Shop / Machine Lighting

I know very little about led lights--but it seems that all that I have had have a blue hue to them and I can't see squat with them. Do they make some that are actually white light?
These are 6000-7000K color temperature bulbs, they are too blue and put out less light. You really want bulbs in the Daylight range which are 3000-4000K range, warm white is usually around 2700K and too yellow. There is a benefit from multiple lights to prevent shadows, and using a ring light under a mill spindle and side lights. On the lathe I use a light bar in the back under the splash shield lip and a MR16 Philips bulb in an arm light. Both lights have a daylight spectrum. The generic and Feit LEDs tend to have awful light spectrum and CRI (coloration index). Look at Philips, Sylvania or other major brand, they tend to have better coloration and last longer.

20150515_142850.jpg
 
I have my shop lights (6-4" florescent) scattered over machine work spaces and work bench. Each machine has a small clamp on with a 60W halogen spot bulb. For my band saw and drill press, I have a mag base, goose neck LED spot lights that point directly at the blade/drill and material contact point.

IMG_1574.JPG

IMG_0102.JPG
 
I put three of the LED fixtures in my shop mentioned by BGHanson.

It appears they have a Color Rendition Index of 80, which is the same as warm white fluorescent.

If the color appears blue it is because you are used to low temperature lighting which is a bit yellow.

These are more like daylight and the lighting is great. They throw a lot of light, no flicker, full intensity right away (no warm up period). I could not be happier.

I purchased mine from amazon.com in March when they were $40 each. Looks like the price has gone up since then.
 
I know very little about led lights--but it seems that all that I have had have a blue hue to them and I can't see squat with them. Do they make some that are actually white light?
All white LED lights are fluorescent devices which use a blue LED to excite the phosphors. The white light is created by mixing the light from a predominately yellow phosphor to create a "white" light. They are usually deficient in the green and red parts of the spectrum although they are getting better. If you don't like the blue tint, select a warm light or one in the 2700 - 3000K range. It is actually not possible to have a full spectrum white LED (at least I have not seen one yet) but CF lights aren't full spectrum either. Incandescents, including halogens, offer the best shot at full spectrum.
 
I like those little guys from Ikea. I gotta see if they have them in stock. So today I got the Snap-On branded LED work light from Amazon. Yowza! It's very bright. More white-ish in color but with an excellent output spread. Now just gotta figure a way to mount it on the wall. I like the idea of a small spot for the lathe so still gonna get one of them.
 
Now you know why a bunch of us have started converting things to the LEDs.
 
I know very little about led lights--but it seems that all that I have had have a blue hue to them and I can't see squat with them. Do they make some that are actually white light?
The lamps in LED flashlights have poor color rendition because they are designed for efficiency at all costs. The LED room lighting I've seen looks ok to me (but I have poor color vision).
 
I've been using T5 HO fixtures (4', 4 bulb with mirrored reflectors) for general shop lighting, and have purchased 2 bulb, 4' LED's for bench/machine lighting. The LED's came from Costco and were around $26 for the bulbs and fixture. The T5's are convertible to LED, so as the price comes down I will most likely switch over to all LED over the long run, as the power usage is much lower. Mike
 
20160921_142522.jpg 20160920_144437.jpg 20160920_144456.jpg
I threw this together outta necessity. The older I get, the more light I need.

I broke a piece of 16g SS and pop riveted this cheapo Home Despot LED 9" under cabinet light to it. The light was $15. I also got bored and welded up a bracket to support a recoil air line and blow gun.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top