Let there be light...!

[Nickp]

I've had an electrician doing some work in the shop. Up until now I've had only one 115v outlet on the back wall...and using extensions.

I had him put in a sub-panel, 6 additional outlets, a 220v receptacle and swap the ceiling lights (2) for receptacles to plug in shop lights. The sub-panel will have all the shop circuits...some had to be moved from the main panel. Sub-panel is 125A.

I had a tough time figuring out what I might need for "lumens" so I bought 4 linkable 5500 lumen LED lights. I hung 2 in each bay...WOW...it's daylight in there...I can even see the dust on my glasses...

I also had him upsize the 30A wiring for the generator with the notion that I would use a 50A generator. Did the math on needed amperage in case of power outage and it came out to more than 30A...2 fridge, well pump, one burner on stove, lights, TV, heating... Can't have 50 on the boat and only 30 for the house...

The house is all electric so I wouldn't even be able to flush in case of a power outage...I guess I could always go down to the boat...

What are you guys running for lights...? Lumens...?

[Stick486]

What are you guys running for lights...? Lumens...?

HO (5000 and 6500K) commercial fluorescents...
Lumens??? (Color seems to be more important)....
A lot but not overly bright...
I went for reduced glare, natural color light, less reflection and no or softer shadows...
the softer shadows (or none at all) I get from judicial placement of the fixtures...

examples of fixture installs w/ 6500K lamps:...
TS - set high up. perpendicular to and slightly behind the blade... a wide 4 tube fixture can't be beat...
Radial - L&R of and parallel to the blade... 2 twin tubers here set for spread and height to eradicate shadowing from the saw's arm, blade and head...
work table - 2 (or 3) twin tube, full length of the table, fixtures set length wise to the table and just L&R of center... 3 fixtures, one is center to the table and the other 2, L&R of center... here you use 4500~5000K lamps.... this is relative to what and how glare/brightness effects/affects your vision...
when you were younger, no sun glasses... now you can't go outside w/o them...

it's almost impossible to do in all of the shadowing but the more you get rid of the safer you'll be and your work will improve..
it seems the biggest shadow maker is your head and upper body... light to the front and to the sides of you will produce less shadowing...
lights directly above you or behind you will produce more...

the reflective properties of your work surfaces matter a lot too...
white HPL vs scuffed hardboard...
polished metal vs brushed...
high gloss vs flat paint on...

NOTE:
The color of the light that a bulb emits depends on its Correlated Color Temperature (CCT). The CCT replicates the Kelvin temperature of a metal object when it’s heated. The word “correlated” is important because we’re not actually describing the heat — just the color the metal object looks like at certain degrees Kelvin. Thus, the correlated color temperature.
.

KELVIN SCALE.jpg

[DaninVan]

The thing about fluorescent vs pretty much any other source is that fluorescent light is NOT a point source, ie the others throw shadows because the light is coherent. The rays are coming directly at the object basically all parallel to each other, and that's the way they reflect.The fl. light is incoherent; the rays are scattered chaotically and therefore reflect randomly in effect filling in the shadows.
So for fine detail, as Stick suggests, light from above and in front, and a point source, will give you the highest resolution, but not necessarily the most comfortable lighting for viewing something.

[HandyDan]

I removed all the ballasts and replaced all the bulbs in my fixtures with 1700 lumen direct wire bulbs. I guess that would be 3400 lumens per two bulb fixture. I had some four bulb fixtures and just wired them for only two bulbs. It was an amazing change in the amount of light. The $$$$ electric savings was nice too.

[Nickp]

I've put up 3 of the 4 5500 lumen LED lights I picked up...WOW...what a difference. I installed them straight line, 2 in each bay. Very few shadow areas. As soon as the electrician is done and I can put back all the machines, I'll know if I need to move any of the lights.

[Cherryville Chuck]

I have a variety. Some T12, some T8, and a couple 18 watt led converts (direct wire). Plus a couple of round led fixtures directly over the work bench and TS. The T8s are brighter than the 12s and the led tubes are brighter than the T8s. I have most of box of led tubes and plan to convert more but it involves being on a ladder with arms over my head for longer than I care to so that’s been slow going.

[Herb Stoops]

Chuck, I am doing the same as they burn out I replace with LED Tubes.
HErb

[CharleyL]

I've been working on my Photo/Video studio lighting recently, adding additional LED light panels to my video lighting to get the levels up and to achieve nearly shadow free lighting for an area about large enough for a banquet table and people surrounding it. So far, I'm up to 8 panels with 480 LEDs in each panel, 3840 separate LEDs total. I think it's going to work just fine for videos now. Shadow free is how they light most TV Video studios. each is adjustable for color and brightness, but 56-6500 is where I'll likely have them all set. I can adjust both the brightness and color of each 480 LED Panel one at a time via a WIFI App from my cell phone, so completely wireless, and they are all suspended from the ceiling in kind of a wide horseshoe arrangement. The light level is now quite good at their max brightness and about 6,000 K.

I know this isn't really woodworking related, but my most recent efforts in LED lighting.

Charley