How To Make A Light Table – Light boards are expensive. Very expensive. And I don’t particularly like tutorials that show you how to turn a train board into a light board. Maybe it’s because I don’t even have a train desk. But I wanted to make one for J and K for their birthdays (their birthdays are 5 days apart!) because they are fighting over our little treasure. Additionally, we have a lot of wood in our garage from several previous outdoor projects and a retired entertainment center. So we made something from scratch and it turned out FANTASTIC!
DIY Light Table Tutorial This project was very simple and relatively easy. It only took an afternoon to do, but we had to let the paint and shoes dry. So it’s more of a weekend project.
How To Make A Light Table
Well, we did it for about $130, and if you’ve seen light panels like this that cost $190 or $389 and are much less than ours, you know that $130 is an amazing price.
Easy Diy Light Table
However, keep in mind that we didn’t have to buy wood for this project because we replaced an old entertainment center and used pieces of wood from previous projects. The bolts and seals we used for this project were also things we already had. However, you can probably pick up a similar table for less than $200 if you have to buy the wood. The final price really depends on how big you want the finished table. Check out Home Depot’s clear acrylic sheets to determine what size you want to build.
I note that despite my husband’s insistence, I didn’t take pictures at first. Why? Because I assumed that, like most of our projects, it wouldn’t go as planned and we would have to make some changes along the way.
Well, it turns out this project was pretty simple. The hardest part was figuring out how to position the lights! As a result, I wish I had listened to my husband (yes, I admit he was here!), but I have included a full text tutorial with some pictures of the next steps. If you have specific questions along the way, just put them in the comments.
Light Table For Kids: Fantastic Ways To Use It!
After looking at Home Depot lights for what seemed like forever, we chose the following lights. They work perfectly! So I am attaching a picture of the package for your convenience. You can also click here to see what lights we use.
It can be helpful to bring small helpers into this project. Well, they weren’t very useful, but K is pretty cool.
How to make a DIY light table For those who like simple instructions: make a box. Now you are done! Hahaha… that’s actually what we did, but here’s a more detailed step by step.
Collages On The Light Table
1. Make an acrylic frame using 2x4s. The outside of the frame should be exactly the same width and length as your acrylic piece. So our acrylic was 28″ x 30″, meaning the outer frame size was also 28″ x 30″.
2. Using another piece of 2×4 or a thin piece of MDF, place a bracket in the middle of the frame. Make sure it is wet with the top of the frame so that the acrylic is even when placed on top. We used a piece of MDF from the entertainment center. This bra just adds extra support to the acrylic if your child climbs because you know they will! Both of my boys have been spotted sitting on the light table, so I’m so glad we added to this stable.
3. Cut the wood for the sides and back. We used pieces of MDF that used to be on the sides of the concert hall. They worked perfectly! As you can see in the picture below, we didn’t use a solid piece behind the record. Instead, we used two patterns. There is an identical bracket to the top of each side. The lower leg is slightly above the ground. This bottom bracket is used to support the base of the table and the lights.
What’s Fun Today?: Diy Light Table
4. Attach the side pieces to the frame from step 1, leaving a small margin of 10 / 16 “. In the image below, you can see that the sides extend slightly above the frame. outer edges , against the inner frame.
5. Determine where you want to attach the power panel. Use a hacksaw tool to cut the button hole. You’ll notice that we need to add a small piece of 2×4 to attach our electrical panel the way we want. This 2×4 bracket is attached to the bottom of the frame we made in step 1.
6. Make a base for the lights. We used a sheet of plywood and a piece of 2×4 to make this part. The base of the table is not as wide as the finished table because we wanted the table to be well ventilated so that it does not overheat. The 2×4 block should be the same width as the plywood you are cutting. Glue the 2×4 to the inside of what will be the front of the table. It should be at the lowest level of the bracket behind the table. This 2×4 is used to hold the plywood (and lights) in place. In the picture below, you can see how extensive our database is.
The Diy Light Box!
8. After drying, attach the bulbs to the bottom of the plywood. We played around with different lighting settings and decided that creating a rectangle with the lights was the best setting. Some situations have dark spots. Slide the plywood over the 2×4 bracket on the front and the bottom bracket on the back. Plug all the lights into the power outlet. At this point, you can also arrange the lines with zippers. We pass all the wires under the plywood base. Note that the base is not wrapped around the brackets. Instead, it just depends on parentheses. That way, when we need to change the light bulbs, we can slide the plywood.
9. Apply double-sided tape to the frame you made in step 1, including the middle bracket. This will hold the parchment for a while until the acrylic sheet is placed on top.
10. Cut the parchment to size. I used two long pieces, folding them lightly over the center bracket. Be sure to pull the parchment paper as tight as possible to minimize shrinkage and wrinkles. You can always peel and adjust the mat to make it as smooth as possible because it barely adheres to the double sided tape.
Make Your Own Light Table
11. Place on top of the acrylic sheet. To add a waterproof seal to the board, you can add some sealant to the edge of the acrylic.
It looks amazing, doesn’t it?! I am so happy with how it turned out and the boys love it. It was the best gift for them.
Married to her high school sweetheart, Diane is the mother of two sons, J and K, from Canada. When she’s not writing about hyperlexia and autism, she’s learning piano, kicking her kids around in Mario Kart, playing board games, or reading to read. the next book or scientific article. Make a homemade light chart for sensory play and exploration with your kids using simple and affordable items around your home!
Marble Board For The Light Table
About a year ago, tables or light boxes suddenly took the online world for kids by storm! I was in love with them because I really wanted one in my pre-school class, but for over £200 it never materialised, so I loved it from afar! Then Deborah from the pre-school tried really smart by making her own bath lamp and cute Jack from Happy Hooligans made his circle lamp. Since I did not have this particular type of lights, but still inspired by them, I decided to finally try to make my own Christmas lights that we had just removed from the Christmas tree. I was skeptical about how well it would work with such soft light, but the results are great and we are all happy!
A traditional light box is used by children to study objects with an extra amount of overhead light and can be great for studying silhouettes, color combinations, rays and patterns, etc.
Cover the inside of the top of the box with paper sheets and stick it with scotch tape. This reduces the light and helps to distribute it evenly.
Make Your Own Light Table (and Add Some Reggio Emilia To Your Life)
Place the Christmas lights in the box and spread them evenly. I let the wires stick out in one corner and the cover still fits
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