 0.8mm thick stock for 8cm pieces (measured flat-side to flat-side). That's about the smallest you'd want to go with that thickness, you could go up to 12 or 15cm with that thickness. this is the least expensive plastic by far. One of the commenters suggested using plastic milkbottles, which are made of HDPE, this is a good idea! - Acetal (delrin): this seems to be the best choice for looks, it has the purest white color and best light dispersion (basically, looks just like acrylic except it doesn't crack as easily). I used 0.35mm stock for 6cm and 8cm pieces, and 0.5mm stock for 8-12cm pieces, and 0.65mm stock for 12-15cm pieces. It still is a little brittle and harder to work with than HDPE, and more expensive. if you cut this with scissors it will be somewhat tricky due to the brittleness, but possible. - Vinyl: I did not try it, probably want to use thicker pieces since it is not very stiff. but you can use colors! - Paper: I did not try paper but it should be good for smaller constructions. - Laminated paper: this is a great idea suggested in the coments section. try laminating color tissue paper, then cut the pieces from that. very unique and colorful! - Acrylic: too brittle, it will crack when you try to assemble. too bad! - Nylon: has a yellow-ish look when lit up which makes it undesirable. - for a large construction use stiffer material for the same size piece. ie, if you are making a lampshade with 12 pieces use thinner material than if you are making a shade with 100 pieces, assuming same size pieces.

Where to get it: HDPE 1/32" sheet: sheet: http://www.usplastics.com item number 42584 Acetal sheet, 0.015" and 0.020":: http://www.mcmaster.com item number 8738K52 and 8738K53

File Downloads

polypiece.dxf (31 KB) [NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'polypiece.dxf']

http://www.instructables.com/id/Universal-lamp-shade-polygon-building-kit/

Step 2: Cut out your pieces

You can cut your pieces in a couple ways: - trace them out with a marker, then use scissors or a knife. this is slow but can be done easily by anyone. - make a "cookie cutter" out of sheet metal in the shape of the part. then heat the cutter with a torch and use it to stamp out the parts (only works for plastic) - use a laser cutter

Step 3: Assemble!
just try fitting the parts together! they go together in many different ways. you can make a variety of corners with 3, 4 or 5 adjoining pieces. there are several ways to think about and categorize the different types of geometric shapes that can be constructed. below i've shown top and bottom views of every different type of vertex (corner) that can be built. all larger assemblies are made up of a combination of the types of corners shown below, so think of them as your building blocks. corners can also be 'left handed' and 'right handed' - mirror images of each other.

Image Notes 1. right-handed vertex 2. left-handed vertex - the mirror image

Image Notes 1. five narrow-angles meet at the vertex (corner) - view of top side

Image Notes 1. 3 wide angles at the vertex 2. 2 narrow angles and 1 wide angle meet at the vertex 3. 3 narrow angles at the vertex 4. 1 narrow angle and 2 wide angles at the vertex

Image Notes 1. bottom-side view

http://www.instructables.com/id/Universal-lamp-shade-polygon-building-kit/

Image Notes 1. 2 narrow and 2 wide angles meet at the vertex, in a checkerboard pattern (the 2 narrow-angles are across from each other diagonally) 2. 4 narrow angles at vertex 3. 3 narrow angles and 1 wide angle at the vertex 4. 2 narrow angles and 2 wide angles, with the narrow-angles adjacent to each other.

Step 4: Assemble!
you can make forms with anything from 8 to 100 or more pieces each. the only drawback seems to be that there is no way to make concave corners, only convex corners are possible. you can see my examples below, and you can see more at this site: http://www.iqlight.com that site also sells the parts if you don't want to make them yourself (but i think it is pricey).

Image Notes 1. 5 pieces join at this corner 2. 3 pieces join at this corner

Image Notes 1. this one uses 24 pieces, made from 0.8mm nylon. it is a bit annoyingly yellow-ish in reality

http://www.instructables.com/id/Universal-lamp-shade-polygon-building-kit/

3. 4 pieces join at this corner

Image Notes 1. 30 identical pieces assembled together. this one is made from 0.5mm acetal (delrin). in the photo it looks amber but in reality it is pure white.

Image Notes 1. this one has 35 pieces. it is basically a tube with two end-caps. it is made from 0.8mm HDPE

http://www.instructables.com/id/Universal-lamp-shade-polygon-building-kit/

Image Notes 1. 24 pieces - side view - this one has a 'cool white' light in it rather than 'warm white' in the others.

Image Notes 1. this is 30 pieces, but in a different configuration than the normal 'soccer ball' shape. it has more pointy corners and less roundedness

http://www.instructables.com/id/Universal-lamp-shade-polygon-building-kit/

Image Notes 1. 24 piece - bottom view

Image Notes 1. 80 pieces - side view

Image Notes 1. this is the bottom central axis point 2. 80 pieces - view from about 45 degrees below and to the side

http://www.instructables.com/id/Universal-lamp-shade-polygon-building-kit/

Step 5: Other Ideas

I think the design i've presented is my favorite because it is reconfigurable into lots of shapes, but i thought i'd put some links to other styles which can also be made from sheets of paper or plastic. the lampshade shown below i spotted hanging from the eaves of a hotel in china. it is made from i think 6 identical pieces (possibly 7 or 8). each piece is a large diamond shape with slots cut in it to allow sliding the pieces together. it looks like each diamond is slid into itself to form one of the central vertical tubes, its free tips are then slid into the other pieces to hold the whole thing together. (i have not actually made one yet, so please comment if you have). also see: http://www.instructables.com/id/Flower-Calender http://www.yasutomo.com/project/paperlampshade.htm you can also usually find one or two polygon-inspired lampshade designs at your local designer lighting store, and at Ikea.

Related Instructables

Beautify your CFLs with Bright Idea Shades (steal this idea!) by sjolly

Modern Geometric Lamp by wearingpink

How to Make A 70's String Lamp by in2ws

Simple Ikeahack lamp by reid

Record Lampshade by fungus amungus

Recycle lampshade by msolek

http://www.instructables.com/id/Universal-lamp-shade-polygon-building-kit/

Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 205 comments

si says:

Feb 24, 2011. 3:42 PM REPLY If you don't have the time to cut out the pieces or can't find a nice source, there are now sellers on ebay who you can buy them from, e.g. http://myworld.ebay.com.au/koanliving_aus/ I got some for AUD$17.20 per 30 (delivered price as I sniped 0.99c auctions and negotiated postage with 4 lots). Not as cheap as making them yourself, but the polycarbonate plastic is good quality, and I'm very pleased with the result. Looks fantastic, thanks for the instructable!

Chaoz123 says:
I've cut out 3 pieces, but I can't figure out how to connect them together. Help please.

Jan 26, 2011. 11:27 AM REPLY

wearingpink says:
I was thinking of trying to make this. Do you have any idea how big it is?

Aug 29, 2008. 9:57 PM REPLY

dan says:
it can be any size you want

Aug 30, 2008. 1:08 AM REPLY

wearingpink says:
I was talking about the red one, and I just wanted an original size to go off of.

Sep 1, 2008. 9:35 AM REPLY

dan says:
they were outside a building, probably close to 1m

Sep 1, 2008. 11:54 AM REPLY

wearingpink says:

Mar 16, 2009. 4:23 PM REPLY So I made my own version of the red one. It's a little over a foot tall, and made out of mylar. It was a learning process. I'll add a photo when I find it.

wearingpink says:
Ok here's a picture:

Mar 29, 2009. 1:22 PM REPLY

wearingpink says:
So I finally made an instructable. Its here!: http://www.instructables.com/id/Modern-Lamp/

Jan 8, 2011. 10:41 PM REPLY

CheesesOfNazereth says:
Very nice

Oct 5, 2010. 2:40 AM REPLY

neonack says:
So do you have your diagram on that? Thats an awesome design.

Jan 4, 2010. 7:26 PM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/Universal-lamp-shade-polygon-building-kit/

dan says:

Aug 22, 2009. 12:40 AM REPLY ooh good work!! was i right about the number of pieces and their shape? i was kind of guessing about it with only the photo to go on (i forgot to look very close at the time i took the photo). how many pieces did you use?

emalcar says:
That is amazing! Nice job! Please post even a general Instructable. I love this!

Jul 7, 2009. 3:15 PM REPLY

nabau says:
wearingpink...WOW nice work!!! are you going to share your pattern? ;)

Jul 5, 2009. 3:32 PM REPLY

infinitysnake says:
Can you post some other shots, or a pic of your pattern?

Apr 16, 2009. 12:11 AM REPLY

haleysteffen says:

Jan 8, 2011. 12:43 PM REPLY I'm attempting the 120 piece light, i cut out all the pieces, and have tried multiple times for hours on end putting it together but it never comes out right and closes itself off before i can use all the pieces. I understand the concept of putting the 30 piece together no problem. Any help? Thanks.

tangela says:
Any idea how this might work with cutouts from poly folders like these ?

Jan 2, 2011. 12:21 AM REPLY

hintss says:
anyone lasercut it?

Dec 2, 2010. 5:24 PM REPLY

draw2blue says:

Oct 24, 2010. 10:10 AM REPLY Here's my version made of plain old paper. my first one didn't fit so had to extend it into an oval one, as you probably can it's a bit too heavy to stand on it's own.. thanks soo much for the template~!

spijk860 says:
i saw a men wit those lamps on my holliday in france cool thinges

Oct 8, 2010. 9:40 AM REPLY

Klode says:

Jun 9, 2009. 1:42 PM REPLY Has anybody tried it with 1/32" birch plywood? I can't seem to find this kind of plastic in Canada and our milk is sold in cartons not jugs... So i am tempted to try it with thin plywood... I am looking to make the 80 piece model... Thanks for your help!

woodNfish says:

Oct 4, 2010. 5:55 AM REPLY Where are you looking for suppliers? Look up industrial supply sources in your area. Worst case you can order over the internet or scavenge other products like kerrym suggests. Mar 6, 2010. 9:30 PM REPLY I'm in Canada, too. I made mine using those super-flexible plastic cutting mats sold at the dollar store. They come in different colours, but I used the clear/white-ish ones.

kerrym says:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Universal-lamp-shade-polygon-building-kit/

tangela says:
Plastic cutting mats? The ones that are sold for chopping vegetables on and such?

Sep 30, 2010. 8:42 PM REPLY

kerrym says:
exactly!

Oct 1, 2010. 6:41 AM REPLY

giannacl says:
thats beautiful! how many pieces to make that size?

Jun 19, 2010. 4:33 PM REPLY

kerrym says:
This one is the 80 piece variation

Jun 19, 2010. 6:46 PM REPLY

giannacl says:
one more question (blush): what size did you choose?

Jun 19, 2010. 7:39 PM REPLY

kerrym says:

Jun 23, 2010. 5:23 AM REPLY I just measured them, and each piece is about 5" long and 4 1/4" at its widest point. The finished light is roughly 15" in diameter, 11" high.

giannacl says:
thank you!

Jun 23, 2010. 9:10 AM REPLY

Ex0 says:
I'm in Canada too..I was thinking...would 2 litre pop bottles work?

Feb 19, 2010. 4:40 PM REPLY

Moomoomilk says:
I LOVE CANADA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3<3<3<3

Jun 21, 2009. 12:22 PM REPLY

omendata says:
Well done!

Oct 3, 2010. 3:47 PM REPLY I dont often comment but superb - simple , inspirational and looks superb much better than most of the lights I have seen in shops in the UK.

Crafty123 says:
This is the same thing, basically taken from a kit :( of like the IQ ball series (no. 3)

Oct 3, 2010. 9:38 AM REPLY

tangela says:
Excellent instructable! Thanks for all the details--I'd like to try making one or two for a friend.

Sep 30, 2010. 8:23 PM REPLY

jackhg says:
TOOOO COOOL on the red shade, does the red shade use the same pieces as given in this instructable? Please let me know, I can see these as gifts for December thanks Jack

Sep 30, 2010. 9:41 AM REPLY

Crink says:

Jul 22, 2010. 7:37 PM REPLY I was wondering if anyone is having trouble with the proportions of the jpg. I feel that there is something off. I might be wrong though.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Universal-lamp-shade-polygon-building-kit/

oldschoolstructure says:
Great aesthetic shapes!

Jun 19, 2010. 3:05 AM REPLY

cheeto4493 says:
Cool, I saw this on MAKE and followed the link here. I converted the DFX over into a PDF. I called it IQlight.pdf I was thinking about the HDPE material you recommended, and I got a thought. How about recycling 1 gallon Milk Jugs? If you are interested in slide together polyhedra, check out this site. George Hart polyhedra activities http://www.georgehart.com/virtual-polyhedra/slide-togethers.html Here is a picture of a ball I made from one of his patterns. I modified the triangle pattern, and built this ball out of CD's. ~Travis

Jul 30, 2008. 9:04 AM REPLY

IQlight.pdf(612x792) 18 KB

craftyv says:

Jun 1, 2010. 7:13 PM REPLY Travis wow! Has anyone got the instructables for these . The GeorgeHart site is well worth checking out but there are no instructions. i'm sure members would love any and all Slide together polyhedra such as these.

Shut Up Now says:

(removed by author or community request)

Nov 26, 2008. 8:50 PM

Shut Up Now says:

oh and about how many cds did that particular polygon take

Nov 26, 2008. 8:53 PM REPLY

cheeto4493 says:

Nov 27, 2008. 4:11 PM REPLY 20, plus a few that I broke while cutting and assembling. It is a regular Icosahedron. The hardest part is cutting the CD's without them cracking. And also putting the last one in. I ended up having to break it and tape it back together because it wouldn't flex enough to slide in. The other hard thing about cutting them is making the kerf the same width as the thickness of a CD, and at an angle.

Shut Up Now says:

Nov 29, 2008. 2:13 PM REPLY i see.. thanks for the help oh yea i was thinking that it would be cool if after u assembled each set of 5 u microwaved em. if u have ever done that, it makes lightning and gives a cool cracked effect

mage says:
sweet. i really like the cd ball. because its shiny it entertains me :D

Sep 11, 2008. 9:05 PM REPLY

frisko says:
Hey Cheeto, thanks for the cool lamp shade idea! I made the 30 square version as well, and it looks cool... Does anyone know how to make one of these though? http://www.origamitessellations.com/2006/01/17/identify-me/ The cool thing about this lamp shade is that you can open and close every individual compartment...

Sep 11, 2008. 2:16 AM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/Universal-lamp-shade-polygon-building-kit/

craftyv says:

Jun 1, 2010. 7:20 PM REPLY I agree this is awsome. It is s design called APERTURE by a designer called Claire Norcross and is sold commercially' I too would love to know how to make it .

Alex Ribeiro says:

Thank you very much for the PDF file version!

Aug 8, 2008. 8:33 AM REPLY

KitschyKoo says:

Mar 1, 2009. 11:40 PM REPLY Thanks for the great idea. I made my one out of some x-rays. I wanted something to hang above our table and as we don't have pendant light, I've just got it suspended from string. It would look fantastic with a light through it, but I'm happy with it just as a sculptural piece that spins in the breeze. I took the picture with a cell phone inside it.

craftyv says:

Jun 1, 2010. 7:00 PM REPLY Kitchykoo: Brilliant use of old X Rays can you imagine how great they would be with a light globe inside and the bones showing through.My next project is an X Ray lamp for my grandson he will love it, because of the bones. One point. WHERE CAN I GET XRAYS from as I only have 1 . Help please.

view all 205 comments

http://www.instructables.com/id/Universal-lamp-shade-polygon-building-kit/