Let there be light

I'm going to admit a few things.

1.  I got the general design from some images I saw on a Google search for, "Pipe floor lamps.

2.  I'm feeling extremely lazy so rather than upload the individual pictures I took, I'm going to stick with this collection I made for Instagram.

3.  While this took only two days to design, and build, the project has been sitting on my, "to do" list for over a year.

4.  This isn't the lamp design that I wanted, but I decided it was something I could live with.

So I built a lamp.


To do this project you're going to need the following.
1.  One 48" piece of steel pipe.
2.  One 36" piece of steel pipe.
3.  Three 90 degree elbows.
4.  One union.
5.  One floor flange.
6.  One nipple.
7.  One tee.
8.  One heavy duty switch.
9.  One cord with single socket - I went with a 15' cord from IKEA.
10.  Two PVC caps.
11.  Black spray paint.
12.  Various electrical pieces for switch box.
13.  Lamp shade.
14.  One union.

I'll get to the support in a second.  I'm not happy with the design, but it works until I can figure out something else.

I went with all 3/4" pieces, black, but feel free to go with whatever size pipe you like.  I would recommend at least 1/2", with 3/4 being preferred if you plan on threading the light cord through the arm, but it's up to you.

I found everything at Home Depot, except for the electrical cord, which I picked up in the "Bargain" area at IKEA.  I went with 15' because it's what they had, and because it gave me a lot of flexibility for the overall design, and would allow me to play with the length without feeling constrained.  The overall length is good, and will allow me to move the finished lamp around without worrying about needing an extension.

Something to consider:  The steel pipe I used here will rust if it gets water on it.  I'm ok with that because I'm going for the industrial look, and because the lamp will be inside only.  It's something to consider if you're planning using your lamp in the shower.

Step 1:  Have someone at HD cut the 36" pipe into a 2 ft and 1ft section, and then cut threads on them.

Step 2:  I began at the base and worked up.  I drilled four holes for the floor flange, tapped them so the bolts would be flush, and screwed them together.  I then added the 48" pipe, threading it into the flange.

I'm not a fan of the base I used, but when I was designing the lamp, I wasn't entirely certain how top heavy it would be.  I bought a wooden crate from HD, and a bag of large river rock from their clearance section.  I'll be switching this out in the future, but it works for now.

Step 3:  I suggest you use gloves, and a pipe wrench for this next part.  I assembled the three elbows in a rough square.  You can get a general idea in the lower right picture above.

Step 4:  Attach the union to the elbow, and then attach the nipple.  I recommend you use the wrench to tighten down everything as much as possible, keeping in mind the angle and direction you'd like with the lamp.  The union will make life very easy - you'll see in a second.

Step 5:  Attach the tee to the nipple, and tighten down.

This is where the union comes into play.  With everything tight, you'd have a difficult time adjusting the angle, and height of the arm - comes next.  The union allows you to loosen the fitting, and adjust the angle and height without fiddling around with the elbows or tee.  Then you simply tighten the union down using a pipe wrench.  This also allows to you take the lamp apart for easy moving.

Step 6:  Attach the 1' and 2' pipes to either end of the tee.

Step 7:  Drill a hole in the top of both PVC caps large enough to thread the electrical cord through.  Clean thoroughly, lightly sand, then spray paint black.  Allow to dry overnight.

Step 8:  While the paint is drying, measure the cord to the length you'd like, including how much you'd like the globe to hang, and cut the cord.  Prep the wires, but do not attach the switch box yet.

Step 9:  24 hours later, thread the cord through the first PVC cap, and down the arm.  I used a long dowel for this, but whatever you have on hand will work.  Once the cord appears out the other end, thread it through the second PVC cap.  Hand tighten both caps.

Step 10:  Attach switch box.  I'm not great with electrical wiring, but this was fairly simple to do.  Make sure you use the instructions if you're unsure.

Step 11:  Test the cord.

Step 12:  Place the lamp wherever you'd like.  Mine is going into my bedroom to hang over the bed.

Step 13:  You can skip this step depending on the stand you used.  Because I'm using the wooden crate, I put a single layer of large river rock in the bottom of the crate for stability.

Step 14:  Attach the shade to the cord, and add bulb.  I'm going with an LED which gives off a lot of light for a single bulb.  Not great for night, but perfect for the day.

Final product.  You can see how the bulb and shade hang.  

So I told you that this isn't the lamp design that I wanted.  Eventually I plan on doing the first lamp that I liked, but until I figure out a few things, I wanted to put the pieces together into something useable.  And I do like this lamp. 

Here is a link to the YouTube video of the first lamp I wanted to build.

All told the project came out to just over $100 dollars including the cord.  It's a bit much for a general floor lamp, but it's very reasonable if you're looking for a lamp in a similar style - industrial with the pipes.  Lamps Plus had one that was along the same lines for $239 dollars so I'm happy with the end result.

RV Life

First let me say that I am not a fan of tiny houses, or the fad.  I think some of the designs are interesting, and I don't believe you need a house much larger than...7500 square feet, and you certainly don't need more than five bedrooms or bathrooms, but I'm not about to downsize into a 300 square foot house for long term.

That being said, short term - anywhere from 1 to 5 years - is more in my line of thought.  And so with that, I introduce my travel trailer.  

Why

Housing is expensive.  Housing is limited.  And when you're a coach on the move, surviving paycheck to paycheck on part time pay, you take every opportunity you can seize upon to stretch the dollar.  This is a 2016 FR Vibe - more on this in a few - that has an overall length of 26 feet, and a living length of 23.6 feet.  It also has cathedral ceilings - curved - a single slide, bathroom, etc.  

When I graduated from the UW IAL masters program, I'd received an offer to return to Oregon State as a volunteer coach.  Having interned the year before, I knew how much work that would mean, and I wanted to immerse myself as much as possible.  This meant that outside work would be severely limited.  Rent in Corvallis is not cheap.  The 2-bedroom apartment I shared while interning through grad school ran nearly $700-750 a month including utilities, not including food, bills, etc.  Single bedrooms in the same complex had jumped to just over $1000 a month.  I found a nice RV park in Albany with concrete pads, two laundry facilities, propane, cable, and internet for $450+ electricity, so that combined with my low monthly payment on the trailer came to just over $600 a month.  Done deal.

The Trailer

If I'd known more about trailers then, I wouldn't have bought this trailer.  It's not a terrible trailer, but it has major drawbacks, and for a company that claims it's a "four season" trailer, and for a company located in Oregon, there are some seriously questionable design flaws.  I won't get into them here because the company likes to scan the internet for people who complain about their products, and then call them out - dealt with that already - so let's say that if you're in the market for a trailer, and you decide to go with the company that makes this trailer, Godspeed to you.

The redesign

After getting all of the issues with the trailer fixed, or as many issues fixed as possible, I decided it was time to redesign parts of the trailer to better suit my needs.  And that's what you're seeing below.  

The mattress isn't so much a mattress as it's two pieces of cloth wrapped around cotton.  This isn't a big deal because most trailers come with terrible beds to start with the idea that you will replace them.  I haven't yet because there are other priorities.  But I did by a 3" piece of foam that helps.

The table wasn't working.  The seating wasn't built correctly - zero supports underneath the thin piece of finish paneling, so that was ripped out and replaced - thank you warranty.  All trailers have a serious lack of storage, and while this trailer does have a surprising amount, I decided to purchase three of those cheap bookcases from Fred Meyer, and use them as places to store tools, extra shoes, cooking things, etc.  They are designed to fit those fabric bins which helps keep the clutter down to a minimum.  

I used the top of a desk that I'd found cheap at IKEA for grad school, and pulled out the table supports to make a flush floor for my chair.  In a fortuitous turn of events, the bookcases, plus the old seats made for the perfect height for a standing desk.  I'd like to say I planned it this way, but it was by sheer luck. 

The stove will be the next part to go.  I'm hard up on this because I love cooking over gas.  Propane heats quickly, and more efficiently than electric does.  However, the oven is a bit of a pain.  It doesn't heat up evenly - yes, I realize it's a glorified camp oven - so I rarely use it, and it's simply taking up space.  I plan to pull the unit out, and replace it with either a drop in, or counter top 2-burner induction cooktop.  This will give me extra storage space for pots and pans where the oven used to be.

I also plan on replacing the shower.  The shower that came with wasn't a good shower, with a poor tub floor.  I don't want to get ambitious, but I do want the shower to be more user friendly than it was.  I've yet to decide if I want to replace the surround, but I yanked out the glass doors, saving the glass, but losing the metal frame in the process - no great loss - and am now contemplating how I want to rebuild it.  I believe I'm going to remove the entire pan, and put down something different from Home Depot.  I'll also install the two pieces of glass I saved as walls to protect the vanity and toilet, and then use tiles to replace the cheap plastic surround.  Or I'll leave the surround, and simply replace the pan.  Options aplenty.

The final thing that needs to be done with the trailer is to cram as much extra insulation as possible into all the nooks and crannies.  The bathroom has a large wardrobe so I'll line the walls with some extra insulation, and do the same under the kitchen counters, the back of the pantry, and under the new desk, as well as under the bed, and in the outdoor kitchen that pulls out.  

All in all am I happy with my purchase?  It's a 6/10, but I'm working to improve it.  If I'd know now what I figured out over last winter, I'd say no, and I'd go with something else.  But the trailer is solid enough, and working on it, and improving/remodeling it to be exactly what I need it to be will help.  Resale isn't something I'm overly concerned with.  The improvements I'm making will only increase it's appeal, and the original kitchen table, and cushions were saved so they can be reinstalled quickly.  

2016 Vibe - Do NOT buy this trailer, or from this manufacturer  

Bedroom

Remodeled the dining room 

Main table replaced with bookshelves and desk top

Propane oven/cooktop to be replaced

Replacing the shower