How to Make A Light Box For Stained Glass

Make a Light Box in 15 Minutes

A light box is crucial to high quality stained glass work if natural light is not an option. They allow you to assess the colours of the glass at different stages in your project.

Many of us don’t have the skills or tools to make a more traditional lightbox. The good news is that now you no longer need them; LED Flat Panel Ceiling Light Fixtures are the answer!*

With these fixtures you can create a large or small light box in 15 minutes with just a few tools.

*Big thanks to reader Ron Dinsdale for providing this tutorial to share 🙂

Click here to jump down for some extra ideas for lightboxes

Things You Need

• LED Flat Panel Ceiling Light
• A workbench with a surface you can cut a hole into. This is to accommodate the Electrical Box which stands proud at the back of the Panel
• Drill
• Jig saw
• Screwdriver
• Wiring
• Wire connectors and a plug 

How To Make a Light Box

1. Buy a LED Flat Panel Ceiling Light fixture of a size to fit your work bench.

The ceiling light panels are available from hardware stores such as Home Depot and Lowes in the US and Canada and B&Q in the UK .
A 24 in. x 48 in. panel costs C$99 or US$83 and around £63 in the UK. (24 in. x 24 in. start around $50).

2. Lay the panel upside-down on the work bench in the position you want it. Make sure the electrical box is closest to your wall socket.

3. Pencil a line on the workbench along the edge of the panel matching the width of the electrical box. Then slide the panel away from that line.

4. Measure the length of the electrical box and copy the dimensions of the box onto the work bench, adding 1/4″ on all sides for fitting. Add an extra 1″X 2″ piece on the appropriate side for the box connector which will jut out from the electrical box. 

5. Cut a hole in the work bench per Diagram 1, below. Drill out each corner with a drill bit larger than the jig saw blade to give yourself starting positions.
Cut each side with the jig saw set at less than 90 degrees so the cut-out can be dropped back in place if the light box is removed.  

6.  Wire the electricals per Diagram 2, below. It is recommended to use a 3-prong plug and ground wire. Connect the other end of the wiring to a plug.

Disclaimer: this should be performed by a qualified electrician.

7. Screw the cover back on the box, to look like Diagram 3, below.

8. Turn the panel face up. Lay it on the work bench and thread the wiring through the hole per Diagram 4.  

9. Slide the panel into position so the electrical box falls into the hole in the work bench per Diagram 5. The panel will sit flush with the work bench. Connect the wiring to the wall receptacle.

10. Optional. To protect the Panel surface from scratches and damage, overlay a matching piece of clear acrylic sheeting (Plexiglas) per Diagram 6.

To show the benefit of the light table, below are photos of my ‘Homage to Joe Average’, a Vancouver, Canada artist. Go to https://joeaverageart.com/ . With his bold lines and strong uncluttered images, Joe’s work just cries out for stained glass interpretations.

Why Do I Need A Light Box For Stained Glass?

You need a lightbox for a few different reasons:

Some Extra Lightbox Ideas From Readers

Light Box On Wheels

Patti von Niessen has kindly shared her clever idea for a light box on wheels. It’s especially helpful if you don’t have room for a permanent light box in your studio.

She says she built her light box on a Kreig stand, then added castors so she could roll it where she wanted it, and then roll it out of the way for the day.

She used a piece of tempered glass (30” x 40”) for the cutting surface. She found this on Facebook marketplace for $10. She then used Rust-oleum Frosted Glass spray over it to make it opaque. This prevents the dominant LED spots of light from glaring through the glass.

LED light strips are attached under the glass.

Thanks Patti.

Portable LED Sketch Pad

Ray Walsh uses a portable LED light table for tracing. He says it’s very lightweight, thin, portable and adjustable. It can run either off mains power or plug into the type of rechargeable battery you use with your phone.

Note: This is not suitable for cutting on but is great for design.

Here’s an example of the pad available on Amazon (paid link)

Alternative Home Made Light Box

Janet Kerchner had a tricky project. She was making a 22″ x 36″ Chesapeake Bay-themed stained glass window for her daughter’s new house. Her main challenge was seeing the glass colours while she was working. She came up with a clever solution.

She created a large DIY light box using the following equipment:

• LED troffer from Home Depot ($69). A troffer is a rectangular light fixture that fits into a ceiling
• Folding table with Styrofoam supports
• Clear glass sheet to protect the surface
• Frame to control panel dimensions

This is Janet’s work flow:

• She uses translucent paper for her design layout
• She cuts the glass on a separate solid surface
• She uses contact paper templates on coloured glass

This DIY light box is a smart, cost-effective solution for larger stained glass projects. It’s a great example of creative problem-solving in crafting. Thanks Janet.

Last Thoughts on Lightboxes For Stained Glass

It’s worth noting that natural light is nearly always better for selecting glass than using a lightbox. This is because we normally see stained glass with natural light behind it. Light boxes are a very good compromise when there is no natural light source.
You should always aim to choose your glass by holding it up to the same type of light that it will eventually be displayed in.

To help you see lots of different glasses up together you can construct a strong easel in front of a window. You can also use the technique of Lead Lining for a final check once the glass is all cut and ready to be assembled.
Read more about Lead Lining here.

Read about how to Backlight Stained Glass