Edwin Santos
03-04-2020, 5:06 PM
Hi,
A few weeks ago there was a thread about adding lighting to routers. The OP in that thread added lighting using what amounts to a mini flashlight that Lee Valley sells. I felt the flashlight gets in the way and, at least when used on the base of my particular plunge router, the light is not aimed properly at the bull's eye, meaning the point where the bit is contacting the work. This got me thinking about another approach using LED strip lighting. I have been using a lot of LED strip to light cabinet projects lately.
What I did was use a tiny bit of self adhesive LED strip, soldered together at an angle so it would adhere to the router housing immediately above the collet. As a power source I located a 9v battery holder with a built-in switch. I soldered the leads from the battery holder directly to the strip, concealed the wires under some gaffer's tape, and attached the holder to the router using velcro, so I can easily remove it to change the battery. What I like is that a nice even light is aimed right where I want it, and nothing is in my way. The last two photos show the router with and without the lighting on so you can see what a difference it makes.
Total cost, about $5
Edwin
427394427395427396427397427398
A few weeks ago there was a thread about adding lighting to routers. The OP in that thread added lighting using what amounts to a mini flashlight that Lee Valley sells. I felt the flashlight gets in the way and, at least when used on the base of my particular plunge router, the light is not aimed properly at the bull's eye, meaning the point where the bit is contacting the work. This got me thinking about another approach using LED strip lighting. I have been using a lot of LED strip to light cabinet projects lately.
What I did was use a tiny bit of self adhesive LED strip, soldered together at an angle so it would adhere to the router housing immediately above the collet. As a power source I located a 9v battery holder with a built-in switch. I soldered the leads from the battery holder directly to the strip, concealed the wires under some gaffer's tape, and attached the holder to the router using velcro, so I can easily remove it to change the battery. What I like is that a nice even light is aimed right where I want it, and nothing is in my way. The last two photos show the router with and without the lighting on so you can see what a difference it makes.
Total cost, about $5
Edwin
427394427395427396427397427398