Workshop lighting

[Sheffield Tony]

I have planning and spouse permission for a new workshop. Mostly I know what I want, but lighting is an area I'm a bit at a loss about.

Much has changed of late, with LED lamps etc. My workshop is intended for hand tools only. It is attached to the house, and is part of it in that it will be heated, and built to habitable spec (but more soundproof than normal !). Knowing that I may not live in this house for ever, and you never know, I might someday get bored of woodworking shock, I'd like to keep the room so that it could be converted for other domestic uses if we or a future owner had different needs, without massive refit.

What sort of lighting would you fit ?

 

[novocaine]

LED strip lights. lots of them.
they are dirt cheap on ebay, nice and bright and can be added on to with link cables, uses small amounts of power. available in warm and cool white, which is nice.

fairly easy to move around as well if you surface mount the cables from a central distribution point or 2.
this is what I will be doing in my garage at some point to do away with the strip lighting in there.

 

[AJB Temple]

I have recently fitted six, 5ft double tube daylight balanced fluorescent lights in my workshop, the main part of which is which is 10m by 3m, in protected casings. I have tried LED (and use them in our potting shed) but I find the lighting rather harsh in comparison (same applies to LED floodlights). It is worth experimenting to find what works best for you. I also have a few Angle Poise type lights that can be moved around to illuminate particular tasks. Some machines also have lights (eg the grinder).

 

[NazNomad]

I always thought there was a risk (albeit a small one) of 'strobe-effect' with fluorescent tubes and machinery?

... or is that just an ancient problem that's been solved with modern technology now?

 

[Myfordman]

I always thought there was a risk (albeit a small one) of 'strobe-effect' with fluorescent tubes and machinery?

... or is that just an ancient problem that's been solved with modern technology now?

Yes. Modern fittings use high frequency ballasts which do not strobe at mains freqencies and offer higher efficiency too.

 

[chipmunk]

+1 for fluorescent tubes but I only have one enclosed tube which is right over my main woodlathe just in case I lose a lump at speed and to prevent a chance shower of tube glass etc.

The polycarbonate enclosures are ok but make tweaking a dodgy starter or swapping a tube more of a chore and so my other tubes are open.

+1 also for cheap anglepoise lamps. I have four on the key workstations around the workshop fitted with the biggest Wattage LED bulbs I can find or 25W CFL bulbs - Tt keeps the heat down and the light as bright as possible. Most anglepoise lamps have a 60W limit but with CFL or LED bulbs you can get much more brightness for your watt.

HTH
Jon

 

[custard]

Something soft and diffuse that mimics a north facing window. You want the basic background lighting to fill in all the deep shadow and then use secondary lighting when you need a low, raking light to see finishing defects or illuminate a gauge line. So above all avoid overhead spotlights, which are great for reading a book but terrible for woodworking.

The other thing is to make sure all overheads have some kind of protection, even the thin plastic diffusers that cover strip lights are sufficient. I thought I'd designed my latest workshop with meticulous care, but soon after the build I was loading an 8'x4' sheet onto the saw, hoisted the panel up, and was showered with shards from the unprotected strip light that I'd just broken!

Good luck!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I always thought there was a risk (albeit a small one) of 'strobe-effect' with fluorescent tubes and machinery?

... or is that just an ancient problem that's been solved with modern technology now?

The LEDs over my lathe strobe.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Whatever lighting you have, you can make the most of it by painting the inside walls and ceiling white, or some other light colour. That really seems to help to reflect light back into the work area, making it more diffuse and less shadowy. Especially if you have to rely on artificial light at any time.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I bought small adjustable LED holders for £4 each and put them exactly where I need them as well as room lighting. The LEDs are cheaper now than they used to be so the cost inc. the lamp wouldn't be more than about £6 - £7. They're good not only for illumination, but for getting rid of shadows. +1 for white walls and ceiling.

 

[mind_the_goat]

The LEDs over my lathe strobe.

Maybe cheap Chinese lamps which just use a bridge rectifier and resistors, they would give you about 100Hz, or 50Hz if they are REALLY cheap.

 

[dickm]

The LEDs over my lathe strobe.

But do they strobe to the extent that you might be fooled into thinking the lathe was not rotating? I've always been very sceptical about the safety hazard from strobing, because for it to occur, the moving object has to have identical teeth or similar protruberances, which are moving at such a speed that one protruberance EXACTLY occupies the place of an earlier one, exactly 1/50th second later. Even when this occurs, the apparently stationary object is usually slightly fuzzy, or appears to be moving, albeit slowly. The chance of anyone being fooled by this seems pretty slim. Much more likely in most cases to forget that there is a corner sticking out on the workpiece which is moving fast! But maybe I'm being over optimistic.
In the days of record turntables, some of the really upmarket ones had strobe markings round the edge of the platter, which could be used to check speed of rotation very precisely. But only of use if the turntable had the option to change speed. It was also possible to buy a disc with appropriate marking to sit on the platter for test purposes. But they don't work in daylight............ (DAMHIKT. You look d**n silly trying it though :lol

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes. It's just like watching a wagon wheel in a western.

 

[yetloh]

I have daylight fluorescent tubes and like them a lot but I have recently had contact problems on them and trouble getting them started when the workshop is really cold so am considering LED fluorescent replacement tubes which appear to offer similar light qualities but use less power and don't buzz or flicker like some of my tubes do, while using less power and having a longer life. They are pricier than fluorescent tubes but might be worth it if the claims are true. Does anyone have experience of them?

Jim

 

[NazNomad]

Woodturning with a synchronised strobe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpIGahaKl40

I can feel a migraine coming on already. That, and my arm wrapped around the lathe like a limp, bloodied rag.

 

[n0legs]

Woodturning with a synchronised strobe.

Christ !! It reminds me of my Evo Stick days :lol:

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Dunno about the strobe, but I can't handle cuffs that close to my hands.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Strobing won't be a problem to me, I'm sure. I use only hand tools, and I don't work fast enough for that !

I'll have a look at LED striplights etc as an alternative to florescents. Anything but CFL's, which IMHO are junk.
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.

 

[novocaine]

if he'd have cut out all the dark frames and actually taken more than a clancing cut that turning with a strobe could have looked magically. instead all it did was give me a headache.

good luck with you workshop, I found last night that the aging strip light in my work space (from previous tenant) strobes nicely with the scroll saw.

 

[cammy9r]

CFL's are great if you want light 1 hour after entering a room, I thought about trying a film industry match but cant find any.

On a serious note though, I use led strip lights. I have two runs down the length of the workshop.
The light tends to be a bit directional so I surface mounted them onto some 20mm electrical conduit and fixed the conduit to the ceiling with plastic saddle clips. This allows me to rotate the light strips to some extent and concentrate the light on a point if need be. I can post a photo if you like.