AWGB Woodturning Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Maca on October 29, 2019, 11:56:26 AM
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I have a small shed with a 5ft strip light which is fine for working at the workbench but casts shadows when I'm working on the lathe. I also have a small led spot light on a flexible arm https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07DD93CKR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07DD93CKR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) which I can shine directly on the workpiece but as the days are growing shorter I'm finding myself working more and more in the dark hours so I want to get a light to hang above the lathe. My question is do you have any particular preference for lighting the lathe? Or for that matter positioning the lighting?
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I use a good quality anglepoise type lamp with a magnetic base, gives a great pool of clean light and is infimitely adjustable, if you hang lighting it will offer shadows somewhere or another.
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For this very reason I'm putting retractable castors on the bench where my new lathe will be mounted. When not in use, my lathe will be against a wall and when in use will be wheeled a few feet into the room so that the light (from two 5foot fittings) is on the work and the shadows are behind me. Being retractable means the bench can be lowered to sit directly on the floor, rather than on the wheels of the castors.
I also use an anglepoise lamp at the work itself, it's a larger than usual model that was originally attached to a large drawing board so has a good 'reach'.
Just for interest, these are the castors I'm using:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/POWERTEC-17000-Workbench-Caster-Pack/dp/B00SX3T2LO
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I have upgraded my strip lights to LED panels specifically Daylight white which if it makes sense is bluer than florescent light. I have one over the lathe and one in the general area of the workshop. Link below.
I do think they are better, however I also use a magnetic spotlight on the lathe as the only way to avoid shadows is to get the light in front of you.
https://www.lepro.co.uk/36w-led-panel-light-3900015-dw-eu.html (https://www.lepro.co.uk/36w-led-panel-light-3900015-dw-eu.html)
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I started out with one of those magnetic lights, but found it did not have the flexibility I wanted. A dentist's light would have been ideal, but firstly they are horribly expensive and secondly they need a very sturdy mounting point in the ceiling. So eventually I built my own solution. The arm is mounted on a sleeve that moves sideways with about 4ft of lateral movement. It swings out to any angle in a near 180 degrees range. The scissor lift can be held in various place or completely relaxed to hold the lights pretty much at lathe rotational axis level (good for hollowing!) and the part holding the actual lights is fully articulated. The lights themselves also swivel and tilt in their arms, and are fitted with two LED bulbs (initially these were halogen bulbs, but they almost burned my ear off on one occasion).
Yes, this is quite a bit of work to make, but it does not require any special parts, all standard nuts and bolts and a few pieces of wood. Total cost approx. £50, plus a few hours of work, but it has solved my lighting issues for good. The workshop itself is lit with three square LED panels, daylight colour, which provide a very bright non-directional light.
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When my nearly new LED light over the lathe went phut, I looked for something brighter, I bought an out door LED floodlight from Screwfix for under £15 and mounted it above the lathe. According to the blurb it is the equivalent to 200 watts and and is more than sufficient. It barely get warm to the touch. Get one without the motion sensor and wire it to a 13a plug
Ron
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Big improvement in lighting and many less burned ears since LED's became available :)
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I too use a swing lamp with a led lamp in it. However I have just been installing some led strips, and had some of cuts. Stuck some magnets to them and I can stick the led to a tool rest, or even a to a tool whilst it is in a vessel
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Not sure I would want wires hanging around like that when turning. i know they're fairly thin but seems a bit dodgy to me especially inside a hollow piece.
Pete
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This is extremely bright - inexpensive - I mounted mine on a simple shop-made base/bracket made from cheap construction lumber (eg. 4x2") https://www.amazon.co.uk/Timstore-Outdoor-Floodlight-Waterproof-Daylight/dp/B07PSHXDGG/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=50w+led+craft+flood&qid=1572479572&sr=8-1 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Timstore-Outdoor-Floodlight-Waterproof-Daylight/dp/B07PSHXDGG/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=50w+led+craft+flood&qid=1572479572&sr=8-1)
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I too use a swing lamp with a led lamp in it. However I have just been installing some led strips, and had some of cuts. Stuck some magnets to them and I can stick the led to a tool rest, or even a to a tool whilst it is in a vessel
I have one like that from Woodart Products (http://www.woodart-products.co.uk/3_Lights.php) but I am not sure I would put it on the tool inside a form but am quite happy to attach it to the tool rest making sure the cable is right out of the way and secured back with tape.
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HillClimb,
How long is the cable on the light?
Dave
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I have a small enough
shed/workshop 12ft x 12ft. Over my workbench I have a 5ft LED. Over my other bench I have a 4ft LED. At the other wall where I have my bench grinder and piller drill I have a 2ft x 2ft LED panel and at the other wall where my lathe is I have another 2ft x 2ft LED panel. All the lights are 6000K daylight. With them all switched on I'm sure the crew on the ISS are able to see my shed! My roof is pretty low though, lean too going from 8ft to 7ft inside, if the lights were higher up there would be more spread of light.
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Like Twisted Trees I’ve recently upgraded to LED panels which have been a big improvement over the original florescent tubes they were 4000k which I find a gives a good colour
Over the lathe I have 2 10w 4000k spotlights I bought from screwfix for about £10 each plus an angle poise
Works for me
John
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Thanks for all the replies, in the end I decided to go for a couple of these https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07GPNZC8Z/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
They are really good and have made a huge difference.
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At 200wat equivelent and £1.99 each these are a bit of a bargain...
https://www.lepro.co.uk/30w-led-floodlight-outdoor-waterproof-daylight-white-340002-dw-eu-a.html?utm_campaign=UK-EDM-11.19-B2C%20%28JMaLbS%29&utm_medium=email&utm_source=B2C%2015%20Days%20no%20order-Received%20Email%20or%20Active%20on%20Site&_ke=eyJrbF9lbWFpbCI6ICJwZXRlQHR3aXN0ZWR0cmVlcy5jby51ayIsICJrbF9jb21wYW55X2lkIjogIkhzQXNQMyJ9 (https://www.lepro.co.uk/30w-led-floodlight-outdoor-waterproof-daylight-white-340002-dw-eu-a.html?utm_campaign=UK-EDM-11.19-B2C%20%28JMaLbS%29&utm_medium=email&utm_source=B2C%2015%20Days%20no%20order-Received%20Email%20or%20Active%20on%20Site&_ke=eyJrbF9lbWFpbCI6ICJwZXRlQHR3aXN0ZWR0cmVlcy5jby51ayIsICJrbF9jb21wYW55X2lkIjogIkhzQXNQMyJ9)
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Never mind outdoors, they will be great over the bench and the lathe
Ron
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Typical really, I was quite happy with my daylight strip lights and 150w spot lamp over the lathe, reading through this thread I decided that if my lights went I would go for LEDs next time. Guess what? a couple of days after reading the thread my spot light went, tried to get a new bulb and they don't make them for that light anymore (it was really old) so I bit the bullet and made a capitol investment of £14 or so plus VAT and brought an LED spot light.
I stripped the mounting fittings off of the old one and fitted them to the new one and it works a treat with an added bonus......my head no longer gets burnt by the heat!! and, I have noticed that the dust does not settle on the glass as much so it stays brighter for longer between each wipe. Cooler to wipe too... I just can't stop winning really.
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I just can't stop winning really.
Give it a couple of years and it will save you so much on the electricity it will pay for itself and probably save at least half a polar bear too... ;)
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I just can't stop winning really.
Give it a couple of years and it will save you so much on the electricity it will pay for itself and probably save at least half a polar bear too... ;)
What am I going to do with half a polar bear?
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Eat it. Or mount it on a big wooden slab and hang it in your lounge. Or find somebody who also has half a polar bear from savings on his workshop lights and stitch them together to make a whole one.
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At 200wat equivelent and £1.99 each these are a bit of a bargain...
https://www.lepro.co.uk/30w-led-floodlight-outdoor-waterproof-daylight-white-340002-dw-eu-a.html?utm_campaign=UK-EDM-11.19-B2C%20%28JMaLbS%29&utm_medium=email&utm_source=B2C%2015%20Days%20no%20order-Received%20Email%20or%20Active%20on%20Site&_ke=eyJrbF9lbWFpbCI6ICJwZXRlQHR3aXN0ZWR0cmVlcy5jby51ayIsICJrbF9jb21wYW55X2lkIjogIkhzQXNQMyJ9 (https://www.lepro.co.uk/30w-led-floodlight-outdoor-waterproof-daylight-white-340002-dw-eu-a.html?utm_campaign=UK-EDM-11.19-B2C%20%28JMaLbS%29&utm_medium=email&utm_source=B2C%2015%20Days%20no%20order-Received%20Email%20or%20Active%20on%20Site&_ke=eyJrbF9lbWFpbCI6ICJwZXRlQHR3aXN0ZWR0cmVlcy5jby51ayIsICJrbF9jb21wYW55X2lkIjogIkhzQXNQMyJ9)
Would be if they had them in stock.
Pete
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You snooze you lose ;D back in stock now, but price has gone up to £15.99. Obviously at £1.99 they were too popular :)
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Eat it. Or mount it on a big wooden slab and hang it in your lounge. Or find somebody who also has half a polar bear from savings on his workshop lights and stitch them together to make a whole one.
This is more complicated than you think fuzzy, as I would have to find someone with the opposite half otherwise it wouldn't work!! ;D ;D ;D
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I just can't stop winning really.
Give it a couple of years and it will save you so much on the electricity it will pay for itself and probably save at least half a polar bear too... ;)
What am I going to do with half a polar bear?
Easy, buy two lamps and save a whole one
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At this rate, we'll soon be overrun by polar bears. haha
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At this rate, we'll soon be overrun by polar bears. haha
And it is all fuzzyturn's fault :D :D :D
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No, no, no. Twisted Trees started the polar bear story.
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It is getting like a Bear Garden in this site!
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If that’s the case, I’ll have a pint of Thatchers!
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No, no, no. Twisted Trees started the polar bear story.
To be fair, I only had polar bear portions, you are the one who created herds of them :)
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Anyone looking in from the outside is going to wonder why woodturners are spending all this time talking about saving polar bears, but it just goes to show that we are doing our bit for the environment. ;D ;D ;D
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That is because our love of woodturning, is shared with our love of pollar bears, and other cute furry things!
Ron
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Anyone looking in from the outside is going to wonder why woodturners are spending all this time talking about saving polar bears, but it just goes to show that we are doing our bit for the environment. ;D ;D ;D
I save wood from woodburners which adds to the greenhouse effect ::) ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D