I have fluorescent lighting throughout the shop, in addition to natural light through a window. Unfortunately my bench is not close to the window, and it is not practical to have it in that position (I do, however, have my sharpening centre by the window).
I have always needed more light over the bench, especially as my eyes age (I need reading glasses to make out the markings on everything).
A couple of days ago a light bulb went on over my head (pun intended). I have a wall of cabinets above the bench (unfinished – still needing doors). I had been trying to find a way of hooking up a spotlight on a bracket. A recent thread suggested planting the base in a dog hole. The problemwith that is it takes up valuable bench space (my bench is small enough). I do have a magnifier and light on a movable stand that I pull over when cutting dovetails, but again this is not ideal since it is always in the way.
So this idea came to me. Why not think of the woodshop bench and overhead cabinets as if it were a kitchen. Why not install under-cabinet lighting?!
Today I fitted 2 fluoro strips, each 20 watts. These are slim line and take up very little space. They connect in line and require only one power cord. Each has an on-off switch. I also needed to add a shield under the cabinets. Standing up the light cannot be seen. Bending down the light was in my eyes. The shield blocked this off, but not the light on the bench.
Below is a picture of the lights taken at an angle that enables them to be seen. In practice, they are hidden.
Here is what they look like under working conditions ..
And a picture of a rule. The lights-on conditionis the picture on the left. On the right is taken with the light off.
Hope this helps someone else do the same.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Replies
There are few things more helpful than having the right amount of light in the right spots in the shop. I use "task" lighting like this in several spots, and drafting-table style lights in others.
Derek, thanks for the pics, every good idea begets another solution. I guess that this will work on the underside of the bottom section of the wall mounted lumber storage that sits above the RAS/CMS bench that falls into shadow as I stand in front of it.YES!!!
My benches are walkarounds so I have a virtual flourescent ceiling above them and suplement the light needed for detail work with an old two tube desk lamp with those spring loaded arms, It is mounted on a slab of 1 1/2" plank that has a maple dog to engage the bench dog holes. At the sharpening station there is a similar set up but it is a round flourescent with the magnifying lens in the center, priceless when I attempt to sharpen hand saws (looking to improve that skill real soon----see ya Sunday Mike) and provides a good look at plane and chisel edges.
Boy oh boy getting old really $ucks. I remember when I could see a bare wisp of smoke on the horizon from the bridge of our submarine, but it has been fun.
All the best, Paddy
suplement the light needed for detail work with an old two tube desk lamp with those spring loaded arms, It is mounted on a slab of 1 1/2" plank that has a maple dog to engage the bench dog holes.
Hi Paddy
I have a couple of lights like yours. I mainly use a magnifier/fluoro light (one of the round things). It is on a movable stand. Placing it in a bench dog, as some do is, unfortunately, the very thing I am trying to avoid. It does not work for me as I often build large panels and I need all the space I have to work with these ... View Image The light for that picture came from the magnifier light. My aim is to keep the bench free of all obstructions (and this includes a light on a stand alongside me.
At the sharpening station there is a similar set up but it is a round flourescent with the magnifying lens in the center, priceless when I attempt to sharpen hand saws (looking to improve that skill real soon----see ya Sunday Mike) and provides a good look at plane and chisel edges.
This is a better situation for me as my sharpening centre gets penty of light as it is situated under a window. This is a narrow area that is too small for a work bench.
View Image
Boy oh boy getting old really $ucks.
Tell me about it!
Regards from Perth Derek
Edited 9/26/2009 10:26 pm ET by derekcohen
Paddy,
looking to improve that skill real soon----see ya Sunday Mike
Oh yeah, me too!
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
It seems what ever I do and however many lights I have around I still get all these shadows that make the finer work tedious.
Sometimes I resort to one of these
http://www.amazon.com/SIGMA-SILED-LED-Head-Lamp/dp/B0019H6H64/ref=sr_1_54?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1253930571&sr=1-54
Then I think why not just use that ? For the only light. I can see where ever I look. Think of all the energy I would save !
: )
roc
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )
Or, you could glue a couple of the small LED lights onto your OptiVisor, once your eyes really go to pot. ;-)http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2004227/2004227.aspxhttp://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=11463
I recently came into a sheet of thick guage aluminum pegboard, and could not help but think that it would make a nice array for LED lighting. If I cut it into two-hole strips maybe 12 inches long or so, it would fit nicely under nearly any cabinet. All I gotta do is find out how to wire it right...24 LEDS would make sunshine anywhere in the shop!
Here are some other thoughts on lighting and whether more is better or simply more.
They say the best lighting is obtained by washing it off walls and ceilings. That's why indirect up facing lights have become so prominent in modern offices. It also helps with glare, the issue of having a bright spot that blinds you. If you feel like you have to wear a visor, you have a glare issue. And then there is the issue of color temperature and vision. You can see better with less light the closer your light is to matching daylight. That would might point to some of the new LED lights that have come on the market. The T8 and T5 fluorescent blubs are better than those old fat tubes in temperature and they say old standards of light levels are being lowered because of it. And finally in a soft diffuse light it is hard to pick out surface details. I work in a basement and grin sheepishly when I take what appears to be a perfectly planed panel into a room with natural light. In the shallow morning rays coming through the window I can suddenly see all those subtle gouges revealed revealed by the shadows.
Obviously you've improved light on your work bench. I too keep turning on and off banks of lights to see better. Could we all have workshops with a bank of norther windows.
Peter
"Boy oh boy getting old really $ucks."
Now, how would you kids know?
"Boy oh boy getting old really $ucks."
Now, how would you kids know?
The best one liner I ever heard on a response to getting old sucks statement was "... Getting old is a blast, it's arriving at the destination that sucks!". I kinda have to agree with that!
...Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off , painting over the ugly parts, and recycling it for more than it’s worth – lyrics from the song wear sunscreen
I agree. Continuing to get older is fine, but ceasing to age is to be avoided.
I have to disagree with the above. Getting old is no problem. FEELING old, now that's the real downer.
I understand, but isn't feeling old much better than not feeling at all? ;-)
I forget who wrote this:If you're over 50 and you wake up and nothing hurts --- you're dead.
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