Author Topic: Lighting (Read 9237 times)

Ross · « **on:** March 04, 2012, 09:17:38 PM »

Hi everyone,

Since I started maching with my lathe, I've noticed the lighting in my shed is not the best.

I have trouble seeing where things are I.e touching on, because I'm blocking out all the light!

Anyone got a good small magnetic or adjustable light source I can fit to my lathe so I can see a little better?

Oh and its just a little mini-lathe, so no floodlights please!

Stilldrillin · « **Reply #1 on:** March 05, 2012, 03:37:08 AM »

Hi Ross.

Can you rig up a 5' striplight, directly above the machine?

They're very cheap, from the main DIY stores.......

David D

Bluechip · « **Reply #2 on:** March 05, 2012, 03:49:19 AM »

Or one similar to this

http://www.rapidonline.com/Electrical-Power/Mains-single-switched-spotlight-71717

With a bit of tiltey-rotatey ....

BTW I suggest you don't get a LED version ... hideously bright ... mine went in the bin ..

BC

@dave SD ...I like the bog roll dispenser

Might do one myself, handy for when I'm parting off 2" hex.

Stilldrillin · « **Reply #3 on:** March 05, 2012, 04:35:43 AM »

Dave BC.
Oooh..... That's a bit, right price, innit!

Quilted kitchen roll Dave...... It's very handy for machine shop surprises.

David D

mechman48 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 05, 2012, 05:23:24 AM »

Hi Ross

I have a clip on flexible stem spotlight that I have clamped behind my machine, these are readily avalable from the local B&Q(usual disclaimer) quite cheaply. be careful of having strip lights above your machine, the stroboscopic effect of these can affect how you see your chuck turning, if you're distracted away, even for a few seconds you may turn back & think the chuck is stationary/has stopped..wouldn't like to contemplate the results of putting your hand near it to check it

Nice lathe which model is it, looks like one from Amadeal (no connection)?

cheers
George

AdeV · « **Reply #5 on:** March 05, 2012, 06:50:37 AM »

There's an ePay seller doing good prices on flourescent strip lights:

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/webelec-ltd/Fluorescent-Battens-/_i.html?_fsub=764078014&_sid=61385824&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322

I'm seriously tempted by a couple of 6-footers myself, at less than 30 quid delivered for a twin-tube, including tubes (of which I must have 20 spares), that's a billy bargain in my book.

Of course, a 6ft twin tube light over a mini-lathe MIGHT be considered overkill by some?

The same vendor does 2ft and 4ft lights though.

Stilldrillin · « **Reply #6 on:** March 05, 2012, 07:53:03 AM »

Quote from: mechman48 on March 05, 2012, 05:23:24 AM

the stroboscopic effect of these can affect how you see your chuck turning, if you're distracted away, even for a few seconds you may turn back & think the chuck is stationary/has stopped..

George.

In all the decades I've been machining under striplights, I've never noticed that!

Must be my eyes.......

David D

MadNick · « **Reply #7 on:** March 05, 2012, 08:31:33 AM »

Afternoon,

Car boot sales are a good source for strip lights and adjustable lamps - thats where I got mine from.

Cost pennies too.

Nick

Bluechip · « **Reply #8 on:** March 05, 2012, 08:54:04 AM »

You won't see any significant strobe effect anyway.

The decay time of the phosphor is much longer than the exciting voltage frequency.

It does not have time to extinguish before the next half cycle.

If you switch off a tube in darkness, there will often be a bit of ghostly light from the tube for several seconds.

You can see vague sort of strobe effect at certain chuck speeds, but it's pretty obvious it's still rotating.

In industrial applications alternate banks of fluorescents can be run from different phases to reduce the effect.

Some tubes can be run from DC IIRC, but it causes polarisation, and the tube life is geatly reduced unless they are turned end to end often. Not going to happen is it?

My old ML7/T was used for about 15 yrs with a twin 2 foot above it.

Never tempted to poke the chuck, when it was whizzing round it looked like it was whizzing round.

BC

Stilldrillin · « **Reply #9 on:** March 05, 2012, 10:19:23 AM »

Quote from: Bluechip on March 05, 2012, 08:54:04 AM

The decay time of the phosphor is much longer than the exciting voltage frequency.

Some tubes can be run from DC IIRC, but it causes polarisation,
BC

Ooooohhh!! I love all that rough talk Dave........

David D

Bluechip · « **Reply #10 on:** March 05, 2012, 10:33:06 AM »

Quote from: Stilldrillin on March 05, 2012, 10:19:23 AM

Quote from: Bluechip on March 05, 2012, 08:54:04 AM

The decay time of the phosphor is much longer than the exciting voltage frequency.

Some tubes can be run from DC IIRC, but it causes polarisation,
BC

Ooooohhh!! I love all that rough talk Dave........

David D

You can do it for yourself Dave, it's easy.

Just post what you want to say in plain English, but leave gaps.

Then open your copy of 'Glossary of Electrical Engineering', poke your finger on the Index at random, and type in the words you find in the gaps...

Works for me anyway.

BC

HS93 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 05, 2012, 10:49:40 AM »

strip light strobeing I rember many years ago when i worked as a wood machinist that a 24" wadkin circular saw looked stoped but you could hear it running, I only ever saw it once it was fortunate that the shop was just shutting down for lunch and it was the only machine running or there could have been an accident as I was about to alter the settings, It was the only machine that had a strip light over it all the others had bulbs, the saw had only just been moved to make room for a new machine. a bulb was fitted above it just after the incident.

Peter

andyf · « **Reply #12 on:** March 05, 2012, 12:19:38 PM »

You can see the strobing of a strip light if you look to A on one side of it, then (without blinking) quickly shift to look to B on the other side. Then immediately close your eyes to see a striped after image, representing the strobing of the tube.

A
========tube=========
B

I've just tried it with a compact energy-saving "bulb", but no stripes with that.

Before we finally went over to halogens in our indoor shooting range, results seemed better after we converted the old fluorescent target lights to run off different phases, as Bluechip mentioned. But that may have been psychological - more confidence when you know the targets aren't in semi-darkness half the time.

Andy

75Plus · « **Reply #13 on:** March 05, 2012, 06:25:20 PM »

Here is a spot on light that I made using a single high intensity LED which is mounted in a coolant hose that has a magnetic base. It uses 3 volts that can be obtained from 2 flash light batteries or a suitable wall wart power supply. Very easy to make and inexpensive.

This picture was made using the flash on the camera. The base is magnetically attached to the slide of my keyboard drawer.

This picture is without flash to show output.

Joe

mklotz · « **Reply #14 on:** March 05, 2012, 06:48:24 PM »

For those on the west side of the pond, many of the big box stores sell barbecue lights - presumably for people who barbecue in the dark?? Here's an example from Lowes...

http://tinyurl.com/857nnwx

I have an older model on my bandsaw and another on my belt sander. They work very well and, being battery-powered, can be used anywhere - even on a barbecue.

I would presume that suppliers on the east side of the pond would have something similar.

lesterhawksby · « **Reply #15 on:** March 06, 2012, 04:48:04 AM »

I took an old flexible-necked bedside light, unscrewed the base and clamped it to the tailstock end of the lathe splashback. Think it was £6 from B&Q originally but you can get better ones which already have a clamp for a fiver in the Dread Ikea if the Mrs makes you go there.

It's a good angle to get clear light on the headstock and tool but as it's so close, I found it a bit bright and soon fitted a dimmer switch, screwed to the end of the cabinet stand. I would really recommend this approach. Bit of a luxury maybe but it's nice when things are just so.

Also when dimmed it runs at just the right temperature to warm the fingers on cold nights

PekkaNF · « **Reply #16 on:** March 06, 2012, 05:34:42 AM »

I had two dim (60W) bulbs on my garage and some halogene local light.

Then I added four strips of tubes in alternating spacing evely on the roof to give some general light and working was so much nicer, because there used to be too much dimly lightted areas intercepted by bright halogens. I recommend plenty of tubes for ambient light.

Then I have been trying led/halogen lights in alternating order. I hate touching the halogen (specially inadventry, I seem to spasm and trow tiny obects all over places when that happens). I got few LED, but they seem to work only limited time and I don't enjoy the light distribution model. My favorite light for a lathe/millingmachine is one low voltage halogen, that has a small round enclosure for ceiling installation for bathrooms (?). It stays pretty cool (for a halogene), has slightly opaque glass that prevents touch, and it is small enough to fit, and has enough of diffused light that it is pleasant to use. And it does not produce as much glare as hipo LEDs.

Has anybody noticed that LED:s seem to loose a lot of light power even in one year?

PekkaNF

Ross · « **Reply #17 on:** March 11, 2012, 09:23:44 AM »

Thanks for the replys guys,

I don't think fluorescent lighting would be an option because ladders are stored behind the lathe! And the roof is at a sloping angle too.

I think I'll take a trip to B&Q and see what I can find there.

hopefuldave · « **Reply #18 on:** March 11, 2012, 07:13:09 PM »

I'm a great fan of Anglepoises - I "inherited" a bunch from a design studio that closed down, and with a 12V halogen (or 240V if away from spinning tools) and some butchering to fit they work nicely and put the light where you want it. I also won't have fluorescents in the home workshop, although we have 'em at work - and they're bloody useless, can't see a thing under 'em!

The current crop of "lowish energy" 240v halogen (70w equivalents to 100w tungstens) give a good colour balance, pretty much daylight temperature, and are way better (to my eyes) than the compact fluo's or LEDs I've seen so far.

Dave H. (the other one)

AR1911 · « **Reply #19 on:** May 11, 2012, 02:49:17 PM »

I like lots of light, of different colors.
Flourescent strip lights are around $10, work fine.
For only a little more, you can get a boxed set of track lights.

In my shed, I have only a 100-ft extension cord for power, so I use two bright LED bulbs in a tracklight fixture, plus 1 incandescent to warm up the light a bit.

At the shop, I have quite a mixture:

Overhead 8-ft flourescent tubes
Tracklights over the work benches with incandescent floods.
Halogen or CF Worklights (aimable) at each machine.
LED Ringlights at the mill spindles.

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Author Topic: Lighting (Read 9237 times)