LED Light Project

I have a custom made desk that uses heavy duty wall mounted standards and shelf brackets.  This design allows for quite a bit of adjustment and customization, and one of the things I need to do is put some low light under the monitor shelf.  A small amount of light will illuminate the keyboard and add some character.

The idea is to use some Lexan with some LEDs similar to a LightWedge.  I happen to have some scrap 5/16″ Lexan, and a bunch of white LEDs.  A jigsaw with a bi-metal fine tooth blade was used to cut the material.  Because this is not the most accurate way to cut a straight line, a scrap piece of wood was used as a guide.  When the cut was completed, a metal file was used to clean up the edge and give it a polished appearance.

Next, the LED was measured, about .199″, and luckily I have a drill index that increments in .002″.  I started with a small pilot hole and finished off with the .199″ bit.  Measuring was the easy part, the hole drilling was a problem, and the results were less than desirable.  It cracked and chipped as if it were glass.   Although the results were disappointing, I went ahead and powered up an LED to see how it would work.

So, I think this piece is scrap, I will attempt it with a new piece of Lexan and perhaps a brad point drill bit.  The brad point bits have flat bottoms, and that might make a difference.