# Ratchet Lamp



## vursenbach (Apr 11, 2012)

Any years ago, back in the 70s, I saw plans for a ratchet lamp with the electric cord entering at the base but the lamp could be raised and lowered without ever seeing the cord. Now I want to build it and don't have plans. Any help would be great. BTW, I don't want to pay for them since I almost always modify them to my special needs. 

It looked like the photo I found on the web.

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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

That's a new one on me. I'd never heard of one till now. Pretty cool.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

I realize that you don't want to pay for the plan, but maybe it might be worth spending $4.95, this site has nothing to do with me, just a link, scroll down the page:
http://www.armorplans.com/furniture_plans.htm


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## vursenbach (Apr 11, 2012)

FrankC said:


> I realize that you don't want to pay for the plan, but maybe it might be worth spending $4.95, this site has nothing to do with me, just a link, scroll down the page:
> http://www.armorplans.com/furniture_plans.htm


That is where I found the photo. I was actually hoping to get som idea regarding some of the inner workings. I keep going over it in my head and what appears to be very simple turns out to be a little bit more complicated when thinking about all the different possible problems. The cord has to go through pieces of wood without being seen. Okay, not that big of a problem. There needs to be a stop inside on both ends so it can't extend too far or close too much without pinching the cord. The stop cannot be in the way of the cord bending. Which leads to the other problem to work out, the cord has to be able to bend inside without binding or creating problems for the lamp to be lowered. 

I will post some possible plans when I get off vacation to see what others think. 

I really don't want to spend the money on plans that I will just have to change anyway. So many simple plans don't think of all the possible problems and I'm afraid this might be one of those. I was just hoping someone here has made one and has foreseen the problems and fixed them.

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## Itchytoe (Dec 17, 2011)

I've thought about it a few times, and always manage to run into a problem. I fix that problem, and another comes up. I'm sure the answer is simple, but I just can't think of it. If you figure it out, let us know.


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## vursenbach (Apr 11, 2012)

At this point, that is my problem. I'm going to still be thinking.

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## liquid6 (Feb 15, 2011)

Are you positive that the cord can't be seen at all, or just from this angle? why couldn't you hide the cord in a dado on the two faces that meet on another?


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

I am guessing that the cord is in dados and works around a couple dowels like this:
Sorry tried it out with string and it doesn't work.


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## liquid6 (Feb 15, 2011)

Did some looking around and I found some plans. It is not exactly like the photo at the top of the thread, but it could give you an idea of how the cord runs through the lamp stand.

http://www.amazon.com/Two-Ratchet-Lamp-Trinket-Plan/dp/B007P1ZUTS


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Looking at my drawing it should work without the bottom dowel, cord is straight at max height , then just loops into dado as it lowers.


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## vursenbach (Apr 11, 2012)

This is what I was thinking. Any other ideas? The lamp could be as tall as I want but breaking the measurements into thirds would help hide the dados and the elastic would help hold the cord so it would not get tangled as the ratchet goes up and down. The elastic would be the type you get in a fabric store. The eye screw would help keep the cord toward the top and not rubbing against the wood. Long drill holes would have to be drilled into the dados for the cord. 

On my drawing I forgot to put a piece of wood going around the bottom of the ratchet to keep the two pieces of wood together. 

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## J Thomas (Aug 14, 2012)

How about inlaying a couple brass strips on the base and a couple sliding contacts on the ratchet section.
Limit the length of the strips, such that, they do NOT expose themselves at either limit of the ratchet. 
Think safety here..
..Jon..


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## vursenbach (Apr 11, 2012)

J Thomas said:


> How about inlaying a couple brass strips on the base and a couple sliding contacts on the ratchet section.
> Limit the length of the strips, such that, they do NOT expose themselves at either limit of the ratchet.
> Think safety here..
> ..Jon..


I'm not completely following you. Could you explain in more detail with explanations of why? I'm just not seeing it in my head.

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## J Thomas (Aug 14, 2012)

Your electrical feed will be on inlayed strips, of course isolated from each other, and on the ratchet side of things you'll have 2 contact points with a bit of spring tension to feed the lamp. Think of how a slot car functions... same idea but keeping ALL electrical contacts between the two lamp parts and limited in length so they can't be touched regardless of where the upper section is "ratcheted" in height..
I use a similar approach in making ham radio antennas to adjust for frequency changes... but these are in the air ans in-accessible to touch.
Did that make sense?
..Jon..


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## D_sent (Mar 13, 2021)

J Thomas said:


> Your electrical feed will be on inlayed strips, of course isolated from each other, and on the ratchet side of things you'll have 2 contact points with a bit of spring tension to feed the lamp. Think of how a slot car functions... same idea but keeping ALL electrical contacts between the two lamp parts and limited in length so they can't be touched regardless of where the upper section is "ratcheted" in height..
> I use a similar approach in making ham radio antennas to adjust for frequency changes... but these are in the air ans in-accessible to touch.
> Did that make sense?
> ..Jon..


I’m an electrician, I wouldn’t suggest this with 120v


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## Bob Bengal (Jan 2, 2021)

Welcome to the forum @D_sent , this thread is 9 years old.


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