Creating An Electric Candlestick

This post was originally published on DIY Network’s blog Made + Remade in December 2012.

I found the perfect inspiration for my latest project at a local salvage shop, a $1 teak candleholder that had both weight and form and that au natural hardwood appeal that I enjoy filling my home with. The candle holder itself feels incomplete. Surely it was a set at one point, maybe it had additional pieces, like a hurricane surround that sat on its ledge. Forever a mystery.

Anyways, I had a good idea when I saw it, so I paired it with a simple snap-in base socket, and made myself a unique DIY light to brighten my home.

First things first: As I strategized how to fit this wooden base with electrical fitting, I chose a snap-in candelabra base socket because it’s very narrow, and came with built-in metal “ears” that I knew would help grip the socket into the narrow candlestick hole. It, with its 6-foot cord and switch, only cost $5.

The lucky candle holder itself was priced at $1 at a local VOA, and as I already said, was the perfect accent for our home whether it was holding a candle or upcycled into something new.

I bored through the hardwood candlestick with a 1″ paddle bit to both widen and deepen the hole which the electrical wire would run within.

With the hole drilled through the length of the wood the cord had a place to run, but I also needed to make space for the cord to bend and run to the wall. The best solution I could come up with was to sand down the base gently using a Dremel with sandpaper attachment. The resulting gouge in the wood accommodates the wire without causing the base to be putting any pressure on the wire at all.

With the socket base inserted and the metal ears holding it securely in place, the light was fully wired in all of 2 seconds.

To accompany the teak frame, I picked up a “vintage style” bulb with classic filament design. While this 2-pack from The Home Depot cost $6 (priced higher than your everyday chandelier lightbulb but at a lower price point than those I found online), the 40 watt bulb itself adds a unique impact and really finishes off the piece.