A rock lamp?…Am I crazy? I’ve actually been doing this for a few years now and when done correctly the end product is beautiful and extremely unique. If you decide to go on this adventure, prepare to have your family and friends wowed by your wonderful new creation. A stone lamp fits perfectly in that cabin of yours in the woods or can be placed in that special rustic corner of your traditional home.

Let’s start with the tools and parts you’ll need. These tools are essential to get this project done successfully and may require a bit of financial investment to get started.

A drill. The press does not have to be a large floor model… it can be a tabletop type for now. It has to have a setup that allows the drill to move fairly slowly through the rock. A setting of around 200-300 rounds per minute is best.

A 3/8″ mortising bit. The mortising bit for this purpose only needs to be about 5″ long. DO NOT buy a carbide coated bit as they don’t seem to work as well. Both Home Depot and Lowe’s have a standard 3/8″ mortise bit for around $5.00.

A lamp kit with harp included. These lamp kits are easy to use and come with everything you need to assemble your lamp. You’ll also want to make sure the kit comes with a harp if you plan on using a display that requires a harp. These sell for around $8.00 at most hardware stores.

A 3/8″ threaded rod about 10 inches long. This rod can be purchased along with your lamp kit in the lighting hardware section. Lengths typically come in 24″ to 36″ and cost around $4.00 After the lamp is assembled you will want to cut the rod to size and I will walk you through how to do that.

A hacksaw to cut the 3/8″ bar to length.

A good strong epoxy glue that sets in 30 minutes.

An angle grinder with a wheel suitable for grinding rock.

turoca

The best place to get your rock for your lamp is to find a dry river bed. Rocks from dry riverbeds tend to be easier to drill into and lend themselves more easily to making a lamp. Please note: We do not want to disturb the river beds that are in use by our natural rivers and streams, but collecting rocks from dry sources does not pose any harm to the environment. You will need a base to start. Look for a fairly flat base that, when placed on a table, won’t rock back and forth, but will sit stably. For this project, your base should be about 8 inches square and about 1 to 2 inches thick (any variation is fine as long as it’s fairly flat). Once you’ve found your base, look for smaller rocks of different shapes and sizes and choose ones that are also fairly flat on both sides. This will make it easier to drill and fit into the lamp. These should be about ½” thick or so. You will need about 6 of these smaller rocks.

drilling the rock

Now that you’ve gathered the rock you chose for your lamp, it’s time to drill. Place the base of the rock in your drill press and find roughly the center of the rock. (You don’t have to be exactly perfect to find the center as this is a rustic lamp and if you’re a little off it just makes it more rustic and interesting.) You want to make sure that the spot where you are going to drill is relatively flat so that the bit does not dance on you. (Before drilling, make sure you have some water on hand to mist or splash on the bit, as the bit can get very hot and break if not kept cool.) Start drilling slowly, around 200 to 300 rounds per minute, and continue until you are completely done. Yes, you did it! Now, repeat these steps with the remaining smaller rock until they are all drilled out and ready to assemble.

pre-assembly

Take your 3/8″ rod length and cut it to about 10″ or so. Place the rod in the larger base and start stacking the smaller rock on top. Since none of these rocks are exactly flat, you may need to move them around a bit to make sure they fit snugly so that the inner rod doesn’t show. Once you have completed this process, you will most likely have an extra bar on top that needs to be cut off. Keeping the lamp parts in mind, you’ll need to leave enough rod to hold the coupler, the piece that holds the harp, and the actual lamp base. Usually this means leaving about 1 inch above the last stacked rock. You can test this by taking out all the fixture pieces, placing them one by one on top of the extra rod, and then making a mark just below the first piece (coupler) to see which extra rod you should leave sticking out. Mark your cane where you need to cut it, remove the rock one by one keeping them in order, and cut your cane to length.

final assembly

Put your pre-cut rod back into the base and put some of your epoxy glue around the hole where the rod fits and around a small area where your first small rock will sit. Take your first small rock and slide it down over the rod and place it on top of the glued-on area at its base. (It’s important to keep the glue area small so it doesn’t show after you’ve attached the rocks together.) Continue this process until all the rocks are tight together on the rod. Make sure the inside of your rod is completely clear through the center with no obstructions so you can slide the lamp cord through it in the next step. You have now completed the most difficult part of making this lamp. Let the lamp sit for a couple of hours or so to allow the glue to set.

Using the instructions in the lamp kit box, assemble the rest of the lamp parts as shown. You will need to push the wire all the way in from the bottom of the base. (Sometimes, depending on the stone base, the wire will not sit properly under the base and can cause the base to wobble a bit. This is where you will need your angle grinder with a suitable wheel for grinding stone. Put the lamp on upside down. and take your angle grinder and dig a small indentation from the center of the rock where the rod is towards the back of the lamp. Just make sure the groove is deep enough to hold the lamp cord).

Finally, spray the lamp with a satin or semi-gloss clear lacquer to seal the rock and bring out the natural colors of the stone. Apply two or three coats of lacquer. After the lacquer is dry, you may want to place a piece of felt on the bottom of the lamp so it doesn’t scratch the table it sits on.

Congratulations, you have now made a beautiful rustic stone lamp!