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Spring meet up in Ontario, April 6/2024. NEW LOCATION See Post #31 Discussion AND THE
NEW LOCATION
I am looking to see what you are using for your mill or drill for spindle lighting. I have ordered some angel ring lights for mine but looking for how others have their machines set up. I currently just use a couple of magnetic flashlights as a trial that work ok when the spindle is up all the way but loose functionality when the spindle is down.
Most of the study lamps like Janger shows can be easily & inexpensively retrofitted with LED bulbs. Amazon has good selection. I wouldn't use Halogen even if its a surplus lamp, the bulbs are hot & don't take kindly to fluid splash. Old school incandescents are pretty much done now, again the heat issue & 3X wattage for same light level.
Mounting can be an issue unless you can situate it kind of like study lamps are intended +/- like the picture. So it could reside on the headstock (level) & orient pointing to the chuck. But if its say clamped to an elevated shelf, the mechanism tends to sag or wont quite reach the way you want. The problem on most machines is they are cast iron with paint so not super magnetic, particularly if the mag base has to be attached on a vertical surface. I've bought a couple cheapo's now & they are pretty useless. I think I need to toss the base, turn a fixture & hard attach it to the machine. I was coincidentally just looking at some adjustable rod/clamp type mechanism kits like they use for photography but even the knock offs are kind of spendy.
I wish I actually commenced my ceiling light LED conversion contemplated in spring. My hope is no local lighting would be required.
2 ikea light plus 1 spot light. Spot light (24v) came with machine. 2 ikea spring lights I got at goodwill for $4 each or so. That is together about 4000 lumens worth of extra light. My big lathe also has two ikea style lights. I have to add a light over my small lathe. This is in addition to white walls and general lighting of about 80 lumens per sq foot.
I love the extra light - it would be a bit too dark for me without it.
This topic has been discussed before, but it's probably good to revisit as people's needs change. I'm more of a fabricator than machinist, so it's about portability to me. Most of my machines aren't against a wall. But I do need good lighting for occasional lathe or mill work.
I ditched most of my task lighting solutions years ago, with the exception of an old balanced arm / floating arm / "Angelpoise" lamp shared by three stationary machines retrofitted with an LED bulb. Now I use portable Milwaukee LED sources including a tripod light, portable task light and portable spot. All are LED and all battery powered. The big Rocket light can also be cord powered if need, but a 12 AH battery keeps it working all day. I use it at the drill press and mini mill, but all move it into position when using a mag drill on a 12' piece of tubing on sawhorses in the driveway. They are all pricey, but I don't need anything else. The advantage is I can position them anywhere in the shop, get them into things for out-of-position welding and fabrication, or put them under a truck to work on as needed. They travel to job sites too.
It's all about your needs. Anything that isn't portable for fabrication is practically useless, but the opposite is true for machining for most people I suspect. Either way, it's hard to think of a major disadvantage to LED over other sources these days. Even costs have come enough to crush the cost argument. Having said that, I did see an episode of Homestead Rescue on TV the other night where Marty Raney used an incandescent light bulb for a heat source inside a pumphouse. So...there's that.
this is my lighting set up from busy bee magnet base for the mill
I installed the light permanently on the lathe in the existing ball and socket attachment
I think my main issue is the arm not the light. Right now its mounted to the side of the main pillar & shines at an angle kind of from a rear angle. Not great. Worse yet over time it droops. Brent has one of those adjustable/lockable ones you don't see much anymore. There are lots of cheapo ball & sockets but they tend to be kind of short. I might have to make something & just harvest the light fixture. Mag bases have not worked out for me. What I want is a Noga arrm... for 20$ not 200$ LOL
this is my lighting set up from busy bee magnet base for the mill
I installed the light permanently on the lathe in the existing ball and socket attachment
