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After the completion of our first EL Wire project we were hooked on the unique lights and wanted to use them in additional projects. When Apple announced their new phones would have wireless charging capabilities, we knew we had found our newest project! We could combine this new technology into a table with EL Wire lighting.
We decided to make two end tables for Steph’s bedroom, one with the charger and one with the EL Wire only. Take a look at how it all came together. 
This end table uses readily available materials from The Home Depot--a wood round, and metal pipe parts.
We used a 15" strand of battery operated EL Wire and Rapid Set Cement All although any type of cement/concrete can be used for the base.
To make the routing a little more manageable, we taped a lazy Susan base to the bottom with gaff tape.
We used a couple of sewing tools, a tracing wheel and tracing paper to transfer the spiral pattern to the top of the table. We had the pattern printed at Staples where they do inexpensive engineering prints.
We outlined the tracing paper marks with permanent marker and routed out the lines.
This would be a perfect application for a CNC machine but can be successfully completed with a router.
The center portion was routed out to provide a recessed area for the wireless charger.
To make the base we found a plastic bowl the size and shape that we wanted. We hot glued a metal pipe cap onto the bottom of the bowl--open side down.
After mixing up the Cement All according to the directions we added it to the plastic bowl.
We bounced it a bit to help the air bubbles travel to the surface.
After removing the cast concrete, we sanded the rough edges. The two different colors are due to two different cement pours. The crack on the bottom happened due to temp changes as we were working on the project, but as that side will face the floor, it was not a problem.
We added a metal flange to the bottom of the wood round and screwed the pipe into the bottom and top. It was at this point we decided to stain the concrete. Wonder how we found the center of the wood round? Look below for a quick how-to.
To stain the concrete, we wiped on the stain, wiped it off, let it dry and added a second coat.
The EL wire was fitted into the spiral, the charger was put into place, and the battery box was velcro-ed into place on the underside of the table.
This is the second table without the wireless charger center.
The wireless charger is use.
The EL wire gives this table a neat neon look and compliments my iPhone 8+ nicely! Steph wanted to get this table made before her new Apple iPhone X arrives- with it delivering in just a few weeks she is now ready when it arrives!
We also worked on a new pallet wood headboard for Steph's bedroom. Check below for a link to that project. You will see we used the stain and pipe elements from this project in her headboard. What do you think of Electroluminescent wire? How would you DIY with it? Let us know in the comments below!
Please note: We are not sponsored by any of the companies/products that we used. These products were picked and bought by us.
FYI: We are not professionals, and we don’t claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first! FYI: Affiliate links are being used on this page. Purchasing via these links help support MDP! Related Projects
1 Comment
David Keatley
12/15/2021 03:18:05 pm
Did you fill the voids there with epoxy or some other clear product, or are there gaps? Leave a Reply. |
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