lighting up the mill

S

SVanderkolff

Well-Known Member
what do you use to light up your work on the mill. I have plenty of overhead light but can't seem to get enough light right on the work piece. Is there some sort of attachable light that I can put on my mill to shie right on the work?
Thanks
Steve
 
I use articulating drafting lamps similar to the one pictured below at my grinding and milling stations. Usually a couple on each bench. They allow you to put the light where you want it.

F1754_lg.jpg


Erin
 
I have a "Grill Light" that I got at The Blade Show last year. It uses 3 AA batteries and has 9 leds, a "C" clamp and magnetic base. The only problem with it is that if you forget to turn it off when your through for the day the batteries are dead. There is real good battery life if you just remember to turn it off. It has a flexable shaft to be able to adjust where the light is. I paid $10.00 for mine and have one (using the magnet) on my mill and one on my drill press. Just Google "Grill light".
 
Hello Steve.
I don't know how the vattaching will work but I have five or six in my shop I got from Canadian tire that are articulateable (?) The are only about $19.00 each. The "new" model is good; the old model was poor. Frank
 
The older I get dimmer things seem to get, I blame everyone for going eco friendly and using dimmer lights....
(doesn't work at home)

I have a magnetic base lamp, not enough it seems. I should have bought more while they were still available.

This one is in Canada
They changed the style and raised the price, It used to have an on off magnet like the cheap Chinese dial indicator stands.
http://www.busybeetools.com/products/MAGNETIC-LIGHT-DELTA.html
They list a 40 watt max, useless for halogen lamps, but CF ok

I like the compact fluorescent lamps CF
I use a big one, actual 45 Watt = 150 watt equivalent with 6500K Kelvin temperature about $15 each
I have seen a 200 watt equivalent now too.
It gives a very bright white/blue light that I can see better with than any of the red/yellow colored lamps


The proper machinist work lamps are usually halogen or high pressure sodium
Those get expensive because the HPS need a ballast and they are sealed units to keep coolant out.

If you browse the light bulb aisle in Home Depot, you can find standard base halogen lamps too
They are very bright too, but they get hot as hell.
I have burned my forehead hundreds of times till I tossed them.
-and most cheap swing arm office type lamps have plastic (not ceramic) bases that cannot handle that heat.


Browse KBC too
also Canadian
http://www.kbctools.com/can/main.cfm

http://www.kbctools.com/can/Navigation/NavPDF.cfm?PDFPage=881
and a little left and right too

KBC part number
8-100-017
This is the style that BusyBee used to carry at $20 or less, now only at KBC for $79


Have a look in your local thrift stores.
Junk speakers give large magnets, old lamps can take those big CF
 
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I need one of those on my bandsaw, both my Bridgeport and Jet mills still have their factory lights on them and work fine.
 
I have a total of 10 of those lights that Erin posted about in my finish shop alone.....there's one an every machine (some are shared between machines), and I have two of them over my finish bench. I use a variety of different bulbs in them from incandescent to halogen, depending on the need at the time. We have a standing rule within our family....any time someone goes "yard saling" those type of lights are on the "if you see it, buy it" list. I don't think I've ever purchased a new one....and all of the ones I've acquired have been purchased for $3 or less each.

As I get older, I've learned that there can never bee too much light in the shop! :)


Hey Cliff! I know you have a Lab....done any waterfowl hunting this season? We've only made it out a couple of times, but my Lab "Hammer", has had a blast!
HammerDuckOct09.jpg
 
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I have purchased high end machinists style magnetic halogen style lamps used for machining. They work great, I love them but I recently got a new wood/metal bandsaw and it really needed a good lamp for it. I ended up purchasing a sewing machine lamp as I was too cheap to purchase another magnetic lamp and there was not real place to place it anway. I had to make a angle iron mount for it but it worked great. I spray painted mine black and it works like a champ. I had to place a 110v plug end on it from Home depot but I was very pleased with it as a task light. Link below
http://cgi.ebay.com/Sewing-machine-...921?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3caba77fc9

CW
 
Erin Burke said:
I use articulating drafting lamps similar to the one pictured below at my grinding and milling stations. Usually a couple on each bench. They allow you to put the light where you want it.

F1754_lg.jpg


Erin
Click to expand...

i have similar lights on the mill and grinders,and 1 on the workbench where i do hand-rubbing.i also have a free-standing lamp.
 
Ed, what are the best bulbs to use in those on machines like a band saw? It seems the older I get lighting is more a problem, I don't have enough light or the light I have seems to cause shadows which used to not be a problem. Part of my problem is I'm too much a tight wad to buy as many lights as I really need. I never even thought about looking at yard sales for those, I guess I'll start stopping at some I drive by.


Hammer is looking good, waterfowl doesn't open for us until Thanksgiving but Clyde did get to do some retrieving during dove season. Well there is an early wood duck season and an early goose season in September but I don't start hunting waterfowl until Thanksgiving when the regular duck season opens. Until then it's deer hunting.
 
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