Best lighting for the workshop

[skotl]

I bought a couple of short (60cm?) flourescent tubes for the garage but they don't cast enough light.

The huge upside is that I mounted them on the verticals sides of a couple of rafters so they're out of the way of any clumsy swinging below.

Do I just need more tubes or is there a better solution (that keeps out of the way of errant heads/ arms)?

Or - are they fine and I just need to find a more localised solution for when I'm welding?

 

[norlander]

Try daylight tubes in them, I then have spots over my bench for some jobs.

 

[cumbriasteve]

If you only have those two 60cm then perhaps it's not quite enough, my garage is 7m x 4.5m and I have 3 double 120cm units and a small LED flood directly over the weld bench, I can switch them all independently to suit where I am working but you certainly notice a big difference if one of them is left off.

 

[optima21]

my work bench is well illuminated (3 x 120cm flourescent tubes above my workbench), but I normally wear a head torch when Im working,and always have a few sets of rechargeable batteries charged ready for use. I do have leds on my welding helmet too. when working on cars I also have a small light that has been fitted with rare earth magnets and an additional rotating magnet at the end so it doesnt just need to stick to flat surfaces

 

[skotl]

my work bench is well illuminated (3 x 120cm flourescent tubes above my workbench), but I normally wear a head torch when Im working,and always have a few sets of rechargeable batteries charged ready for use. I do have leds on my welding helmet too. when working on cars I also have a small light that has been fitted with rare earth magnets and an additional rotating magnet at the end so it doesnt just need to stick to flat surfaces

View attachment 65519

Flipping heck - so you're not short of light, then!

I had one of these magnetic LED torches but it's suffered one drop too many

 

[Kent]

In the slow process of a staged shop re-build myself. Spoke at length with a few sparks, don't like flouresent tubes as although in the right place they are fine they can be a blighter for getting a flicker or starters going and in a fab shop like mine they are easy broken when messing about with long lengths and heavy frames (covers are ok but get full of filth which dims the light and mesh ones are only as good as the mesh size in relation to what you can accidently poke though) .

I am going for flush fitting LED spots eight over say a 3000x 1500 bench is very adequate and although a bit more expensive initially last years without needing change and pay you back in only a short time in power used over conventional lights. Sounds daft really when your running welding plants with 32amp supply rating but it still counts

Over drills, saws and such consider built in lights or one on a swan neck

Oh bright white is my preference by far in the shop etc.

 

[500e]

We have just chanced most of our hi & low bay + fluorescents to LED the difference is amazing there are deals to be done if you are ordering 10 + 175 watt Hi-bay LED lamps we got the last lot for under £200 we removed 12 x 500 watt sodium these could be on for 10 hours a day

 

[sparkysy]

I have fluorescent 6fts in the workshop in cages to stop me smashing them! I also have led's but find they make things strobe more than the flos if your working on lathes pillar drill ect, even the dogs tail strobes under them! I also have a 150w halogen light on an arm above my main work bench for extreme cases of blindness! Lighting is one of those funny things where everyone has their own preference really, just have to work out what best suits your needs!

 

[oddbob]

I've always used fluorescent lighting, supplemented with cheapo anglepoise lights dotted around where needed. I quite like daylight bulbs as well ...seem to be a bit kinder on my old, failing eyes!

 

[rikrobson]

What is the ceiling like? If is a dark grey inside if a garage type ceiling, then you could put white or reflective boards above the lights or paint the ceiling/walls white. Theres alot of stuff in your garage too, that wont help. maybe get some LED floodiamps mounted high in the walls looking down. I usually find there is always room for more light as its almost impossible to eliminate shadows.

 

[the snooper]

the only problem I find with mounting on the side of rafters is that the rafter blocks light and casts shadows, if you think you may knock the make a simple wire cage to protect them

 

[skotl]

Thanks for the advice, folks. I've ordered four of these and a couple of drivers, and I'll replace each flourescent with a driver and two LED strips.

If they work out OK, then I'll order more from China (they're 1/6 the price, but take six weeks to deliver) and pepper the garage roof with them

 

[skotl]

What is the ceiling like? If is a dark grey inside if a garage type ceiling, then you could put white or reflective boards above the lights or paint the ceiling/walls white. Theres alot of stuff in your garage too, that wont help. maybe get some LED floodiamps mounted high in the walls looking down. I usually find there is always room for more light as its almost impossible to eliminate shadows.

the only problem I find with mounting on the side of rafters is that the rafter blocks light and casts shadows, if you think you may knock the make a simple wire cage to protect them

Indeed. Part of this grand plan is that I want to put insulation board between the rafters, so I'll mount the transformers on the rafters and the LED lamps on the insulation board (they're only 12VDC/7W) pointing down.

 

[richie00boy]

They look quite good and being 12V you should be able to sort a driver that doesn't make them flicker.

 

[bump]

2ft floros won't be enough, single 6ft are what you need, of you've got them on the side of the rafters then place a reflector over the top, and change the tubes to be 840 or 860 colour index, these give a brigher cooler light. In T8 that'll be 56W per tube.

 

[rikrobson]

Those LEDs may be worse than the current fluros you have. Thse are going to be appox a 40W lightbulb each in terms of light given out, but at a different colour, they will appear slightly bluer. It depends what your eyes adjust to.

 

[SmartWerks]

Painting the floor walls and ceiling bright white makes a huge difference. Literally double the light in me workshop.

 

[rikrobson]

My old workshop (The Arch) had 6 dual 6ft tubes mounted on the wall. That was bright enough, for general stuff, but I still needed extra light when on under cars. The current one has a mixed bag and this need to be addressed. it has a 6ft single and a 5ft dual in one section and 4 dual 5fts in another. I've a workbench as the end and another dual 5ft will probable go there. I've a 500W flood sitting in a box unopened and that migh still get used

 

[MrFluffy]

Ive got 10 5ft flourescent batons, and point lighting via incadescent spot lamps at the workbench and every machine. And I painted it all white. And it still not enough! so when Im welding I point light the work with a mobile 1kw halogen floodlight thats mounted on a old wheelie chair base so I can roll it round like a dentists lamp. Not that I have much floorspace not covered by machines to roll things in now.
Im not sure if Im taken enough with led and their reliability to rip it all out and go led yet. We have the entire house, and its difficult to see some detail under a led light and you find individual leds blowing, or occasionally a entire bulb transformer goes and takes out the entire strip. I had a spate of chinese led bulbs smouldering and now I stick to euro brands to avoid potential fires...

 

[Turbo]

In my workshop I have 3 6ft double florescent tubes with IP65 diffusers on them. They are hanging from the rafters on chains so if you hit them they will swing out of the way.