The DIY floating bedside table and lamp

The wall fittings which will house the floating bedside lamp consist of two glulam boards and two copper sheets. They each need to be cut to size first. Before you do so, mark the dimensions on the large wooden board and the large sheet of copper using a folding ruler, a steel square and a pencil. The dimensions are the same for all four small pieces: 18.5 x 35 cm each.

Now cut the wood for the floating bedside table. To do so, secure the large board against a stable surface using screw clamps. Don't forget to wear safety goggles and ear defenders.

Make a bevel cut – i.e. a cut at a 45-degree angle – along the length of one side of each glulam board using a cordless circular hand saw.

Cut both copper sheets using tin snips. You don't need to make a bevel cut when cutting the copper sheets.

In this tutorial, we will show you exactly how to cut copper tubes or sheets properly.

To make sure the floating bedside table and lamp can be mounted on the wall, it needs two fittings. And we've gone for keyhole fittings. These fittings are easy to identify by their keyhole-shaped notch and the two screw holes on either side of it.

Turn one of the boards around so the back of the board is face up – this is the longer side. The bevel cut should be facing downwards or more towards you.

Use measuring tape and a pencil to mark the positions for both boreholes: shown 4 cm away from the side edge and 3 cm away from the top edge. Draw a line on each side using a steel square – this is where the centre of the fittings will go. You can use a fitting as a stencil to mark where to drill.

To ensure both keyhole fittings fit seamlessly against the board and don't stick out, drill three blind holes in the areas you have marked. Use a cordless combi drill fitted with a Forstner drill bit.

Next, mark the spot on the bottom of the bedside table where the DIY bedside lamp will sit. Secure the glulam board using screw clamps and drill a hole. Then use the multi-purpose hole cutter to drill all the way through the glulam board. Make sure you're wearing safety goggles while you do this.

Now sand down both glulam boards. Make sure you sand down all the areas that have been cut as well as the edges and surfaces.

Lay down both glulam boards on the table so that their bevel-cut edges are facing each other, and ensuring the back of each board is facing upwards. Secure the boards in place using clear sticky tape. This helps the glue to hold and means you don't need to use screws. Apply wood glue to the seam and fold both glulam boards carefully together. Use more strips of sticky tape to hold the bedside table in place. Let it dry thoroughly, after checking the wood glue packaging to see how long it will take.

Protect the area where you're working by laying down floor covering or cardboard. Apply the varnish evenly to all surfaces using a paintbrush.

Attach both keyhole fittings to the back of the wooden board using 4 screws. There are two things to consider: make sure the keyhole-shaped notch is upside down and ensure you leave a little gap between the fitting and the surface of the wood. Why? This is to make sure the screws can be threaded through the fittings when the table is mounted on the wall.

First, stick one of the two copper sheets to the top edge of one of the wooden boards using all-purpose adhesive. Apply adhesive evenly to the flat surface of the same wooden board and spread it using a trowel. Place the second copper sheet carefully on the surface that you have just coated with adhesive.

To ensure the table dries out properly and the adhesive can harden, lay it down on its back on some cardboard and hold it in place using two pieces of square timber and rubber bands. Make sure the rubber bands are wound tightly around the pieces of timber. Now you can take some time out for a nap or a tea break.

To ensure you don't end up drilling through any water pipes or power cables, use a detection device to check the area where you want to mount your floating bedside table.

Find out how to use a detection device correctly here: how to drill without any nasty surprises!

Mark out where you want to drill both holes to mount the bedside table, then bore the holes and insert wall anchors. Finally, insert the screws into the wall anchors but let the screw heads protrude from the wall by around a centimetre. Finally, mount your copper and wooden beside table on the wall.

You're almost done now. Put a light bulb into the light bulb socket and thread the bulb including the plug through the gap in the wooden board. Et voilà! Your floating bedside table and lamp are complete.