- Shop
Lighting
One of the most
important considerations in a work area is lighting, poor
light will cause eye strain, restrict vision ( and safety
) around power tools, and contribute to headaches both
literal and figurative.
Fluorescent lighting
is probably the most efficient and practical, a tube will
last twenty times that of an incandescent light bulb. One
four foot fluorescent tube consuming only 40 watts sheds
as much light as two incandescent 100 watt bulbs. Their
long length tends to diffuse the brightness and spread
the light over a large area. Cool whites are the best
choice, warm white and colour improved tubes are
available, which light your stains and finishes more
realistically, but are not usually worth the extra
expense because you will probably take you project to
where it will permanently reside to check how it looks in
that light.
Fixtures
There are three
common types of fixtures used in workshops
- Two bare tubes
running side by side.
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- Two bare tubes
with metal reflectors on each side.
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- Two tubes with a
plastic lens wrapped around them.
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- This is the best
choice of the three, the lens diffuses and spreads the
light as well as protecting the tubes from dust and
breakage.
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- Note: There are
clear plastic tubes available to protect bare lamps.
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- Placement
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- Ideally the lights
should be mounted in parallel rows no more than six
feet apart, so the shadows from one row are filled in
by the next. This allows you to work anywhere in the
shop under good lighting and to move machinery to any
location. If this is not feasible then place a light
overhead and parallel to your work space and use task
lights to fill in.
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- If the ceiling
space is available mount the rows just over eight feet
above the floor so a full sheet of plywood can be
flipped on end without hitting them.
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- Your age and type
of work will also determine the amount of illumination
needed, the older we get and the finer the work we do
the more light we need.
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- Fluorescent lights
work best in temperatures above 50° F. and will
take a long time to warm up to provide full light in
cold weather. It is advisable in unheated shops to
install a couple incandescent lights to provide
instant light as well as generating a bit of much
needed heat.
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- Have banks of lights on separate switches, this way if you are only going into the shop at night to get a tool all the lights don't have to be turned on, also have the lights on their own breaker so
that if a tool trips a breaker the lights don't go
out.
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- Glare
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- Glare affects us in
two ways it can cause headaches and affect your ability
to see properly. Direct glare comes from a light source
in your field of vision, usually an uncovered lamp.
Reflected glare can bounce of bright walls, paint walls a
medium tone colour, choose a shade dark enough to absorb
some light yet bright enough to reflect some light to
reduce shadows. Windows are a source of glare so as
tempting as it will be try to avoid putting your work
bench in front of one because your eyes will be
frequently adjusting and readjusting to the relatively
dim light of the shop and the brighter natural light
coming in the window.
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- Maintenance
- Fluorescent lamps
will last five years or more depending on use, however
they can loose 30% of their light output in the first
three years after installation. When the ends go dark it
is time to replace them. Dirt and dust can reduce their
efficiency another 25% so an old dirty lamp can be only
half as bright as a clean new one.
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