DIY Light Table and Fisherman pull toy
Hi gang!!
Well, its Sunday again, which I think is the day I usually blog, when I do blog. The weather outside has gotten ugly and dark, and I'm sure it will be raining again soon. Welcome to Washington. However, I have the next week off from work, so I am happy. :) Woo hooo!
I've been designing another pulltoy, my goal is to get a few more done, then I'm going to enter them in galleries. I think I have about 6 of them. Here's my latest. I'm working on a fisherman. He needs a name....
Also I thought I would show you how I made a Light/suction table. What on earth is that? (you ask) (thank you for asking) Well...I needed a table that would create some suction to hold down the graphics, while I stick my wood down to it. (That sounded a little weird but its really more pulltoy talk) But....if anyone out there (you artists) need a cheap easy light table for tracing. and you have a hankering for DIY projects....then you have come to the right place my friend.
But before that, let me show you something else. Recently I inherited a fish tank, I think its..30 or 40 gallons, not sure.
So I've dressed it all up and put in a new friend. Meet Ribeye the crayfish.
He's maybe 1 1/2 to 2 inches big, and the word "Gumbo" scares him.
Anyway.....without further adoo...
How to Make a Light Table.
Actually I was experimenting, and I really needed the suction function that I mentioned earlier. (Wasn't that a school house rock song? Suction Funtion...what's...your.....Anyway) And I wasn't sure if it would work. So I was into the down and dirty method of constructing this.....which means...pretty much grab anything on hand and slap it together. If your just making the light table itself, it is very easy peasey.
First of all I could have used any small table, but I wanted something that was collapsable, that I could hideaway when not in use. So because of that, I went down to the local Salvation Army. They have this huge outdoor section which is more like a salvage yard. You know, sometimes its fun going somewhere, buying cheap crap and making something out of it. (My Mexican wrestling name would have been El' Cheapo) and when I say cheap...I mean cheap.
I found this old drafting table. (I knew it would have the collapsable legs) They wanted 15....I yapped them down to 10 smacks. I bought a fan there for 4 bucks. Then off to Lowes (my other home) where I bought some plexiglass and a small clamp light. Another 10 dollars total.
I ripped the heavy drawing board off of the legs, and put on a frame made up of wood I had laying around. Then attached the fan facing downward, to the frame. (Once again, just using crap I had laying around) I attached the fan in such a way, that it is removable.
Fan sizes vary, you will have to experiment with this. I wanted to use a big ole box fan, but it wouldn't fit. and if your only making the lightbox version of this, it doesn't matter anyway.
The next step....and the easiest...is just to attach the clamp light under your table. You might be able to use an existing leg to grip it to, or in my case, I added a little wood piece.
Once again, I really wasn't going for looks on this, I just wanted to get it done and see if it would work. Then I screwed down the plexi glass to the top of the table, you might consider using something else that is not clear. Otherwise, you have a blinding light staring at you. There were other choices at Lowes.
Because I needed the suction element, I started drilling holes in the plexi, to allow the air to be pulled through it, once again....if you are just making a light table...forget about drilling holes.
While making this I had Mary help me, and to make a long story short...I had the drill sitting upright on the plexi-table while adjusting something. I asked her to hold the drill.....she didn't....the drill fell over...breaking off the drill bit tip, hitting her in the eye.....and cracking the plexi...
Lesson learned...always holster your drill. (Mary is ok now)
and here I am, all dorky and happy with my new light table.
Thats it for now gang.
Peace, Love, sausage
-Joe
Well, its Sunday again, which I think is the day I usually blog, when I do blog. The weather outside has gotten ugly and dark, and I'm sure it will be raining again soon. Welcome to Washington. However, I have the next week off from work, so I am happy. :) Woo hooo!
I've been designing another pulltoy, my goal is to get a few more done, then I'm going to enter them in galleries. I think I have about 6 of them. Here's my latest. I'm working on a fisherman. He needs a name....
Also I thought I would show you how I made a Light/suction table. What on earth is that? (you ask) (thank you for asking) Well...I needed a table that would create some suction to hold down the graphics, while I stick my wood down to it. (That sounded a little weird but its really more pulltoy talk) But....if anyone out there (you artists) need a cheap easy light table for tracing. and you have a hankering for DIY projects....then you have come to the right place my friend.
But before that, let me show you something else. Recently I inherited a fish tank, I think its..30 or 40 gallons, not sure.
So I've dressed it all up and put in a new friend. Meet Ribeye the crayfish.
He's maybe 1 1/2 to 2 inches big, and the word "Gumbo" scares him.
Anyway.....without further adoo...
How to Make a Light Table.
Actually I was experimenting, and I really needed the suction function that I mentioned earlier. (Wasn't that a school house rock song? Suction Funtion...what's...your.....Anyway) And I wasn't sure if it would work. So I was into the down and dirty method of constructing this.....which means...pretty much grab anything on hand and slap it together. If your just making the light table itself, it is very easy peasey.
First of all I could have used any small table, but I wanted something that was collapsable, that I could hideaway when not in use. So because of that, I went down to the local Salvation Army. They have this huge outdoor section which is more like a salvage yard. You know, sometimes its fun going somewhere, buying cheap crap and making something out of it. (My Mexican wrestling name would have been El' Cheapo) and when I say cheap...I mean cheap.
I found this old drafting table. (I knew it would have the collapsable legs) They wanted 15....I yapped them down to 10 smacks. I bought a fan there for 4 bucks. Then off to Lowes (my other home) where I bought some plexiglass and a small clamp light. Another 10 dollars total.
I ripped the heavy drawing board off of the legs, and put on a frame made up of wood I had laying around. Then attached the fan facing downward, to the frame. (Once again, just using crap I had laying around) I attached the fan in such a way, that it is removable.
Fan sizes vary, you will have to experiment with this. I wanted to use a big ole box fan, but it wouldn't fit. and if your only making the lightbox version of this, it doesn't matter anyway.
The next step....and the easiest...is just to attach the clamp light under your table. You might be able to use an existing leg to grip it to, or in my case, I added a little wood piece.
Once again, I really wasn't going for looks on this, I just wanted to get it done and see if it would work. Then I screwed down the plexi glass to the top of the table, you might consider using something else that is not clear. Otherwise, you have a blinding light staring at you. There were other choices at Lowes.
Because I needed the suction element, I started drilling holes in the plexi, to allow the air to be pulled through it, once again....if you are just making a light table...forget about drilling holes.
While making this I had Mary help me, and to make a long story short...I had the drill sitting upright on the plexi-table while adjusting something. I asked her to hold the drill.....she didn't....the drill fell over...breaking off the drill bit tip, hitting her in the eye.....and cracking the plexi...
Lesson learned...always holster your drill. (Mary is ok now)
and here I am, all dorky and happy with my new light table.
Thats it for now gang.
Peace, Love, sausage
-Joe