Slick lights for my Grizzly 17" band saw

[Art Bianconi]

I just installed my new Grizzly 17" Bandsaw a few days ago. I'm impressed!

The universal wheel stand I bought is less than great but it works. The important item is the saw and I am very pleased except for one thing:

there are no lights whatsoever to illuminate the table!

Not sure why but I suspect it may have something to do with the fact that the 2 HP motor is both a 110 and 220 device. It's difficult to anticipate which voltage the user may opt for so I guess they simply left it off.

I found a really slick 110 volt lighting system for it at Home Depot. It consists of three flourescent "pods" perhaps 3" in diameter. They strongly resemble those small halogen accent lights used under cabinets and shelves. Filiment type lights don't last long on my machine tools. The vibration busts the filiment. Most of the heavy duty bulbs I've used are too large to fit so I went with small, spiral wound flourescents.

The 3" units fit nicely on the bottom of the saw head. I spaced them 5" apart and they illuminate the entire table with a bright, uniform light.

One main switch turns them all on and off at once or, I can turn each one on seperately with its own switch, They provide screws with the light kit. I chose not to drill holes and used 3M double stick tape developed for car moldings.

The entire kit was $29.

There are LED units that will do the same thing but they are not as bright I just as soon not have to replace batteries.

That saw is fantastic! And quiet too, except of course, when cutting.

Art

[Mr. Jeff Smith]

Sounds neat, would love to see a picture if you get the time sometime.

[jerry nazard]

Art: Photos please. A picture is worth 1000 words... and yes, the Grizz 17" is a wonderful saw! -Jerry

[Myk Rian]

No pics, didn't happen.

[Tom Hargrove]

I bought the hockey puck lights from HD for use in my computer armoire. They have been in place about two years, and produce great light to work with.

However, the bulbs don't last long. So far, I have spent more on replacement bulbs, which are expensive and available only at HD, (at least in my area) than I did on the whole three fixture set in the first place.

[Curt Harms]

I bought the hockey puck lights from HD for use in my computer armoire. They have been in place about two years, and produce great light to work with.

However, the bulbs don't last long. So far, I have spent more on replacement bulbs, which are expensive and available only at HD, (at least in my area) than I did on the whole three fixture set in the first place.

When you replace the bulbs, try gripping them with a paper towel instead of your bare fingers. I had the same thing happen as you did, replaced most of the xenon lamps within a couple months. I started handling the bulbs with paper towel and haven't had any fail since. Apparently skin oil left on the bulb surface causes a hot spot and premature failure. Whatever the reason, handling the bulbs without touching them seems to help longevity.

HTH

Curt

[Art Bianconi]

". . . the bulbs don't last long.

Curts suggestion is valid. Halogen bulbs are prone to premature failure if skin oil gets on the surface. However, I've given up on using a paper towel or rag to hold them during installation. Instead I wear a latex or similar glove.

Having said that, I've ceased using lights equipped with halogen bulbs. Even those accent lights under my kitchen cabinets and in my dining room breakfront burn out frequently so they've been replaced with fluorescent.

No motor driven shop tool has a bulb using a filament. My drill press eats them up like desert!

Art

[glenn bradley]

Hi Art, an HD item number would be cool to have. My magnetic light is bulky and often in the way (not to mention hot) and your idea sounds slick.

[Art Bianconi]

I went to Home Depot to photograph the kit in it's blister pack but when I got there I found the batteries were dead.

Here are two pictures of the units installed.

There is enough light from two that the 3rd, center light above the tensioner wheel may not be needed. I'll see.

If I do remove it, what I may try is sawing a small triangular block and securing it in the upper left corner of the machine so I can mount a light at an angle.

My reason for considering this is that the lower bearing/blade support has a rather large footprint (3" x 5"?) and while it does a good job of supporting the blade, the shadow it casts leaves the blade in the dark, even with the new lights.

The red blade guard has a lot of space inside, more than enough to run a carefully placed power chord down to the bottom of the unit. THAT would be ideal!

I'm behind in a lot of things right now so I can't take time to develop a solution to that issue.

Installing the lights was a no-brainer however, it's important that the lights be secured in a reliable manner. I've used double sided foam tape for the time being. When satisfied that it works, I'll simply remove the bulbs, drill the mounting pads and install screws.

I found that it helped a lot to wrap the outside of the bulbs with black electrical tape. This keeps the side light from getting in my eyes and improves contrast.

Another caveat: each light has a power socket in, a power socket out to the next light and a seperate light switch. Make sure that you can connect the wires and reach the switches before you mount them.

These fluorescent units are about 3 to 4 inches OD. I can't immagini finding fluorescent units that are smaller. But, if you can find smaller units without cutting down on the light, I'd suggest you try as it gives you a lot more flexibility in positioning them.

Art

[Art Bianconi]

Hi Glen!

I succeeded in finding the remnants of the blister pack in the trash can next to the saw. It's called:

3-Light Fluorescent Task and Accent Light Kit. #899-712

I suspect you'll have greater success with the skew number that is below the bar code: 08938 20220

The bulbs are 7 watt GX53 units. The kit says you can string 16 of these units together (in case you have a HUGE saw!)

Happy lighting!

Art

[james gerus]

I have the same lights in a display cabinet and used 3M double sided picture wall hanging tape. These lights are on 18 hours a day. After several weeks the tape failed. Heat build up may be the reason. Jim Gerus

[Jeff Willard]

I just put a "baby" Laguna in the shop and borrowed this page out of your book. I opted for the halogen instead of the fluorescent though. We'll see how the filaments hold up. If it turns out to be cost ineffective, I'll spring for the fluorescent. Instead of being wired in parallel, they are each independent, allowing more flexibility in positioning, but at the cost of having to deal with 3 wires instead of one. I used mounting tape to stick a rare earth magnet to the back of each one, and stuck one to the bottom of the upper wheel housing, and two on the column. Seems to provide plenty of illumination. Real hot tho':eek:.