# LIGHTING YOUR LATHE WORK



## BROCKWOOD (Jul 7, 2017)

We all make do with what we have laying around more often than we care to admit.  I had a drafting table style of lamp that needed a purpose & my lathe work needed illuminating.  That lamp, of necessity has received new aluminum brackets along the way - just to keep me going.  This cannot last & since mine is a combo, it is only half the solution at best.  Please share your lighting solutions for your own setup (pics welcome)!  Of coarse solutions to my dilemma will also be welcome 

My current setup soon.  Sorry, dealing with a sudden death in the community.  So share: I need ideas!


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## Bamban (Jul 7, 2017)

I'll play. Here is my Jet 1024. The main light on that photography articulated arm is an automotive flood light. The overhead lamp is also an automotive flood light. Both are powered by a 30W switching power supply. Critique on this set up, I wish theae automotive LEDs were somewhere in the 4000K instead of the 6000K. The bright white LED just blinds me when directed straight to SS polished material. Good thing the main light is on an articulated arm, I can easily move position around.


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## RJSakowski (Jul 7, 2017)

I use the pantograph style illuminated magnifiers with an 800 lumen LED bulb. I welded up new sockets from a short length of 1/4" black pipe and some flat stock to replace the ineffective original sockets.   The LED bulbs give more than enough light and the magnifiers come in handy for detailed work.


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## DHarris (Jul 7, 2017)

I had not thought of using a magnifier style light RJ,  GREAT idea (as my eyes are not what they used to be).


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## Silverbullet (Jul 7, 2017)

I still have 4' florescent lights over my machines and a smaller one on them. I'm thinking of getting a couple of the new ones to try .


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## RandyWilson (Jul 7, 2017)

I have 6 30W LED landscaping lights mounted to the ceiling joists. Two pointed at the lathe, two pointed at the mill, and two to be placed at a later date (I'm thinking drop-down gooseneck). 2700Lm per. I tried the 6000K lights, but the glare was intense. So those are now in the sewing room, and I have 3000K. China.com, $20 ea shipped.


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## Splat (Jul 7, 2017)

I use *this* SnapOn LED worklight I got from Amazon. Thing's like having an airplane headlight over my lathe and it doesn't get hot. Slightly warm but nothing like a halogen.


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## NCjeeper (Jul 7, 2017)

I use a clamp on light.


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## NCjeeper (Jul 7, 2017)

Stupid photobucket stopped the transfer of photos.


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## Tozguy (Jul 7, 2017)

Just a reminder that fluorescent lights strobe at 60 cycles per second and can make moving parts look like they are stopped.
When a moving part is turning at a speed in harmony with 60 cycles per second (or 3600 cycles per minute) then there is a risk of being fooled. For example, a four jaw chuck turning at 360 or 720 rpm etc. That's the reason I do not use fluorescent lights too close to my lathe.


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## RJSakowski (Jul 7, 2017)

Tozguy said:


> Just a reminder that fluorescent lights strobe at 60 cycles per second and can make moving parts look like they are stopped.
> When a moving part is turning at a speed in harmony with 60 cycles per second (or 3600 cycles per minute) then there is a risk of being fooled. For example, a four jaw chuck turning at 360 or 720 rpm etc. That's the reason I do not use fluorescent lights too close to my lathe.


I remember when that  was true.  It doesn't seem to be that bad now.  I saw a faint ghost when I placed a piece of white tape on a black Delrin rod and spun it in the lathe.  I suspect that the phosphors that they use now have a longer persistence.  Some of the newer fluorescent fixtures are using high frequency excitation which wouldn't exhibit the strobing phenomenon.

However, LED lighting has surpassed the efficiency of fluorescent so I am in the process of converting to LED lighting anyway.


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## BROCKWOOD (Jul 7, 2017)

So, this is what I have for now. Yes, it has magnification, which is nice, but I'm wearing out the plastic pieces & slowly replacing them with shop made aluminum pieces.  Still need something for the left side of the mill portion.  Thank you all for the great ideas!!!


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## jocat54 (Jul 7, 2017)

I have a 4' fluorescent hanging over the lathe and the halogen that is mounted to the lathe. It all lights the work well, but will probably replace the halogen with led--it gets to hot.


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## WoodBee (Jul 8, 2017)

Tozguy said:


> Just a reminder that fluorescent lights strobe at 60 cycles per second ....



If my memory serves me right, it flashes on the positive AND negative slope of the sine, so actually double the frequency. That would be 100 Hz over here and 120Hz on your side of the ocean. Also, as mentioned before, this was mainly on older fluorescents, technical improvements in the tubes reduce these effects in newer tubes.

Peter


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## Tozguy (Jul 8, 2017)

RJSakowski said:


> I remember when that  was true.  It doesn't seem to be that bad now.  I saw a faint ghost when I placed a piece of white tape on a black Delrin rod and spun it in the lathe.  I suspect that the phosphors that they use now have a longer persistence.  Some of the newer fluorescent fixtures are using high frequency excitation which wouldn't exhibit the strobing phenomenon.
> 
> However, LED lighting has surpassed the efficiency of fluorescent so I am in the process of converting to LED lighting anyway.



I suspected that was the case. And as you indicated there are other reasons to phase away from fluorescents. Still I think we should be aware of the potential problem with fluorescents until they don't show up anymore at flea markets.


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## Cobra (Jul 8, 2017)

I use a LED driving light meant for ATVs that I got from Princess Auto (Canada HF).
Posted some photos here:  http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/lathe-light.57486/


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## gr8legs (Jul 8, 2017)

RJSakowski said:


> However, LED lighting has surpassed the efficiency of fluorescent so I am in the process of converting to LED lighting anyway.



Keep in mind that LEDs are also subject to 2x line frequency strobing unless they are powered by a well-filtered DC power supply. Most of the cheapies are not!

Stu


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## SergeNelissen (Jul 9, 2017)

BROCKWOOD said:


> We all make do with what we have laying around more often than we care to admit.  I had a drafting table style of lamp that needed a purpose & my lathe work needed illuminating.  That lamp, of necessity has received new aluminum brackets along the way - just to keep me going.  This cannot last & since mine is a combo, it is only half the solution at best.  Please share your lighting solutions for your own setup (pics welcome)!  Of coarse solutions to my dilemma will also be welcome
> 
> My current setup soon.  Sorry, dealing with a sudden death in the community.  So share: I need ideas!



Look at these... LED, IP67, very high build quality, ...
http://brightmach.eu




Verzonden vanaf mijn iPad met Tapatalk


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## markba633csi (Jul 9, 2017)

IIRC the newer electronic ballasts like for T8 style lamps run the lamp at a much higher frequency than 60 hz and the strobing is minimal or zero.  I think CFLs are that way too
Mark S.


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## mksj (Jul 9, 2017)

Not a big fan of florescent bulbs, technology is antiquated, they are bulky, the light color is often poor, they  do not do well in the cold, .... I am systematically replacing all of them in my house and garage with LEDs bulbs, just can't see a reason to use them anymore and they are less energy efficient than LEDs. I have used landscape lights on my machines in the past, either multiple LED arrays or a single large square LED in a metal housing. Landscape, automotive and ATV lights put our a lot of light, but sometimes it is hard to get the proper light spectrum (always seem to be too yellow or too blue) and sometimes they can be very bright. I try to minimize shadows by having 2-3 light sources. On the lathe I replaced the Halogen bulb in my arm light with a high output MR16 flood bulb made by Philips, which puts out the same lumens as a 75W halogen. I run a high output LED strip light under the back lip of the splash shield, so it provides very nice even back lighting of the whole machine and minimal glare because it is under the lip. All the bulbs are in the 3500-4500K range with a CRI of something like 90. The Philips MR-16 bulb and the 40" led strip light was under $40, they run off the machine's low voltage power supply. http://www.ebay.com/itm/PHILIPS-8-5...000K-Flood-Light-Bulb-75w-equiv-/191864159345

The lathe is under the garage door when open, otherwise I would add some ceiling lights. But the lights on the machine minimize any shadows.  I also use a LED light bar on my mill along with a LED ring light, I find it very easy on the eyes and everything stays cool.


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## Rex Walters (Jul 9, 2017)

Cobra said:


> I use a LED driving light meant for ATVs that I got from Princess Auto (Canada HF).
> Posted some photos here:  http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/lathe-light.57486/



I also used ATV lights like these from ebay for lighting on my mill. Great, inexpensive upgrade. I need to do the same for my lathe (currently using some halogen track lighting, but it's not nearly as bright).

Highly recommended.
-- 
Rex


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## RJSakowski (Jul 9, 2017)

I haven't taken one apart but I suspect that the direct replacement for A19 incandescent bulbs also uses a high frequency transformer to get the correct operating voltage.  At any rate, I haven't seen any strobe effect on any of my machines. (drill press, drill/mill, and two lathes).  My Tormach light is a home-built running on a 24 volt switching [power supply so no chance of strobing there.

I do have a couple of strobing apps on my smart phone and they do operate up to 100 hz.  Beyond that, the persistence of the phosphor comes into play.


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## RandyM (Jul 10, 2017)

Not a lathe, but my milling machine now has 2 LED work lights mounted over it.


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## tincture500 (Jul 20, 2017)

I use the MR-16 shape LED 6watt ( LED 1w = 9w) from banggood.com with a 27 base -. The base screws into a standardc110 v scoket.   Available in various Kelvin ranges   tom

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk


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## Firestopper (Jul 20, 2017)

Converted task light to LED and added LED strip lighting to back splash.
Mood lighting.


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## jwmelvin (Apr 17, 2020)

Old thread, but it seemed appropriate for me to share my new lathe lighting. It's a housing from an LED light that failed, and I replaced the internals with some adhesive LED strip, powered by a 12V adapter. It's about 800 lumens of 93 CRI light and is a nice improvement. I also made the angled board to position the light forward a bit and give me a handy place for some toolholder mounts.


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## DavidR8 (Apr 17, 2020)

mksj said:


> Not a big fan of florescent bulbs, technology is antiquated, they are bulky, the light color is often poor, they  do not do well in the cold, .... I am systematically replacing all of them in my house and garage with LEDs bulbs, just can't see a reason to use them anymore and they are less energy efficient than LEDs. I have used landscape lights on my machines in the past, either multiple LED arrays or a single large square LED in a metal housing. Landscape, automotive and ATV lights put our a lot of light, but sometimes it is hard to get the proper light spectrum (always seem to be too yellow or too blue) and sometimes they can be very bright. I try to minimize shadows by having 2-3 light sources. On the lathe I replaced the Halogen bulb in my arm light with a high output MR16 flood bulb made by Philips, which puts out the same lumens as a 75W halogen. I run a high output LED strip light under the back lip of the splash shield, so it provides very nice even back lighting of the whole machine and minimal glare because it is under the lip. All the bulbs are in the 3500-4500K range with a CRI of something like 90. The Philips MR-16 bulb and the 40" led strip light was under $40, they run off the machine's low voltage power supply. http://www.ebay.com/itm/PHILIPS-8-5...000K-Flood-Light-Bulb-75w-equiv-/191864159345
> 
> The lathe is under the garage door when open, otherwise I would add some ceiling lights. But the lights on the machine minimize any shadows.  I also use a LED light bar on my mill along with a LED ring light, I find it very easy on the eyes and everything stays cool.
> View attachment 237237


I saw a neat solution to lights under a garage door.


			http://www.12-gaugegarage.com/resources/Door-H.jpg


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## Suzuki4evr (Apr 17, 2020)

RandyM said:


> Not a lathe, but my milling machine now has 2 LED work lights mounted over it.
> 
> View attachment 237299
> View attachment 237300
> ...


Holy cr@p,what a setup Randy. Now I am jealous.


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## Aukai (Apr 17, 2020)

Mikey turned me on to this site, they have CBN wheels, and other stuff also....









						Lamps – Wood Turners Wonders
					

Our lamps are heavy duty, high quality LED bright, energy efficient lighting. They provide illumination for up to 50,000 hours. Switchable magnetic bases make make our LED lighting ideal for a wide range of industrial applications, including machine lighting, enclosure illumination and closeup...




					woodturnerswonders.com


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## deakin (Apr 17, 2020)

hmmm
and my grandpap did amazing work with a 1923ish SB and a single incandescent bulb hanging down with a pull chain


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## Aukai (Apr 17, 2020)

That's awesome, there are people who know exactly what to do, and what is happening by the feel, and hearing what the machine is saying to them. I'm much older now, and on my second life style, I have not learned all of that, I have to see well just to stay out of trouble.


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## Grinderman (Apr 18, 2020)

I picked up a couple of these light fixtures on CL cheap, added a 100 W LED and bolted it to a big chunk of steel. Easy to move around and doesn’t tip over.


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## BGHansen (Apr 18, 2020)

I've got 4' LED shop lights over my lathes (and mills).  Bought the 5000 lumen ones from Walmart for around $22 each.  They do a great job.  Also have a mag base gooseneck lamp with a 100W LED bulb in it on my Clausing.  My Grizzly G0709 has a built-in gooseneck with a halogen light.

Bruce


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## Silverbullet (Apr 24, 2020)

I have about 8 4ft dual florescent lights and 2 8ft dual lights.  But had plans on updating a few at a time. Not going to happen now i think . Will need to sell everything the bodies not responding to good . Weight loss nows to much 200 lbs in 10 yrs but last is lot of muscle lost.  Anybody need anything


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## RandyM (May 17, 2020)

Suzuki4evr said:


> Holy cr@p,what a setup Randy. Now I am jealous.



No need to be jealous. Just roll up your sleeves and get to it. I know you can do it.

Also, I since have added a spindle light. LED of course. The brackets clamp on to the ram dove tail and provides enough clearance for the skirt removal. I highly recommend it. I love it.


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## Suzuki4evr (May 17, 2020)

RandyM said:


> No need to be jealous. Just roll up your sleeves and get to it. I know you can do it.
> 
> Also, I since have added a spindle light. LED of course. The brackets clamp on to the ram dove tail and provides enough clearance for the skirt removal. I highly recommend it. I love it.
> 
> ...


Greate idea Randy. Was thinking of the ring light method myself.


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## Suzuki4evr (May 17, 2020)

RandyM said:


> No need to be jealous. Just roll up your sleeves and get to it. I know you can do it.
> 
> Also, I since have added a spindle light. LED of course. The brackets clamp on to the ram dove tail and provides enough clearance for the skirt removal. I highly recommend it. I love it.
> 
> ...


Do you not have shadow problems seeing that the light is shining towards you?


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## RandyM (May 18, 2020)

Suzuki4evr said:


> Do you not have shadow problems seeing that the light is shining towards you?



I have not found shadows to be a problem. However, on occasion, if I bend down to far for a closer look at my work I find staring at the bright light is a bit much.


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## Suzuki4evr (May 18, 2020)

RandyM said:


> I have not found shadows to be a problem. However, on occasion, if I bend down to far for a closer look at my work I find staring at the bright light is a bit much.


DON'T GO INTO THE LIGHT RANDY!!!!!!


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## Suzuki4evr (May 19, 2020)

RandyM said:


> No need to be jealous. Just roll up your sleeves and get to it. I know you can do it.
> 
> Also, I since have added a spindle light. LED of course. The brackets clamp on to the ram dove tail and provides enough clearance for the skirt removal. I highly recommend it. I love it.
> 
> ...


I have a couple of questions. Is that a 1foot length or can you give me the units description if you don't mind.


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## RandyM (May 20, 2020)

Suzuki4evr said:


> I have a couple of questions. Is that a 1foot length or can you give me the units description if you don't mind.



Here is a link. It has been a while, but I think this is the one I bought.






						Task Lighting & Work Lamps | Global Industrial
					

Shop a wide range of task lighting and work lamps for offices, schools, hospitals, machine shops, and more. Make us your total choice for task lighting and save money with our everyday low prices.



					www.globalindustrial.com


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