Workbench task lamp

[Jim Barrett]

I need to get a workbench task lamp...I know there is a plethora of lamps out there...what works best for you?

Jim

[Nick Laeder]

I bought one at an estate sale for $5. When my current project is done, I intend on swiping the one that's on my desk for free.

They're both CFL, and seem to work quite well - i.e. they light up every time I hit the switch.

[Jim Koepke]

I like and have those folding arm lamps that have a mounting clamp.

The clamp usually has a 1/2 inch hole for the lamp to sit in. I just have blocks of wood that can be clamped in a vise. Also have had a piece of 2X4 with a dowel attached and a hole so it can go into a dog hole on the bench. Then there are a couple pieces of wood around the shop bolted to the band saw or the wall above the lathe. Lamps where they are needed. There is one piece of scrap wood that goes into my tail vise that can actually hold a few lamps. When taking photos this and a tripod are essentials. Then, one of the lamps can be taken out and hand held for the shot and there is a place to hold it in between shots.

jim

[glenn bradley]

I've tried several and we all use them for different reasons. I never did find one that was bright enough without being too big to work around. I just added more 48" T-8 lamps overhead and to each side. Cost about $40 and solved my problem.

[Callan Campbell]

I bought a folding style like Jim K. is probably talking about, from Grizzly, a couple of years ago for a scroll saw that I had just purchased. The lamp held its position well, and I really liked the switch that was mounted on the end of the reflector/socket assembly. It was a large, dome shaped switch, much easier to turn on/off than the older, more common tiny twist switches. I sold both the light and saw to a friend this weekend, but I can look up the light at Grizzly to see if they still carry it for you.
It was really cheap too. About the negative was the very flimsy plastic mounting bracket that it came with. The light had a 1/2 metal post on its end, so I drilled a hole in some wood to mount it to that.
Hmmn, I just looked up lights/lamps at Grizzly. It seems that simple lamp is no longer with us. They DO have lots of other choices, but the one I used to own is closed out/discontinued it seems. Go to "Shop Accessories", then "lamps-33" on their site if you need more info.

[Randal Stevenson]

I was looking at the instructables site the other day and I saw they took one of those round magnifying lamps, and replaced the florescent with led's. I have one that the socket is goofed up, from a garage sale, and am considering that.

[Jon van der Linden]

The best are the folding arm lamps. You can get a super cheapo one for under $20, or you can get an extra nice one for over $100. Some people like to use more than one (keeps the shadows out) or even the ones with the built in magnifier. I use the drawing table style that combines a regular bulb and a fluorescent bulb for color rendering.

Other than lamp choice, there's the question of how you attach it. The clamps they come with will not fit a thick bench. I use a wooden block with a hole drilled in it for the lamp's pivot pin. The block is screwed to the bench and is just below top height to keep it out of the way (in case that part of the bench is needed for something large). I'll post a picture later - a little bit of shaping will give it a pleasing appearance.

[Rick Erickson]

I use this one. I just clamped a block to the back of my bench that has a dog hole in it that fits the lamp (you can remove the cheap bracket that comes with it). I like it because of the natural light look.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=17420&filter=natural%20light

[Eric Brown]

I have both a 5" and a 7" magnifier lamp and without a doubt, the 7" is much better. The 7" is a
Daylight Naturalight 7" Magnifying Lamp
Daylight Company
Code: 6818D

It has a daylight bulb for better colors than normal, but the biggest benefit is the 7" lens. It allows both eys to see without the edge distortion you get with the 5" lens. Like others, I clamp a block to my bench with a hole in it.

Sometimes I use another regular light with the 7" turned off to see shadows better. (Saw filing).

Eric

[Jon van der Linden]

Here's a picture of the basic lampholder I was talking about. Any piece of wood will do, but it feels good to give it a nice shape.

[David Gilbert]

The best deal that I have seen is the Tertail work light at IKEA. It is only $8.99 plus tax. Here is the link:http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20370383

There is one problem with these and that is you apparently can't order them on their on-line store. You have to actually visit a store to get them. I have put he high efficiency fluorescent bulbs. The 5500 degree bulbs are are very white and work well in photos.

Cheers,
David

[David Gendron]

I like the one Erik link us to, It look like a realy good light! I just bought on a few week ago that have a magnifier lens built in with fluorecent but find that it doesn't give quite anough light, I would like to try LED in there to see if it is better!

[Scott Stafford]

I too like the natural light but hated the cheap feel of this lamp (maybe I got a lemon?). Anyhow I replaced it with this lamp from Ott Lite. This is a much more substantial lamp but it's more expensive as well.

They have all sorts of natural light lamps. I might also get a floor standing one.

http://www.ottlite.com/p-38-flexarm-plus-lamp-reg-price-19999-sale-14499.aspx#Page_1 (http://www.ottlite.com/p-38-flexarm-plus-lamp-reg-price-19999-sale-14499.aspx#Page_1)

I've always thought it would be nice to have a dentist's lamp but have never found the right one for my needs... when I need it.

Scott in Montana

PS No affiliation to the listed product.

[Tom Godley]

The task lights from Danray Products are really nice - you can get them direct.

I also have quite a few from ikea -- they are surprising nice for $9.

I use the Ott lite CFL bulbs in the ikea lamps - the Danray lights have a heat sink built in so you can use a incandescent and not burn yourself - I like the GE Reveal in those.

[Darnell Hagen]

Vintage Dazor folding arm in the bench dog hole, two vintage Smith-Victor photo lamps overhead, cf bulbs.

Vimco makes some nice worklamps, too.

http://www.vimcomanufacturing.com

[Bryan Morgan]

Some small desk lamp with a crazy bright halogen or xenon type bulb. Got it from walmart for like 10 bucks.

[Derek Cohen]

I have fluorescent lighting throughout the shop, in addition to natural light through a window. Unfortunately my bench is not close to the window, and it is not practical to have it in that position (I do, however, have my sharpening centre by the window).

I have always needed more light over the bench, especially as my eyes age (I need reading glasses to make out the markings on everything).

A couple of days ago a light bulb went on over my head (pun intended). I have a wall of cabinets above the bench (unfinished - still needing doors). I had been trying to find a way of hooking up a spotlight on a bracket. One suggestion was to plant the base in a dog hole or similar. The problem with that is it takes up valuable bench space (my bench is small enough). I do have a magnifier and light on a movable stand that I pull over when cutting dovetails, but again this is not ideal since it is always in the way.

So this idea came to me. Why not think of the woodshop bench and overhead cabinets as if it were a kitchen. Why not install under-cabinet lighting?!

I fitted 2 fluoro strips, each 20 watts. These are slim line and take up very little space. They connect in line and require only one power cord. Each has an on-off switch. I also needed to add a shield under the cabinets. Standing up the light cannot be seen. Bending down the light was in my eyes. The shield blocked this off, but not the light on the bench.

Below is a picture of the lights taken at an angle that enables them to be seen. In practice, they are hidden.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Workbench%20and%20Workshop/Light1.jpg

Here is what they look like under working conditions ..

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Workbench%20and%20Workshop/Light2.jpg

And a picture of a rule. The lights-on conditionis the picture on the left. On the right is taken with the light off.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Workbench%20and%20Workshop/Light3.jpg

Hope this helps someone else do the same.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Kent A Bathurst]

I made these out of 3/4" ply scraps, plunged on TS to cut the dadoes/slots. I didn't want to spend the big bucks on "real" ones, and I wanted them overhead, not on the bench - I break enough stuff as it is, without adding glass targets all around me.

Got the cam lever clamps from Rockler (already had spare t-handles). I used bolts to assemble because I was chicken to use glue + woodscrews in ply with these up over my head. Fully retracted, the low point is about 44" above bench top. Fully extended, the lamp can get to about 18". The long slotted cross-piece is about 30" long. The other two are about 20".

One close-up shows the attachment to the joist - junction box cover plate screwed to the joist, and a 3"+ magnet (biggest the Ace had) bolted to the frame member. You can see extra extension cord looped around a hook - there are box cover plates screwed to the joists at other locations in the shop (with spares in waiting for future needs).

Another close-up shows a 2-1/2" +/- dowel through the action end, with the cheesy fixture clamp over it - I can get the fixture on + off, but it can't come off on its own.

One thing I need to add to one of these - the one that is over an "aisle" - is an eye bolt with a short piece of rope that has a clip on the other end, with the clip hoooked onto another eye bolt in the joist. I am gonna add that, but I'll probably wait until the next time I knock it off the cover plate and it hits the floor - then I can buy the hardware at the same time I get a new flood. Yeesh.

They work pretty good. The combination of the cam lever and the t-handle lock everything tight. I used the cam levers because I thought that might be too high in the air for a t-handle to be convenient - not sure if that was really necessary. I didn't use 2 cams per fixture because of the $$ and I had the t-handles laying around. The magnet lets me rotate them as needed, I can get them down in close for as much light as I need (Ace 100w halogen floods - the "spot lights" didn't work - don't shine a solid lit-up area on the bench). One at each end of the primary bench, so I can bring both into play as needed (dovetail/tenon sawing) and eliminate shadows. The cheesy $5 fixtures have a limited rotation range - don't hold tight enough for oblique angle, but I get by OK, and for only $5. They are plugged into a ceiling-mounted duplex that is wired to the switch that controls the overhead fluorescents in that part of the shop - everything comes on at one switch, and I can use the integral switch on the cheesy fixture to leave these off when I don't need them and/or they are annoying me.

Did I forget to mention that the bulb fixtures are cheesy?:)