This project used:
- Premium pine or other wood
- Hardboard
- Acrylic sheets
- 5050 warm LED light strips
- AC to DC wall plug adapter
- Dimmer switches with DC connection
- White spray paint
- Soldering iron
- Copper wire
- Sandpaper
- Table saw & miter saw
- Nailer
- Drill
- Wood glue
- Hot glue gun
- Clamps
- Turn buttons (for artwork frames)
I originally built a lightbox out of recycled poplar wood in my first test experiment. I documented the process and posted this article (now updated September 9, 2022) in which an artist in NYC found the post and requested a couple of custom lightbox frames that she could insert collaged artwork on clear acrylic so they would be backlit (artwork below).
Cabell’s finished artwork
The lightbox frames were a success with her gallery showings, and she ended up ordering 20 more!
This gallery is a combination of the 20 lightbox frames and the two lightboxes I built for my sons. They were so excited and love the dimmer switches.