Very new and perhaps over ambitious.. need a rotating joint for wall light

[Garryl]

Good Day all,

I am in need of your many years of experience.

I want to make some wall lights for bedside... and make rather than buy as I can’t see any I like, or perhaps gotten the bug to make my own things.
The quandary I have is I want to have the lights rotate (probably no more than 60 degrees) but want them to hold the rotated position.
The design I was thinking in static piece fixed to the wall connecting to the rotating wood which will hold the led light tape using a hollow threaded rod fixed using a rolled pin and locking washer. I also toys with adding a sleeve to aid rotation but as the front and back pieces will only have 1 or 2mm clearance not sure if needed.

However I am stuck on figuring out how to give it friction to hold position.

Hope this makes sense as this has been driving me up the wall trying to find anything close.

Thank you for your time in reading my rambling question, and even more so if you can answer!
Garry

 

[MikeG.]

Hi Gary and welcome.

I think I've got a picture in my mind of what you're trying to achieve, but an actual picture, sketch, whatever, would help no end. The one thing I'll say is that there will be a way of achieving what you want to achieve, I'm sure.

 

[AJB Temple]

Make a wood or metal gear cog. Make a triangle to engage with the gear, and fit the triangle to a piece of spring steel. The light will rotate by one notch each time.

I was on tea break from painting endless panelling, and Mike got in first! This is why he has a gazillion reactions

 

[peter-harrison]

I can picture something like the way the turrets on a plunge router work, with a ball bearing, a spring, and a circular groove with two or three holes. It would need some precision though...

 

[marcros]

I would possibly try and find something that you can butcher. something like the connection from a satnav unit to the windscreen, that ball joint.

 

[Garryl]

As you can see it is a very simple design... 2 rectangles of wood a few routed channels and a bit or light tape and wiring.. should be simple, or so I thought!

The gear and triangle sounds interesting would need to look at a few designs as the picture in my heads may not align. also never thought of reusing a satnav mount... which got me wondering if magnets and metal inlaid strips would also work or even magents insert similar to a clock face on the rear wall mount close to the pivot point, or a metal strip with magents on the face piece.

 

[Garryl]

And sorry meant to add thanks for the ideas so far as these didn’t even occur to me..

 

[Myfordman]

Without knowing what you are trying to do, look up belleville washers as these might be usable to give friction to your pivot.

 

[Racers]

Sounds like you need a spring loaded ball and socket joint either with a cable going through the joint or externally.
The joint can be made from wood, it's important to make the ball round but the socket needs to only contact the ball at the lip.
You might be able to use something of an existing product.

Pete

 

[AJB Temple]

My thought above was similar to an escarpment in a clock or watch.

 

[--Tom--]

Look up Anthony Gallo wall mount speaker brackets- they’re pretty neat and have the hole for wiring so that speaker cable fits.

Instead of a speaker you can attach the light of your making

 

[Garryl]

Folks,

Many thanks for the thoughts/ideas as they all gave me plenty to ponder on overnight, i’d Say sleep on but my mind was whirling round.
No final decision but plenty of trial and no doubt errors coming along which oddly enough I enjoy.
I will no doubt start with the easy ones first hack a mount and Belleville washers whilst I investigate my engineering skills.
Hopefully in the not too distant future i’ll post a picture of the completed lights!