workshop lighting

Hi.
I'm planning a new workshop, it will be aprox. 4.5m long by 3m wide.

Is it best to have two rows of fluorescent tubes running the length or having them across the width.
Regards Ian

Ian

I'd work out where I want to be able to get the best vision - eg work bench, marking out area and so on and position them to give the best light there, and where you won't be working in your own shadow. May not be arranged in a pretty pattern but they'll be doing what you install them for - helping you to see what your doing.

Keith

Just to be awkward - My space is 11ft square, I have four 5ft fluorescents formed in a square about 2ft in from each wall. I have a 150W Halogen lamp above the lathe and when I get a round tuit I'll put two more above the mill, one either side. The one thing I have not yet done is to me the roof reflective - at the moment it's just black roofing felt, so I'm wasting a lot of reflected light I guess.

Mine is 16' by 8', I have three 40W fluorescents across the short dimension. I have extra task lighting by the lathe/mill.

Neil

It is interesting that reflected light is mentioned but sometimes incident light is desirable!

Lights centrally disposed will come over your shoulder but lights in front of you will give incident light.

Spot lighting is needed in certain locations and you may not be able to set these up just by guesswork as you will find the spotlight needs to be moved around for best effect.

Another aspect is full spectrum flourescent tubes should be aquired as they give the nearest to daylight. May cost more but for comfort while working with out squinting they will pay back.

Clive

personally I would run along the length for "overall lighing" then allow separate spurs from them via pull cords to spotlights located where needed. Having said that my arrangement grew piecemeal as I added "essential equipment" (SWMBO sometimes reads these posts !) .

I found using pull cords for spotlighting gave me control over where and when I wanted extra light. The day light tubes are a good idea as are daylight bulbs for better colour vision..

Lastly PAINT the walls and cailing white, seals the walls, reflects the light and makes cleaning up easier too.

Ian

You should also use filament bulbs to stop strobing, at least I think this still applies.

If you are buying new fittings I would suggest you chose high frequency flousecent as these eliminate the strobe effect on moving machinery.

Twin fluorescent fittings of standard frequency will also achieve this if HF are outside your budget.

I used to know the formula to work out the inverse square (I think it was) of light falling onto a surface. Perhaps one of the Sparky's here with current knowlege can assist as it may have changed with the 'Part P' or 17th edition reg's.

It wouldn't surprise me if there was a software utility to work this out!

Edited By Ed Duffner on 23/03/2012 14:30:53

Have a think about hanging the occasional tube from chains over benches and lathes. With flying leads this makes everything adjustable for hight and position.

Decide how much lighting you need then double it. You can never have enough. Oh, mount the flourescent tubes some crossways and some longtitudally to minimise shadowing.

I have four five ft tubes in my 3m x 6m workshop plus lights on each machine plus a number of halogen desk lamps to move around as required but I still struggle sometimes.

Russell.

I have white walls and ceiling as Peter suggests. Albedo 0.4 makes a lot of difference (as fans of Vangelis will know).

Neil

Hi - I agree with all the above re strip lighting and spot lighting in work area, you can never have enough lighting, especially as you get older! Nothing worse than trying to work in your own shadow.

Ikea are doing a work lamp and a clamp light - the Jansjö - which feature an LED light on a flexible stalk for £9.99. The bulb apparently never needs changing and it's small enough - about 35mm dia - to get in close to where you are working. I have both types, the work lamp for the mill and a clamp light which can clamp onto anything up to 35mm thick for the lathe. Well worth looking at if there is an Ikea near you.

Needless to say, I have no connection with Ikea etc etc.......

Chris

Have people forgotten good old Daylight, I often work with the garage door open and enjoy the sunlight and better quality vision from it!

Perhaps you should make provision for light with a 'Northlight' window, all the rage in industry when I worked.

Clive

When I got my workshop extended (its a 2 car garage with a single door), I got 2 sheets of fibreglass included in the north side of the roof, after 20 odd years it needs replacing, I'll go to acrilic this time. Only problem I'v had is lately in the nesting season the birds have been pecking at the glassfibre. Ian S C

Hi All.

Thanks for the comments and advice. I went for two rows of two double four foot fittings running the length of the workshop set in two feet from the walls.

The walls are single brick with studding and 40mm kings span insulation & clad with 18mm ply painted satin white. I have a high level window across the width at one end & a side window where my lathe is positioned. With individual swan neck lamps for the lathe,mill etc.

All in the end result is excellent , ample lighting & well insullated (cool in summer, & I'm sure it will be snug in the Winter )

Daylight is great but my lathe is halfway down the workshop and I find contrast between the 'bright end' and the 'dark end' annoying. So much so that I have fitted a roller blind the keep the sun glare out!

Alan

Hi Ian.

Thats a cosy looking workshop and being brick will keep the noise down as well .

I recommend that when one is seting up lighting to close all of the doors and pull the shades on the windows because you want the lighting set up so it is suitable for for night time as you don't want the lighting level to change or get worse if the outside conditions change or it gets dark .

I'm currently testing out 2 LED floodlights i purchased as a kit here in Australia and so far so good. .They are fitted to either side of my mill and give of a brilliant white light , no heat , cost next to nothing to run and for $59 AU a pair i feel pretty good value .

Only drawback is building the circuit board up if you have no idea about Electronics but with only a hand full of components on the board , a good set of instructions as supplied i think anyone with a soldering iron could do it .

Ian

Ian

Looks perfect ... wot about some picci's of the inside (Your Workshop)

Dave