Workshop lighting

[wizer]

Now just to work out the best place to put them, so everything is well illuminated.

There's no easy way to work that out. Obviously you don't want them to cast shadows over anything. But once you get them up you'll want to change them DAMHIKT

 

[woodbloke]

something wrong with your sense of touch? Who needs good lighting? I think it depends a huge amount on the quality of your eyesight, I seem to be able to get away with very little compared to some of you

But you are a young whipper snapper, when your eyes have seen another 20-30 years use, the cry will be more lights I can't see what is happening! :roll: DAMHIKT

...I can see what's happening alright, it's just not in focus (for close up work) so I have to take off me glasses, or peer over the top of the frames - Rob

 

[Night Train]

Thanks for all the replies: fluorescents seem to be the way to go. Now just to work out the best place to put them, so everything is well illuminated.
Cheers, Iain

I have a rectangular workshop 14' wide and 16' long plus a bay window at the end. I have my bench at the baw window end for natural light and also a twin fluorescent tube above it.
On each of the long sides of the room I also have flurescent tubes running along about 2' away from the wall. The tubes have a half relector so it casts most of its light straight down and to the centre of the room.
The walls are also painted matt white so I get good defuse light all over. It is really quite bright.

 

[chill]

I find a miners helmet and lamp works well :lol:

 

[Boz62]

Skyechem, if you haven't already painted the walls/ceiling white, then that is a major improvement at low cost - but lots of effort :shock:. Even painting the floor a paler colour helps.

If you are planning to paint in the future, I would do that before you change the lighting, as it will effect what you need considerably.

Ref the lighting, I would add in the fluorescents by themselves to start with. If you look at the data sheet for the fittings you choose (they usually have a pdf googleable somewhere ), they often have a diagram of illumination area, which can help you choose a suitable spacing, for your ceiling height, to give good general background lighting. Then live with it for a while, and add spot lighting in later for specific machines as they are needed. In my case, I have found the extra spots aren't needed - so far...

Good luck

Boz

 

[studders]

Never mind lights, got enough of them, it's getting the damn binoculars to stay strapped to my head so I can see what I'm doing rather than just seeing a fuzzy, vague blob.

 

[Triggaaar]

Having recently rehashed my small workshop I've fitted a pair of these. As they are HF fluorescents they start fast and don't hum.

Thanks, I could try those.

I've fitted Osram "daylight" tubes, they give a much better light for working.

Do you know where I can get these, and what luminance they are? I've tried the Osram website (there's too much choice there) and I'm not sure which are the daylight bulbs I'd be after.

Thanks

 

[Boz62]

Triggaaar, sorry, I've realised I lied in the last post , I got the tubes from the local branch of Robert Dyas. They had a rack of them and they were all T5, various lengths. I've just popped out and popped the cover off the luminaire and the tube has written on it:

Osram L
58W / 840
ACTIVE
Daywhite
Germany

The 840 is the light colour, and its a 5ft one. I assume it is one of these (presumably the cheapest Lumilux), but can't work out which one. It's not on the Dyas site either, but they do have them in their shops.

Boz

Edit: For info, I've since refitted my older garage batten fittings with these tubes as well, and they work well with iron transformer based units, and with modern electronic HF ones. It's really helpful having the same colour light in both my work areas

 

[big soft moose]

slightly off topic does anyone know if flouro strips can be wired up to a domestic plug and just plugged in ?

reason for this slightly odd question is that i need to improve my 'shop lighting , but i'm a tenant and thus cant have extra lights hard wired.

 

[OPJ]

Pete - yes, I did this not long ago. Piece of cake! :wink:

 

[Triggaaar]

Triggaaar, sorry, I've realised I lied in the last post

No worries. You'd think you'd got away with it after 3 months, but this thread resurrection is like CSI.

I got the tubes from the local branch of Robert Dyas.

RD is a 4 min walk from me so I'll check them out. Before reading a post on here I was planning on going for some 50W downlighter bulbs on cheap arms, as I remember the old tubes being a bit nasty. But daylight tubes sound good, particularly since my shed doesn't have a window.

Thanks