Cheap And Effective Tool Lights

Here is a pic of the modification I did to put a magnetic base on the Newhouse LED, and a detail of the base adapter. It is made with 1" square aluminum tube. I used a key hole for the lamp attachment so I wouldn't have to cut the power wire. The Harbor Freight magnet was about $2 and is about 2" Diameter.

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mill light base_0343.JPG
 
I also have a multi-LED lamp mounted behind the chuck for back fill light. It was a lamp on a gooseneck I picked up at Lowes (probably). I removed the gooseneck and attached a bracket to attach it under the mill motor/drive housing. The wall warts for the lights are plugged into a switched multi-outlet which is used to turn them on and off.

mill backlight_0345.JPG
 
pebbleworm said:
Not to gang up on Ikea, but the Jansjo lamps don't stay in position that well.
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Shadon HKW has a video showing how he upgraded his using Loc-Line. Problem solved but probably not worth it unless you already have the light & some extra Loc-Line laying around.

 
oh man, how are you still alive after filching an implement from the kitchen? I got caught out using one of the baking trays as a chip tray once (showing off something on the lathe to my wife) and now I almost have to get my pockets and bags checked going out to the garage :)

great job on the light though, looks very slick. The more lights the better IMO and there are lots of ways to get them on there!
 
I have three of the Lowes lights mentioned in the opening post of this thread, and they are pretty good. I have one of the clamp style on the both the lathe and the mill, and the one with the weighted base on the computer desk here. I really like them and have had them for over a year now.

The one on the desk had three LEDs that started to flicker a while back and within a couple weeks it went to six, and eventually nine. The odd part is that they flicker at different rates, sometimes go dark after a while, and sometimes work just fine. If it wasn't for that problem I would purchase more as I really like the fact that they stay in position very well and the head is small compared to a sewing machine style lamp.

CluelessNewB said:
I probably posted this before but... I have been using these sewing machine lights from eBay, about $12 + shipping. They have a built in switch but you need to add a plug. Some of the dealers will give you a deal on shipping if you buy more than one. I have 3 installed in my shop, and my wife now has 2 in her sewing room.
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Clueless, I assume these lamps use a standard incandescent light bulb, correct? A person could always put in an LED bulb instead of incandescent I suppose. How well do these stay where you put them? I suspect that the heavier head might make problems sometimes. What has your experience been? If they stay put properly, I may switch over to them as the Lowes ones all start to flicker and drive me nuts.
 
Terry,

I haven't had any problems with the sewing machine lights moving on either my drill press or my metal shaper. The third is wall mounted, it doesn't vibrate so it probably doesn't really count. I have standard screw base incandescent bulbs in my shop but the two that my wife has on sewing machines have LED bulbs and they work fine. On a sewing machine the heat of an incandescent was a bit much so we switched to LED. In the shop I'm not typically at one machine for hours so the heat wasn't really a problem (actually an advantage in the winter).
 
Thanks Rich! That settles it for me, I guess I will look into getting a couple of the sewing machine lights so that I have them on hand when the other ones start flickering and acting up.
 
Terry- you are bumming me out with the flickering LEDs. I really hope mine don't do that.
Franko- How many LED elements are in the lamp you posted? Can you get a pic of the inside?
R
 
R, the small Newhouse lamp has one 3 watt LED with a diffuser over it, so a picture wouldn't show it. It is about as bright as a 60 watt bulb.
The larger one under the motor housing has an array of about 12 LEDs. The 3 watt LED lamp is about twice as bright. The color temperature is a little on the warm side, not as warm as an incandescent, but just little warmer than daylight. It renders details very well without the eyestrain common with higher Kelvin lights.

I have a regular machine light on one of my belt grinders. I put a 40 watt equivalent LED bulb in it and haven't had any problems with the goose neck holding position even though the bulb is significantly heaver. That light with a 40 watt incandescent bulb used to get very hot.
 
I've got a couple of the Ikea Jansjo clamp lights in our bedroom, and the switch one of them started to get wonky after only about a month. One of these days I'll haul it over to Ikea for a replacement. The clamp-type sell for about $15, but they've got a disk-base style that's only $10, which I've been using as desk-lamps etc.

WRT ring lights... go on FleaBay and look for "Angel Eyes" -- all sorts of LED halos for headlamps, mostly 12VDC powered. Some pretty cheap, too.
 
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