Cheap And Effective Tool Lights

[higgite]

rwm,

I recently bought 2 of those lights from Amazon and mounted one on each side of my mill head to eliminate shadows. With 20 LED's each, they might actually be too bright, but I haven't actually used the mill with them in place yet. If I find that they reflect too much, I may try a couple of their 10 LED models. Or maybe just get some tinted safety glasses.

Tom

Correction: The lights I bought aren’t exactly like the one in rwm’s pic. They look almost identical except the LED’s are in 3 rows instead of 2. And they were $5 cheaper, er, I mean... less expensive. Here’s a link.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008RA1XGK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[ndnchf]

I believe I have that same light. I've had it a few months. It works very well, feels very solid, goose neck stays where you put it...and VERY strong magnets too.
They won't light a room but give good light the table and vise area well.
Here's a link for the lights I have https://amzn.com/B01ACIFPYA

Afte reading up on these, I ordered 3 of them. Not sure how well it will work on my lathe. But I need better lighting on my surface grinder and drill press too. So I got 3 with free shipping. I also ordered a 90mm Angel Eye for my RF30 mill/drill. My future is looking bright!

 

[kd4gij]

I have my eyes on this one. It looks interesting.
http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=71189&cat=1,70596,43349,71189

 

[ndnchf]

I have to say in follow up that I have given up on the lights from Lowe's I originally posted. They do not last and may start to flicker. I have taken to making my own lights out of martini shakers that use replaceable bulbs with GU10 bases.
Those sewing machine lights look good also.

Has anyone had one for a long time? Like more than a year? How do they last?
R

I ordered three of these lights and they arrived yesterday. The magnetic base is strong, and the gooseneck holds where I put it. They are much more compact than other lights I've tried which is really nice for my lathe. While not as bright as a big light, it is more than adequate for my needs. I wish the cord was a little longer, but not a big deal. Overall I'm very impressed. I just hope they will hold up. I put one on the lathe, one on the drill press and one over my toolbox. I wish I'd ordered a couple more.

 

[f350ca]

I have my eyes on this one. It looks interesting.
http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=71189&cat=1,70596,43349,71189

I was given one a few years ago. Great little light, for a portable I'd highly recommend it.

Greg

 

[rwm]

Has any one tried these as tool lights?


They are designed for 120v operation to replace cans. Seems like it might work well. Cheap on ebay

Robert

 

[homebrewed]

A friend gave me something like the Angel Eyes LED ring. I glued 4 super magnets to the back and wired it to a 12V power supply. It is attached to my X2 head (around the spindle) and does a good job of illuminating the work piece. One small word of warning, the surface mount resistors on it (to limit current flow) can get pretty hot. I learned that when I was playing with it....

 

[grotto]

Has any one tried these as tool lights?

View attachment 282672
They are designed for 120v operation to replace cans. Seems like it might work well. Cheap on ebay

Robert

I’ve made a lamp using one of those. It was originally going to be for the lathe, but it’s a bit too bright so turned it into a desk lamp as a Christmas present. I wore brushed the white paint off the ring and fitted it into an alloy (electric motor?) part I’d picked up at the scrap metal yard down the road.

 

[rwm]

That's cool! How bright is it as a tool light?
Robert

 

[grotto]

That's cool! How bright is it as a tool light?
Robert

It's 900 lumen. I was planning on using a 600 lumen one but the diameter was to small to fill the alloy part I had. It’s great as long as it’s kept pointed down and low, but a bit bright if it gets in your eyes, or reflects off a shiny piece of metal.