Whether huddled in the trenches at Petersburg, Va., or camped along the banks of Antietam Creek in rural Maryland, the typical Union or Confederate soldier took comfort in the warm glow of a candle lantern like this one. Our version is an easy weekend project that offers a variety of alternate construction and material options while remaining true to its 19th-century roots.
Candle lanterns have been around for many centuries and you’ve probably seen several styles at antique shops, museums and garage sales. This particular design is based on a lantern from the mid-1800s, used by farmers to light the way when checking on livestock, or hung outside taverns to greet guests. It was also used by millions of soldiers during the Civil War.
Although mass production was not uncommon during the period, small items like lanterns were most often made by local carpenters or blacksmiths. As a result, even though the basic design remained the same, every other aspect of the construction tended to vary with the whims of – or materials available to – the builders. Therefore, it’s possible to customize this project and still make what’s called a “period-correct” reproduction.
Getting started
The most common wood used for these lanterns was simple pine, although any other wood available locally in quantity was just as likely to be used. Harder woods like oak, ash, hickory, maple or cherry were typically used for lanterns that were expected to take a lot of abuse.
The design of this lantern, with its glass panes, prevents the wind from blowing out the candle, while at the same time allowing the flame to burn evenly. The metal cover serves two purposes: It acts as a simple cover to prevent rain or loose objects from falling inside, and deflects heat rising from the flame to keep the carrying handle cool (and, perhaps more importantly, to keep tents from catching on fire when hung close to the canvas).
This can be a very inexpensive weekend project depending on your choice of wood. I generally use 3/4" pine, as that was the wood used on most lanterns; however, the use of oak, mahogany and other exotics would make an eye-appealing replica.
Top and bottom plates
Begin by cutting two 51/2" squares, one each for the top and bottom plates of the lantern.
Drill four 3/8" through post-pin holes in each of the corners in the top plate, which will align the top and bottom plates for assembly. The holes should be set 7/16" from the sides. Although the holes in the top plate go all the way through, the bottom plate has corresponding stopped holes in the same locations, so you might find it easier to clamp the top and bottom plates together and drill the holes simultaneously. Set your drill press so that the holes in the bottom plate will be 3/8" deep (Fig. 1).
Unclamp the plates, and drill a 9/32" hole in the top plate for the pull handle, set 11/2" from the sides. I generally locate the hole at the front left or right corner of the lantern, but it can be drilled in any of the four corners as long as the metal heat deflector (described later) doesn’t interfere with the placement. The pull handle, which raises the candle for lighting and extinguishing, is 1/4", but the slightly oversized hole allows the handle to slide up and down easily.
With a Forstner bit or hole saw, drill a vent hole of at least 11/2" in diameter in the center of the top plate, to allow for free air movement in the lantern. (The vent hole can be as large as 13/4", but anything larger than that tends to allow too much wind to enter.)
Rout a 1/4" slot, 41/16" long at the front of the top plate, centered between the post-pin holes. The front section of glass can be raised through this slot to replace the candle, or to clean the inside of the lantern. You can also make the slot by drilling a series of 1/4" holes along the 41/16" length and then cleaning up the slot with a sharp chisel, or with a 1/4" bit on a hollow-chisel mortiser.
Posts
You’ll need four pieces of stock cut to 3/4" x 3/4" x 9 1/16", with two 3/16" grooves cut down the center on adjacent sides for the glass. I used the table saw for the grooves, as the kerf of a standard blade is wide enough to allow the single-strength glass panes to slide in easily. However, check the groove width using a piece of glass and adjust the width of the kerf if needed.
Running short pieces of 3/4"-square stock through the table saw – twice – can be daunting, so you might find it easier to cut the grooves in wider stock first (Fig. 2). Flip the board around and cut the posts to size (Fig. 3), and then to length.
Drill 3/8" holes into both ends 3/4" deep to align the posts with both the top and bottom plates. Set the holes 5/16" in from the ungrooved sides of the posts. My old Shopsmith can be set up as a horizontal boring machine (Fig. 4), but you can guarantee perfectly vertical holes by clamping the posts into a temporary jig to use with the drill press (Fig. 5).
Candle base
Cut the candle base from a 2 1/4" x 5 1/2" piece of stock and mark locations for the candle and pull-handle holes as shown below. The notches of the candle base will “ride” the inside corners of the posts like rails, allowing the base to be raised and lowered smoothly.
Drill the 1/4" pull-handle hole 1/2" deep. A 3/4" hole will accommodate most candles, but you can adjust the size of the hole to fit other candles if you wish.
Dowels
The lantern is held together by a series of dowel pins, plus a longer dowel that acts as a candle pull. You’ll need the following dowels:
Pull handle (1) – 1/4" x 10 1/8"
Top post pins (4) – 3/8" x 2 1/4"
Top post lock pins (4) – 1/8" x 1"
Bottom post pins (4) – 3/8" x 1"
Glass
For the lantern glass, use plain, clear single-strength panels cut to 4" x 9", available from any glass shop. While original lanterns were sometimes made with colored glass, the practice wasn’t common, so if you’re going for authenticity, stick with clear glass. However, there are a number of examples of 19th-century candle lanterns that use three panes of regular glass, and a mirror in place of the fourth pane. Not only did the mirror panel help reflect light, but if the mirror was used as the sliding panel in the “front” of the lantern, a soldier could remove it to use for shaving and grooming.
Metal deflector
Since I make a lot of these lanterns, I’ve made a forming jig to bend the radius of the metal deflector (Fig. 6). I used a piece of scrap 2" pine stock marked with the cover profile and then cut on a bandsaw. Since the metal you’ll be using is relatively soft, you can also form the deflector over any round mandrel, such as a pipe, then bend and hammer it to shape. Although the profile used here is a common one, it’s not necessary to copy it exactly, as there was a lot of variation.
Cut a piece of soft- to medium-temper brass to 2" x 3 3/4" and round off the sharp corners and edges to remove any burrs. I like the look of brass and use it most frequently in my lanterns, but originals used a variety of metals – copper, tin, galvanized.
Align the cover in between the top and bottom of the forming jig and squeeze together in a vise or with clamps.
Drill a single screw hole in the center of the cover flat. The single screw acts as a pivot point to swing the cover out of the way when raising the candle for lighting.
Wire handle
Again, because I make a lot of these I use a forming jig to bend the handle radius, but you can also use a 5-lb. coffee can to bend the handle shape, or simply bend it to shape with your hands.
Cut a piece of wire 18"-22" long (heavy coat hanger wire works fine), bend the handle radius and then roll tight loops on each end with needle-nose pliers. The handle will attach to the sides of the top plate with a nail or screw during assembly.
Candle lantern assembly
Now that you have all the pieces of the lantern ready to assemble, it’s a good time to give all those corners a bit of sanding just to break the sharp edges. The amount of sanding and surface prep you do depends on your intended use of the lantern. If you’re going for an authentic, original look, it’s fine to leave some rough edges and tool marks – original examples have plenty of them. Keep in mind, however, that these lanterns were often made entirely with hand tools, so tooling marks from circular saws, planers or routers should be cleaned up if you’re going for authenticity.
Assembling the lantern is very straightforward. Start by gluing the four 3/8" x 1" pins into the bottom plate.
Now glue the four slotted posts to the base, making sure the glass slots align on the base and face to the inside of the lantern (Fig. 7).
Glue the four 3/8" x 2 1/4" pins into the tops of the slotted posts.
Drive a carpet tack into the bottom of the candle base so that it extends up through the candle mounting hole from the underside (Fig. 8). Before gluing the dowel pull handle to the candle base, position it into the lantern to be sure the notches on the ends of the base ride freely on the posts (Fig. 9). A loose fit is fine, so if the base rides too snugly on the posts, enlarge the notches a bit, then glue the pull handle in place.
Carefully slide in all the glass panels except the sliding section at the front of the lantern.
Align the top plate with the tip of the pull handle and the four post pins, and slide it down into position. You may need to tap it into place with a mallet (Fig. 10).
Once the top plate is in place, drill a 1/8" hole through the 3/8" post pin as close to the top plate as possible (Fig. 11). Push the 1/8" x 1" locking pins through the holes to hold the assembly together (Fig. 12). Since no glue is used on the top plate or the locking pins, the top can easily be removed for cleaning, adjustment or glass replacement.
Place the metal deflector over the vent hole, and screw into place.
Center pilot holes in the sides of the top plate, and screw or nail the wire handle to the top.
Finishing your lantern
I’ll frequently use a walnut stain on my pine lantern. However, there are historical precedents for finishing your lantern pretty much any way you like: tung oil, stain or no stain, shellac, even paint with a distressed look – or, you can just leave it natural. Your intended use or look of your project will help you determine the best finishing method.
Ken Weaver
Ken Weaver is a Civil War “sutler” – a maker of authentic reproduction items used for re-enacting. In addition to lanterns and other wooden goods, Weaver makes reproduction uniforms not only for Civil War re-enactors, but for 19th-century baseball. He lives in Orange, Conn.
MATERIALS
Pull handle (1) – 1/4" x 10 1/8"
Top post pins (4) – 3/8" x 2 1/4"
Top post lock pin (4) – 1/8" x 1"
Bottom post pin (4) – 3/8" x 1"
3/4" stock (a piece measuring 6" x 21" is sufficient for one lantern)
Single strength glass (4) 4" x 9"
Wire (1) 18" (brass, copper, tin, steel)
Carpet tack (1)
Slotted brass or steel 1/2" screws (3)
Pliable metal stock 2" x 3 3/4" (brass, copper or tin)
