The DIY floating bedside table and lamp

A lamp is fitted on a floating bedside table made of a wooden boards and copper sheets next to a bed with white sheets.
A floating bedside table made of glulam and copper sheets is a great way to save space

  • Difficulty
    medium
  • Cost
    < 50 £
  • Duration
    1-3 h

Is the classic combination of a bedside cabinet and desk lamp too boring for you? Would you prefer a stylish, compact alternative? Then our floating bedside table and lamp could be just what you're looking for! What really sets it apart is the integrated retro light bulb that radiates mood lighting, which is reflected by the copper sheets. And the wooden shelf gives you some space to put your things. It's a winning combination.

You need
  • floor protector or cover sheets
  • pencil
  • Set square
  • ear protectors
  • screw clamps
  • small spatula
  • paint brush
  • cartridge gun
  • thin marker
  • face mask
  • plate shears
  • ruler
  • safety glasses
  • work gloves
  • Rubber band
  • square timber: 50 cm (L)
  • 1 glulam board, e.g. made out of paulownia wood: approx. 80 x 20 x 1.8 cm (L x W x H)
  • 2 copper sheets: approx. 1,000 x 300 x 1.5 mm (L x W x H)
  • 2 keyhole fittings: 40 x 4.5 mm (L x D)
  • 4 screws: 16 x 3.5 mm (L x D)
  • 2 screws for wall mounting, e.g. 4 x 60 mm, plus matching wall anchors
  • Wood glue
  • All-purpose adhesive
  • Varnish, e.g. pale oak: 175 ml
  • Light bulb
  • Light bulb socket with cable and plug or switch
L: Length, W: Width, H: Height, D: Diameter

Let's go - step by step

Step 1 11

Measure out the glulam boards and copper sheets for the floating bedside table

Someone measures out 35 cm on a wooden board placed on a workbench using a pencil and a folding ruler. A steel square is next to it.
With a pencil, ruler and a carpenter's angle you transfer the measurements to the glued glulam board
18.5 cm are measured out on a copper sheet using a steel square.
Transfer the measurements to the copper plate using a carpenter's angle and felt-tip pen

You need: ruler, Set square, thin marker, glulam board, copper sheet

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.

Step 2 11

Cut the wooden board and the copper sheet to size

A wooden board that has been secured using a screw clamp is cut to size using a cordless circular hand saw fitted with a dry vacuum cleaner. You can see a cordless circular hand saw fitted with a dry vacuum cleaner in the background
Saw both boards regularly on the two broad sides and one of the long sides.
A bevel cut is made at a 45-degree angle along a board using a PKS 18 LI cordless circular hand saw.
For both wooden boards, mitre one of the long sides. The saw blade is leaning against your workpiece. Mark the remaining cut as shown in this picture.
A copper sheet is cut to size using tin snips.
You cut the copper sheet with tin scissors.

You need: Hand-held circular saws, Dry vacuum cleaners, plate shears, screw clamps, work gloves, safety glasses, ear protectors

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.

Tip
TIP

You can make a 45-degree bevel cut using a jigsaw or NanoBlade saw. You just need to be able to set the saw at an angle. If you need to avoid creating too much dust when cutting, it's advisable to use a dry vacuum cleaner.

Step 3 11

Mark and drill blind holes for keyhole fittings

A measurement is marked on a board using a steel square. There are two screws and the matching keyhole fitting next to it. The outline and position of the boreholes for another fitting are already marked on the glulam board.
You measure the position for the lens head fittings with a folding rule and carpenter's angle. Use the fittings as a template to mark their contours.
Three blind holes are drilled next to each other in a glulam board using a cordless combi drill. There are two screws and a matching fitting next to the board.
Using a Forstner drill, you drill three blind holes in place of the markings for the lens head fittings.

You need: Cordless combi drill, Forstner drill bits 25mm, Set square, pencil, one of the lens head fittings

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.

Step 4 11

Drill a hole for the lamp

A glulam board is marked using a folding ruler and a pencil.
Measure the position for the hole, where the retro lamp will be threaded through later, with a folding rule and mark the center with a pencil.
A wooden board is secured against a workbench using screw clamps. A hole is pre-drilled and a hole cutter is fitted on a cordless combi drill.
After you have predrilled the hole, the hole saw is used.

You need: Cordless combi drill, 7-piece hole cutter set 44mm, screw clamps, pencil, ruler, safety glasses

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.

Step 5 11

Sand down the edges and surfaces of your floating bedside table

The surface of a glulam board is sanded down using a multi-sander and suitable sanding paper.
To make the board smooth and to prepare the wood for varnishing, thoroughly sand down all the surfaces

You need: Multi-sander, Sanding sheet for multi-sander G120

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.

Step 6 11

Glue the wooden boards and let them dry

Two glulam boards lie on a workbench and are stuck together using sticky tape
The two glued wood boards can be easily fixed with adhesive tape.
A man applies wood glue to the bevel-cut sides of two glulam boards that are placed next to each other
The two glued wood boards are glued with wood glue.
A man folds the two glulam boards together along the bevel-cut edges, where wood glue has been applied.
Thanks to the "adhesive tape trick", the two glued wood boards do not slip even when folded.
A man secures the freshly glued pieces of wood in place using some sticky tape
With another adhesive you bring the wooden construction to tension.

You need: wood glue, adhesive tape,

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.

Step 7 11

Varnish the wooden boards

Varnish is applied to the wooden boards of a floating bedside table using a paintbrush.
Apply an even coat of varnish to all surfaces of the glued wooden boards

You need: paint brush, floor protector or cover sheets, varnish

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

Step 8 11

Screw the keyhole fittings into the back of the boards

Two keyhole fittings are screwed into the back of the wooden board using a PSB-18 LI 2.
Screw the keyhole fittings into the back of the boards

You need: Cordless combi drill, keyhole fittings, 4 screws: 16 x 3.5 mm (L x D)

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.

Step 9 11

Attach the copper sheets and secure the workpiece to let it dry

A man uses a cartridge gun to apply all-purpose adhesive to the edge of a wooden board.
Attach the copper sheets and secure the workpiece to let it dry
Adhesive is spread along the edge of a glulam board using a trowel.
With a trowel, glue can be applied cleanly and easily.
A man sticks a copper sheet onto the wooden boards
Carefully place the second copper plate on the edge.
The work-in-progress floating bedside table lies on a cardboard box. The two pieces of square timber are held in place using two rubber bands to stablise the bedside table.
Squared timber and rubber bands fix the construction during drying.

You need: cartridge gun, small spatula, two-component adhesive, Squared timber, rubber band, cardboard

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.

Step 10 11

Mount the bedside table

A man holds up a detection device against a white wall. It gives the green light to go ahead.
Water and especially power lines in the wall can be detected with a detection device by slowly driving the device over the wall.
A man bores a hole in a white wall using a cordless combi drill
Drill a hole in the wall with even pressure.
A screw is inserted into a wall anchor that has been placed in a white wall using a cordless combi drill.
Screw the screws into the wall anchors but let them protrude a little.

You need: Cordless combi drill, Suitable drill for cordless impact drill (depending on wall condition), Detection and inspection device, Wall anchors and matching screws

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.

Step 11 11

Add a retro light bulb and thread it through

A man threads a retro light bulb connected to a cable through the gap in the floating bedside table
A floating bedside table made of glulam and copper is mounted on a wall next to a bed with a wooden frame. A wall hanging can be seen in the background.

You need: light bulb, light bulb socket with cable and plug or switch

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.