How to make giant lightsabers

There’s not a whole lot to say here… I mean, they’re GIANT LIGHTSABERS!!

Why, you might ask, would someone make these? WHY NOT?!    Actually, the truth is, a company asked me to make an over the top Star Wars/Christmas themed display, and these were a part of it.  Fortunately, I made a video of the build so I could share with you guys!

 

They are absolutely ridiculous, but they were one of the most fun projects, and videos, I’ve made in a long time.  I think I might need to spend a little more time with projects that are just senseless fun!

Enjoy!

I gathered some spray paint and black duct tape for decorating.

For the handles, I got two 12″ concrete forms.

One can of spray paint was more than enough to fully cover both tubes with paint.

The “blades” were made from a single sheet of corrugated plastic sheeting.

I wrapped them into a tube, and clamped the ends. I predrilled holes along the edge where they overlapped.

I drove in some sheet metal screws to hold the tube space.

Once the paint was dry, I used black duct tape to decorate the handles.

I found that it was easiest to get a straight line by rolling the handle on a table.

It’s really easy to make these resemble lightsaber handles with just tape.

I made a circular paint mask by tracing the duct tape roll onto some scrap cardboard.

I cut out the circle with a utility knife.

Using blue tape, I mounted the mask to the handles.

A light coat of red spray paint added a big on/off button.

For each handle, I cut two 12″ length of 2×4.

On the table saw, I ripped these down into 1 1/2″ strips.

I also cut some MDF scraps to 12″ long.

I put a short bit into my driver, so it would fit inside the “blade” tube.

I drove some drywall screws through the plastic, from the inside.

These screws attached four 2×4 pieces to the outside of the tube, evenly spaced around it.

I removed the bracket from an LED spotlight.

I screwed the bracket into the center of the MDF scraps I’d cut earlier.

Then I reattached the spotlight to the bracket.

The spotlight is adjustable on the bracket, so I faced it straight up.

Then I screwed the MDF into the bottom of two opposing 2×4 pieces.

The entire blade assembly fit into the handle tube. I slid it in until the 2×4’s were completely hidden.

I drove drywall screws through the outside, into the 2×4 using 2″ screws.  Each 2×4 got at least two screws.

The lightsabers are way more rigid than I expected.. in fact, you can fight with them 🙂

Watch the video above to see them in action!