Narnia lamp-post & The Shining gate
(Originally posted on Instagram Nov '25, split over several posts due to the 10 picture and 2200 character per story limit. Presented here in its entirety for a cleaner flowing presentation.)
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The #Narnia lamp-post / winching post is ready for its unveiling! Like The Dancing $pruce, it's made entirely from free scrap (let's not discuss consumables), right down to the concrete pour left over from last summer's retaining wall project, the plexi panels coming from the screen layers of my old rear projection TV that I couldn't give away, pipeline scraps, and a slightly bent trailer axle. Repurposing is a stubborn point of pride for me... I modeled it closest to the 2005 movie version, having gotten re-motivated to finish it up before the @Gerwig franchise reboot (slated for Nov '26) gives me yet another direction to consider.
I spotted a few differences in the various images I collected, making me think there are artist renditions mixed into the movie versions and/or slight changes made for the sequels, so there wasn't one exact example to follow.
I somewhat prefer the original sketch (?) without the banner hanger, but decided it had to be included, and am glad I did. It's always pictured pointing to the right (except on the blu-ray cover art, but I didn't spot that until after completion), which would be an impaler with my pathway on that side, so I opted for the sensible direction. I had searched for a while as to the significance of its orientation, thinking it had something to do with the boundary of Narnia. I eventually found the answer in a random British movie which showed all the street lamps having banners overhanging the street.
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That band it attaches to was a challenging detail -- tough to get enough depth to the curvature out of a pipe slipped over a pipe -- but so visually important to get right. I don't have a LOTR-inspired project (yet!), so I refer to this band as The One Ring. Tolkien supposedly criticized of the first @C.S. Lewis book, you can't have a lamp-post growing in the forest without an explanation, so hopefully, that cross-over would make both of them proud.
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As luck would have it, a 2" tow ball was the exact diameter I had sized the band's squares to, keeping the ratio correct according to my measurements of various pictures, while getting me close to the desired shape. And I had a rusty one with no wrench flats -- so not planning on reinstalling it after the struggle to get it off -- laying around. Yes, this 4.5 lb banner holder is rated for 5000 lbs! That tow ball extension made my lone piece of solid round stock just long enough to complete the look once tapered down. A lathe sure would have been handy for that piece... The fluting was done painstakingly with a @Dremel. FYI, it’s surprisingly difficult to draw parallel, evenly spaced lines on a tapered shape.
My garage is known as The Chop Shop, because I'm always cutting or grinding on something. I have long wanted to make a sign for it, and the lamp-post's banner hanger was the creative spark I needed. It even points the way to the garage. The nod to C.S. Lewis makes it a perfect fit. I just need to make it now...give me a few days to catch my breath.
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Of note, the movie example has the curvy base of the lamp rotated ever so slightly from the squares on the band, which seems too sloppy to have been accidental. I ended up copying that element, even though it didn't feel quite right, but rotated it a bit more so as to look intentional. I was going to weld it straight to the post's top cap, but at the last minute I found a close-up shot of the movie version at level, and it showed there's actually a gap between the two, with what looks like the gas tube being the connecting piece. Glad I caught that detail before it was too late.
Conveniently, I had two aluminum drawer pulls in my random parts drawer, whose threaded ends looked similar to the knobs holding the lamp to the curvy base. I chopped the handle part out of their middle, leaving me with the needed four knobs.
As for the "illumination," my porch light wiring is at the other end of the house, and there's not a lot of sun at the lamp-post end, so either option would require hiding a bunch of unsightly wiring. (And I opted to not do a central wiring channel in the main post.) Plus, the original is a Victorian-era gas lantern, so it seems wrong doing anything electric. So, I settled on a gold disco ball to give the illusion of a shimmering flame. With the open bottom of the lamp -- no need to fill it with a bulb base and center tube for the wiring -- air flow provides a bit of movement to create the effect. I left out the corresponding gas tube, as I think it looks cleaner with the curvy supports open in the middle.
Also, being at the dark end of house and painted black, it nearly disappears at night. So, actual illumination would just look like a floating flame. No snowy backdrop like in the movie to highlight it... I figure it's better to use a spot light of some sort to make the whole thing visible.
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The lamp itself was off a rusted out old pole, and the people giving it away turned out to be local artists. They were thrilled to see what it was being repurposed for. I recreated/redesigned the lower portion to be wider at the base, to better match the movie model, and modified the lid's corners with the spires, which were cut from the lamp's 4-pronged ornamental base. I've yet to practice welding aluminum, and given its finicky nature, I decided against cutting/extending/filling the lower portion to the desired dimensions.
Obviously, I didn't try replicating the root section, as that would have been close to impossible with metalwork. I figure the real thing was fiberglassed or modeled from clay in order to get those varied shapes, assuming it wasn’t just CGI. (Or a ton of body filler...which occurred to me too late for the roots but in time to figure out how to complete the lid. Fiberglass + JB Weld + Bondo = a rounder profile that no longer jumps out as being wrong. I added the top piece to the central finial (?), as the rest tracked reasonably close. I had to shape it mostly by file, because the bench grinder died after the banner hanger. I filed the bottom extension down to a peg, drilled a hole slightly over-sized in the lower portion, filled it with JB Weld, and inserted the peg. That should be almost as solid as welding it.)
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I might have emphasized the roots a bit much relative to the reduced height of the [lamp-]post itself, but then, they ARE the main characteristic that sets apart the real thing from any other lamp-post. And as I always say, anything worth doing is worth over-doing. As the roots were taking form around the backside, I realized I might have subconsciously been drawing inspiration from @Ekstensive's bent tubing suspension mounts. I just hope it doesn't land me on their Tree of Shame. I couldn't handle that irony.
As always, paint revealed a few things I could have prepped a bit better. But, I like to tell myself the job is never done, so I don't need to be good at finish work! Naturally, I concluded I could get better results on the last piece of the puzzle if I just prepped more effectively. So, I sanded the lamp lid as smooth as glass, and...the paint just ran right off it. I had to re-do all and/or parts of it several times, and in the end, had about the same blotchy results as usual. So, if you don't like the paint job, talk to someone who cares... I will stick with the "aim low" Dodgeball motto from now on. I’m open to feedback on any other aspect. :)
For those who have read this far, why a winching post? Well, the project began last summer when having to use the poor Miata as a snatch block anchor to pull 500-700 lb bridge beams up the hill and into position for the retaining wall. I've also occasionally needed a pull point at the top of the driveway, and the chosen location of the lamp-post was perfect for both. With the placement settled on, I just had to come up with something interesting to make out of it, so it wouldn't just be a random post sticking out of the yard. (Like a lamp-post randomly growing in the woods!) A barber pole was quickly ruled out…
What’s next to compliment it? A Jurassic Park entry gate would look awesome behind it, and would help keep the deer out of the garden, but the space lacks the width to pull that off. I'm still brainstorming alternative gate ideas. Mines of Moria door, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory gate, King Kong drawbridge, Shire door, Narnia Wardrobe, etc.
Finally, a shout out to the other tools that helped my hobbyist skill set get this ambitious project across the finish line: @Hobart 210 MVP welder, @JEGS plasma cutter, @Makita angle grinder, @Fein Slugger cold saw, modded @Harbor Freight pipe bender, and Yost & @Wilton vises. Plus the old Mark 1 Taiwanese bench grinder that lost its will to live after shaping the banner hanger.
(Project continuation/completion, originally posted on Instagram Mar '26.)
Mixed moviephor warning! The #narnia lamp-post now has a suitable backdrop: Mt Hood > Timberline Lodge > The Overlook Hotel > The Shining.
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The fire axe was shaped from a splitting wedge I dug up in the yard – tree felling tools burial grounds, not Indian burial grounds, don't get it twisted – and is the mechanism to open the spring latch. No #jacknicholson catch phrases accompany its movement, sadly. Perfect grave-to-the-cradle recycling opportunity.
The axe is 6.6 lb (1.0 oz shy of 6.66!) of blunt fury, with very thick walled tubing acting as a counter-balance. The long handle provides leverage for operating from the backside. Linking it up put that @peaksportscorvallis part-time bike building experience to use 28 yrs later...
The spring latch is sloped down so water won't pool in it, which then made carving out & lining up the catch more difficult. The catch is tapered and has a back stop, so the latch locates it easily. The fence moves & binds occasionally, so I may sink a thin metal post there & build the catch into it.
A compact truck canopy was broken down 4 yrs ago & sat in pieces awaiting a project. The panel has a nice door-like texture & was just big enough. I wanted the hidden seam in front, but the natural curl made that dangerous. In test fitting the desired way, it bit the back of my bald head pretty good; wrapped me up like a Venus flytrap! Painstakingly unfurling the sharp, grippy edges from my clothing without the freedom of arm movement had me thinking this would be an ironic way to go.
The mountain silhouette is based on one variation I found a few examples of. I considered filling it with The Shining's carpet pattern, perhaps even juxtaposed with the PDX carpet, but talk about a tedious design to recreate. So, #mthood is “shining” instead. Painting the signage instead of metalworking it, I managed to sneak in my signature.
Now to devise a complicated 2-part gate for the south end to keep the deer from devouring the garden again this year. I’d love to make the Jurassic Park gate fit somehow, but I have a few other more “practical” ideas rattling around upstairs.
#timberlinelodge #theshining #overlookhotel #oregon #pnw
