How to Make a Fiber Optic Table
- 1). Cut the plywood into 6 feet horizontally by 4 feet vertically for a good size dinner table.
- 2). Use a jigsaw to create a cutout in the middle of the plywood measuring, 5 feet horizontally by 1 foot vertically.
- 3). Rip two pieces of 5 feet wide by 4 inches high pieces of plywood, set aside. Rip two pieces of 1 foot wide by 4 inches high pieces of plywood. Connect the four pieces with screw or nails.
- 4). Drill several 1-inch holes on one of the 1-foot wide wood. The holes will be where the fibers will go through. Make as many holes as you can possibly fit.
- 5). Connect the box right under the opening. Use screws or nails. This box will display the fiber optic lights later on.
- 6). Sand the table and apply paint or stain. Darker colors are preferable to make the fiber optic lights pop up in the dark. Dark brown or black are the best choices, but you can also go dark purple, dark green or dark blue. Let dry.
- 7). Insert each fiber optic ribbon through the 1-inch holes prepared in step 4. Make sure to use a variety of colors to make it more interesting. Use purple, blue, green, red and yellow. Lay them flat on the wood. If they have the tendency to roll or fold, use a double-sided tape to secure them on the wood. Connect the end of each ribbon strip to an illuminator or light source. You could probably fit 15 cables in one box.
- 8). Secure the illuminator or light source under the table. Use a steel strap and screw the strap under the table to keep it secured to the table. Connect the illuminator to a power source close to the table. You can opt for a battery-operated illuminator so that there will be no dangling cord underneath that may cause people to trip over it.
- 9). Place the table on top of two PVC columns, approximately 4 feet high each. Paint the PVC columns the same color as the tabletop. Use either screws or nails to hold them into place.
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Place the glass on top of the table. This glass should be the same measurement as your entire table. You can have the glass makers cut it to your specific measurement. - 11
Test by turning on the illuminator and see how the fiber optic lights glow in the dark.