Upside Down Light Table

Gery gave me this light table he built, and that I've enjoyed using since the early 80's, but a couple years ago the light went out on one side. He built it with great precision, but left no entry point. We have argued over how to get inside to fix it, and finally chipped off all the cork around the bottom edge and then slowly and carefully pried the bottom off. The top is frosted glass and I had assumed the lights were straight tubes; it was a kind of thrill to finally see inside the thing. And, the problem was simply that the wire fastener had worked itself loose on one of the lights. The fix: simply snapping it back into place. We spent the rest of the afternoon fashioning a removable bottom with screws to easily remove it next time. It's not finished yet; there are still clamps holding new braces in place, but soon it'll be up and shining again. It's bound to be my favorite holiday gift; it's been the most enjoyable piece of equipment I own.