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DIY for Homeowners

How to Build a Lightsaber Headboard

1/15/2016

7 Comments

 
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StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
Steph and our nephews/grandsons are big Star Wars fans! The idea for this project came to Steph one day while we were driving in the car. She saw a pile of newspaper end rolls and tried to think of DIY projects they could be used in. She came up with a lightsaber headboard of course! Making this special, unique gift for our nephews/grandsons motivated us to move forward! We started figuring out the plans together (and ultimately didn't use the end rolls, as PVC worked better). 

Check out the video below to see how this project came together!
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
Materials:
  • PVC pipe- 3"x 10' (Home Depot cut this for us in 3- 40" pieces) $16 (Home Depot)
  • (2) PVC pipe- 1.5"x 62" (we already had these in our stash)
  • (2) PVC 3"x2" reducer $4 (Home Depot)
  • (2) Wood side pieces (used to connect lightsabers to connecting board 40"x1"x1")
  • ​(2) Ikea Diodes LED light strip $40
  • (2) Ikea Projs desk pad $6
  • (2) 3" clamp (stainless-steel, hose or worm clamp) $2 (Home Depot)
  • (3) Spray paint- silver, red, blue (we used Rust-Oleum Painters Touch Gloss) $4
  • Wood board (this is the connecting board 32"x40")
  • Glitter spray paint (Krylon glitter blast- diamond dust) $7
  • ​Great Stuff $4 (Home Depot)
  • Black duct tape, electrical tape
  • Punched Steel Flat Bar
  • Black paint (for connecting board)
  • Pool noodle, Clear wrap
  • Aluminum foil, Aluminum foil tape

Tools: 
  • (14) wood screws
  • (10) short bolts
  • PVC pipe drill bit (we used Bosch 5pc multi-material carbide tipped) $15 (Home Depot)
  • Drill/Screwdriver/Wrench
  • Metal cut snips

Measurements we used for twin bed:
  • Bed 38" across, 26" high
  • Connecting board 32" across by 40" high
  • Large PVC pipe 40" high by 3" across
  • ​Small PVC pipe 62" high
  • *This is what we used, yours might need to be a little different

How-To Steps

StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
After we gathered our materials, we spray painted the two large PVC pipes silver and the two smaller PVC pipes red/blue. Then we used electrical and duct tape to make the lightsaber handles.
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
We laid out the wood connecting board and wood side pieces. We marked our measurements. 
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
We clamped the lightsaber and side pieces to a board and used the PVC drill bit to make pilot holes. Then we used wood screws for a nice strong hold.
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
We cut our connecting board to size with a circular saw, but we could have gotten this done at Home Depot when we bought the wood.
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
We used the PVC safe drill bit again to make a hole, half way down the back of the lightsaber. This is for the LED light power cable. We needed the hole a little bigger so we followed that with a typical 1/2" drill bit.
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
We covered the LED cables that would be inside the pipe with clear wrap. We thought this would be helpful as we would be using Great Stuff foam to secure the PVC pipes inside. Then we fed the lights through the hole. We connected the lights and turned them on.
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
We set the middle PVC pipe in place and attached the lights. We bought adhesive color changing ribbon lights from Ikea. They are probably over kill for this project but we have used them in many projects and have never had an issue.
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
We realized a cut pool noodle was a great way to keep the middle PVC pipe centered. If we did this again, we would also add one to the top end. (we only had a flower shaped pool noodle which we trimmed, but a regular, round noodle would probably work better)
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
Next we took the lightsabers outside to spray Great Stuff foam in the bottom and top to keep the middle PVC pipe in place. Note: you might not need to do this if the pool noodle at the top and bottom make the lightsaber secure enough.
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
After the Great Stuff dried, we moved on to making the top of the lightsaber. We used a piece of paper to make a template to determine how much overlap we needed for the cover. Then we marked our cover, which is a desk mat from ikea, and made our cuts. 
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
We marked where the bolts would go and used a hole punch to start the holes. We rolled the plastic and used bolts to keep them together. We used a flat metal bar to make the plastic secure. 
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
We finished off the top with black duct tape. This covered up the Great Stuff foam and gave a nice finished look.
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
We slid the cover on and used a 3" clamp to keep it in place. We cut the excess off and covered up (with duct tape) the sharp edge for safety.
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
​Lastly, we needed a way to keep the middle PVC pipe secure with the outside cover. We tried different ideas (like pool noodle) but ended up wrapping aluminum foil in a circle and wrapping aluminum foil tape around that. This is the only part we are not so sure about. It works, and we were out of ideas so we let it be. But we know there is probably a better solution so get creative with your own!
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
​We also painted the connecting board black and sprayed glitter stars on it. We considered writing Andrew's name on it in Star Wars letters but we kept it plain if the kids switch beds overtime. 
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
​We packed the lightsabers and board in the car and headed to nephew/grandson Andrew's house. We attached the board to the side pieces on the lightsabers and got the headboard in place!
StarWars Lightsaber Headboard. MotherDaughterProjects.com
MotherDaughterProjects.com
Andrew loved his new Star Wars Lightsaber headboard so we consider this a success!
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: Amazon/Home Depot affiliate links are being used on this page.
Picture

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7 Comments
Melissa Harley link
1/21/2016 11:22:13 am

That's really cute you guys! Love Andrews face!

Reply
Steph
1/21/2016 12:19:39 pm

Thanks Melissa!

Reply
Graham
2/2/2016 11:51:19 pm

You certainly made that little guys day! That looks just great.

Reply
Steph
2/3/2016 09:11:47 am

Thanks Graham!

Reply
Ivory link
2/12/2018 08:24:00 pm

Wow, what a lucky little boy, because you did a fabulous job, and put the biggest smile on his face.

Reply
Steph
2/13/2018 07:39:26 am

Thanks so much Ivory :)

Reply
Theresa link
3/10/2021 10:32:59 am

Wow. This is awesome. I wish I would have seen your website prior to my making a Halloween light sabre candy chute. I would have used the black duct tape and electrical tape instead of spray paint. The spray paint kept dripping and my lines were not straight and I kept having to do repaint work.

Reply



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