Scavenger Chic

Upcycled Ladder, DIY Tripod Floor Lamp

• By Joan
• March 9, 2022
• 5 Comments

Upcycled Ladder, DIY Tripod Floor Lamp

Last week I shared with you this set of shelves and DIY crates made from an old step ladder.

When I took the step ladder apart I still had the back half of the ladder taking up space in the old workshop.

It is wood so of course I could do something with it.   I liked the idea of a  wooden tripod floor lamp but of course I only had 2 legs.  I briefly looked into finding a second ladder but then decided, why not make my own leg?  An old piece of floor board will do just the trick.  It had the same 3/4″ thickness as the ladder, the same basic patina and I could easily cut the width to be the same as the legs (1 1/4″).

If you don’t have a ladder, you could also use 1×2″s.

And if you do happen to have 2 ladders, you may want to consider making this lamp from Pottery Barn teen.

You’ll also need a Make a Lamp Kit to create your lamp.

Dismantle the ladder.  The two bottom pieces are from the ladder and the top piece is the old floor board.  Sand the edges of the floor board to have the rounded look of the ladder legs.

If there is any paint left on your ladder legs sand it off.  If you’re planning to stain, the stain will not take over the paint.

I made my own pattern for the top using a 6″ equilateral triangle as my base.  Where the notches go out on the three sides is where my legs will sit.

Transfer your pattern onto a scrap piece of wood.  Make sure that the wood you use is a hardwood.  

I’m using an old oak 1″ butcher block.  It doesn’t look like much right now since it’s painted white.

Cut out your top piece with a jigsaw, bandsaw or tabletop scroll saw.  I used a scroll saw, it’s super easy to use and gets into those tight corners.

If you do not have a scroll saw or jigsaw, consider using a square piece of wood and attaching your legs with hinges from the bottom.

Make sure your legs fit in the notches, they should have a little wiggle room.

After a lot of sanding you can finally see my oak hardwood emerge from all that paint.

You know the part of the tripod that keeps the legs from spreading out too far?  The leg bracing?  Well I’m making that too from the X part of the ladder.

Cut 3 pieces from the X, about 6″ in length.  Round off one end of each piece and sand.  It will sort of look like an oversized popsicle stick.

On your top piece, drill a 1/4″ hole thru the  2 sides and thru the tripod leg.  Insert a 1/4″ oak dowel.  This should be a tight fit, just enough give that the legs can swing but the dowel doesn’t fall out.

**Take note, if you’re following my pattern, I found that I needed to cut the hole where the leg is inserted deeper by about 1/4″ (like the one on the left) so that the leg had room to swing.

You could leave a natural finish on your piece, I stained mine with a dark walnut.

Stand your tripod up and determine where your leg bracing should be so that the legs have a decent amount of flare.  Too high and the legs will be very wide, too low and your lamp may topple over.

Measure and mark the exact placement on each leg then attach the bracing with hinges.

These braces are about 20″ from the top with a total leg length of 48″.

Find the center of your lamp top and drill a 3/8 inch hole.  Insert the lamp nipple.

Start building your lamp.  Instructions are included in your build a lamp kit but if you like more pictures, check out my earlier post about wiring a lamp.

Make sure you check to see if your lamp works and no wires came loose before you close up the socket.

Attach a harp and lampshade and stand back and admire what you just made from a ladder.

This is a better picture of the leg bracing.  A bolt and nut (taken from the ladder) secures the brace in the middle.

Stay inspired and if you love upcycled lighting be sure to check out all my lighting projects here.

Related posts:

Upcycled Ladder Shelves and DIY Crates Easy Pallet Wood Outdoor Side Table White Board with DIY Caddy and Frame DIY Checkerboard Set from an Upcycled Door