Mill Lighting

What do you use to light the mill so that it illuminates the cutter area. Pictures would be good if you have some.

Do you use a single source or maybe a ring type light. Are they commercial brought or home made

Edited By Derek Lane on 10/02/2022 10:04:34

Angel Eyes

Robert Butler

I've tried several ideas, none ever worked out as ideal. Connected a led ring light, which was OK but did give a pattern on the object being illuminated which could sometimes be confusing. I also tried a quite small but powerful led spotlight on a bendy arm - not too bad but always seemed to give a hard shadow on the side I needed to check! I finally went back to the traditional reflector lamp with a 'soft' led reflector lamp bulb fitted. Good compromise.

regards Mike

Edit - yes 'Angel eyes' was the term I couldn't remember for the 'ring' light.

Edited By Mike Hurley on 10/02/2022 10:20:48

Have a factory fitted lamp on my Chester V20 mill but it is very poor at illuminating the job in hand, I wear an led head torch which gives great illumination and is always shining at the area which your looking at, also use it when turning on the lathe, didn’t realise till I started using it how useful it would be. Dave W

A friend installed some Led strip lights on my Mini Mill that works well, I also use a LED based Anglepoise lamp.

 The photo is taken with the lens pointing upwards towards the milling machine head.

Thor

Edited By Thor 🇳🇴 on 10/02/2022 10:46:18

I have an LED sewing machine light with a magnetic base on my lathe that I can move around to where I want it. Its gooseneck is stiff enough to hold the light in position but easy enough to move to just where I want it. They are cheap enough and low enough power draw to make 2 of them affordable so you can have light on both sides if you want. Each light has its own switch too so you can have either or none as you desire.

I fitted 3x LED lights shining down from the roof towards cutter area( 1x LED screw in types) from over my shoulders+ One from the left side downwards and from the right. I can anglke them around. I found they provided too much light where I dont want to see, so I fitted covers over lights to more direct the light. Theres enough light now. I am still working on it, however its good enough, the light with the mill was useless removed it.
I have enough strong light, just want to diffuse it more & channel the side beams more to cutter area which stay in same place luckilly. The lathe was easy, just flurecent from above general light plus 2x similar LED lights swinginfg in any way, I can see in bore cutting it with one of the LED lights.

I bought several of the Jansjo flexible neck lights from IKEA and made a magnetic base for each. Have one on the drill press, band saw, mill, and lathe. I do want a ring light for the mill and drill press though.

Chronos supply 4 off different machine lamps as well as a matching strong magnetic base .

Hi I just done mine and is pretty good.

90mm angel eyes from ebay dirt cheap but needs 12v supply

I use two IKEA Jansjo LED spotlight lamps, with spring clamp.I have attached a long bar each side of the column to mount the lamps onto. I don't know if they still sell these, the current pattern appears to be Navlinge.

The only deficiency is that these lamps tend to flicker slightly after some time (I also use them in bedrooms), I think due to low voltage and electrical contacts. I find that if I press firmly on the switch it is less of a problem.

Bill

Wall-mounted Anglepoise-type lights either side of the machine that can be pulled down close to the work if needed, and an angel eyes ring light around the quill.

What I haven't yet managed to illuminate adequately is the small quill DRO; it's so dim and so close to my eyes that I can never satisfactorily see both it and the thing I'm working on. If it was LED like my main DRO rather than LCD it would be much more user-friendly.

Is there such a thing as an LED quill DRO?

Thank you all will look into some of the options mentioned

I made a flexible light with a magnetic base. A piece of ally tube a flexible mike stem and a led buld and holder.

David

I bought a LED goose neck machine lamp of Amazon, about £25. Had it about 9 months and has been very good, can be a bit bright when reflected of steel at too steep an angle but would consider getting another for the lathe.

If interested, here's what I used to make my Jansjo bases:

I use 2 sewing machine lights (magnetic base). This avoids unwanted shadows.

Price per light: £6.50. With this money it's a no brainer.

Edited By Gerhard Novak on 10/02/2022 21:31:04

I started with a proper angle-poise machine light on the mill and found glare and shadows to be a problem. Rather than fix this with local light, I painted the ceiling white and installed six 60W fluorescent daylight tubes (3 twins with diffusers). This arrangement floods the whole workshop with light and all but eliminates shadows on workbench, mill and lathe.

Being mounted on the ceiling means they're out of the way of splashes and can't be touched. Most sewing machine and similar lamps aren't intended for workshop use, and whilst safe enough in a dry domestic setting I don't trust them on concrete floors or near well-earthed machines, swarf and liquids.

I think LED striplights would be even better...

Dave

Sometimes you can just kick yourself I suddenly had a thought (I know dangerous at our age) in the workshop I have a small LED light with a magnet to attach it where I can see into the middle of hollow forms.

So I will give this a go when I need it as when the sun is out like today a light is not needed but when the light outside is not so good is when a light source is needed.

Anyway THIS is what I have and no I have never used it on the end of a tool while the lathe is running but only just to see inside for the finish.

This is how much light it puts out only stuck there for the photo.

Edited By Derek Lane on 11/02/2022 10:19:35

Edited By Derek Lane on 11/02/2022 10:42:41

Hi Derek,

Seems you have found a good way to light the work on your milling machine.

Thor