Making a Light Box

Use a light box to clean up a rough drawing.

A light box has many functions for the professional or amateur artist. It can be used for transferring patterns, redrawing a rough sketch or viewing photography slides. Making a light box requires only a few simple tools and is an easy afternoon project. These instructions are for a 24-inch square light box but can be adjusted to make any size desired.

Things You'll Need

• 1/4-inch plywood
• Tape measure
• Table saw (optional)
• Skill saw or handsaw
• Pencil
• 1 board, 1/2-inch by 4 inches, 8 feet long
• Drill and drill bits
• 1-inch wood screws
• Wood glue
• 1/2-inch wood screws
• Screwdrivers
• Paint
• Brush
• 18-inch fluorescent light fixture with power switch on cord
• 3 pieces of self-stick foam strip, 1/2 inch wide, 24 inches long
• 1 piece of glass, 24 inches square

Instructions

1. Cut a piece of 1/4-inch plywood into a 24-by-24-inch square. A table saw is ideal, but 1/4-inch plywood can be cut with a skill saw or handsaw.

2. Use a skill saw or handsaw to cut the 1/2-by-4-inch board into 4 pieces, each 23 1/2 inches long.

3. Using the tape measure and pencil, draw a line 1/2 inch from one end of each 23 1/2-inch board.

4. Using a drill bit slightly smaller than your wood screws, drill 3 holes evenly, 1 inch apart, in the center of each 1/2-inch space from Step 3. When complete, each board will have 3 small holes at one end.

5. Spread wood glue evenly in the 1/2-inch space on each board. Using 1-inch wood screws, attach the 4 boards to form a square frame.

6. Attach the 1/4-inch plywood square to the frame using 1/2-inch screws. Space the screws evenly, 3 inches apart, around the edge of the plywood.

7. Set the fluorescent light fixture into the light box and mark the location for the power cord exit hole.

8. Drill the exit hole. Confirm that it is large enough for the power cord end and power switch to go through.

9. Sand the light box, inside and out. Pay close attention to the area around the hole for the power cord.

10. Paint the light box with white paint.

11. Attach the foam rubber to the upper edge of the frame.

12. Attach the light fixture to the inside of the light box with 1/4-inch screws.

13. Place the glass top on the light box. It is now ready to use.

References

• Steampunk Workshop - Lightbox