How to make a light fixture with power cord at home?
Question:Im just trying to take a light bulb and take a piece of wood, put the thing that it skrews into on the board, and attach a power cord so it can be plugged into a wall outlet. How to?
Answers:
Hate to say it, but this really isn't such a hot idea. For one thing, if it causes a fire, you'll be responsible, particularly because you made it yourself and thus it wasn't UL (Underwriters Laboratories) listed for the purpose you're describing. The main kind of socket at hardware stores is for making repairs, not for building a new fixture. I've seen many dangerous situations where someone installed a light fixture that just wasn't constructed properly.
If you connect wires (like others have mentioned here), it MUST be in an electrical box designed to house such a splice. Otherwise it's dangerous and illegal in most areas.
Besides, to do this thing right you're likely to spend as much money as it would cost to buy a simple new fixture.
But if you gotta do it, here's probably the best way:
With screws, attach a metal octagon box to the piece of wood. Use one of these two styles, depending on how you want to mount it to the wood:
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=pr...
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=pr...
Take a replacement lamp cord, or even better, an extension cord with 14awg wire (14-gauge, the thickness of the copper), and keep the plug end on (the one with the prongs) and remove whatever's on the other end. If using the extension cord, remove the outer rubber jacket 6-8" so you just have the insulated wires sticking out.
Insert the wire into the metal box by prying out one of the small holes in the side of the box so that the wire slides under the clamp. Make sure 1/4" of the extension cord's outer jacket sticks past the clamp; you should then have 6-8" of wire inside the box, and nothing but pure extension cord outside the box.
Then strip back 1/4" or so of each of the wires in the box. Crimp a Staycon-type connector onto each (here's a photo of what I mean: http://www.virginiawind.com/tips/images/... you can find them at Radio Shack or most hardware stores. You must do this because the wire is stranded, not solid.
The rest is simple: Put the green wire under the green ground screw on the metal box (that's it for grounding). Put the white wire (more exactly, the white wire's connector) under the silver screw on a keyless lamp fixture (http://www.doityourself.com/invt/u244657... and the black wire under the brass screw. Cover both of the screws with a little bit of electrical tape, just to prevent them coming in contact with any exposed metal or wire. Then screw the keyless porcelain lampholder onto the box! That's it.
You'll likely want to use staples (preferably the kind with plastic on them to keep the wire from getting nicked) to hold the extension cord in place so it doesn't swing all over the place. You absolutely must staple the extension cord to the wood within 6" of where it comes out of the metal box.
Good luck, whatever you decide.
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drill a hole big enough to thread the wire through and put the white wire on the light colored screw and the black wire on the darker screw wrap some black tape around it so you wont get shocked and plug it in.
sounds a bit dangerous, but you do it exactly the way you said... attach a socket (hardware store) to a piece of wood, buy an extension cord and connect to the socket... plug in and you have light.
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