I made a gourd lamp a while back, here's how I did it. I had lamp hardware left over from a lamp that broke. I'm a packrat and never throw anything out. Not sure, but I think that hardware kits for lamps are available at some of the larger craft stores. You can sometimes find old lamps at garage sales real cheap, then just take them apart and use what you want and throw the rest away. I can't believe I said to throw something away. Put the leftovers in a box and save them, you'll find a use for them on another project.

I found a gourd that was about the right height for the hardware I had and drilled a 3/8 inch hole in the top and bottom. Start with smaller drill bits and work your way up so you don't split the gourd. Adding the feet so there was clearance for the cord to come out the bottom was the hard part, so I made a jig to make sure the lamp would be straight after I put the feet on. Yes, you can add feet without making and using the jig, but it sure keeps everything nice and steady while you're working on it.

Making the jig: You'll need is a piece of 3/4 inch plywood, a 3/8 inch dowel rod, glue, and the drill and bit that you used to make the hole in the gourd. A base about 10 to 12 inch's square should work for almost any size gourd. Drill a 3/8 inch hole in the center of the base. Using a drill press is the best way to make sure that the hole you drill is perpendicular to the board. If you only have a hand drill you can use a guide to make sure the hole is straight. Some of the things that you have around the house that will work as a guide are, a deck of cards, an old floppy disk or just a piece cardboard. Put the drill in the center of the board, line the drill bit up to the guide and start drilling. Before you glue the dowel rod in place make sure your hole is straight. Put the dowel rod in the hole without any glue. Using the same guide that you used for drilling the hole, slide it up against the dowel rod to see if it's straight. If the hole didn't come out straight, don't worry, you can fix it. Grab the drill again, and put it back into the hole and wobble the drill in a small circle to enlarge it. Put the dowel rod back in the hole and line it up with the guide. Use some tooth picks to shim the dowel rod until it's straight. Put some glue around the dowel rod and set it aside to dry for awhile dry.
 

Making the lamp: Now we get to the fun part, starting to make the lamp. Slide the gourd down the dowel rod to the height that you want it. Wrap some tape around the rod at the top and bottom of the gourd to keep it from moving. Next come the feet. Some of the things that you can use for feet include kitchen cabinet knobs, hickory or walnuts, pieces of antler or bone, or almost anything you have laying around. You can always adjust the height of the gourd on the jig until the feet line up where you want them.

If you are using something such as pieces of antler, bone or something like that, the first step is to make sure that the bottom of each foot is flat. You can use a belt sander, or you can tape a piece of sandpaper to a table and slide the feet back and forth to flatten them. Now you need to trim the top so it matches the curve of the gourd. Slide the foot up to the gourd and mark a line on the foot that matches the curve of the gourd. Cut along the line, and then use a Dremel tool to grind the top off until it fits the curve of the gourd. Once it fits, mark it's position on the gourd with a pencil. If you used cabinet knobs for the feet you can just screw them into place. If you made your own feet you'll need to glue them in place. I've used hot glue, super glue and Liquid Nails to attach feet to a gourd, and they all seem to hold up petty good. Put some glue on the foot, slide it into position and use a piece of masking tape to hold it in place until it's dry.

Final Assembly: The only thing left is to remove the gourd from the jig, assemble the lamp hardware, and find a shade that looks as gourdgeous as your new lamp.