[Glassnwood]

Good day all.
Now that I have A/C it's time to put in light's.
I have a small shop (350 sf), it has good natural light. What kind of lighting you would you put in if it were your shop? Thanks

 

[Gary Beasley]

You can get a four light hanging fluorescent fixture from HD that would be easy to install and puts out lots of light.

 

[Glassnwood]

You can get a four light hanging fluorescent fixture from HD that would be easy to install and puts out lots of light.

Thanks for the input. What I am looking for is a more natural light source. I do Stained glass work & fluorescent light tend to bend the light to much. That and the flicker thing would drive me nuts.

 

[Trav]

While it's tue that the color temperature of the fluorescent bulbs determines the perceived color of everything, I would have to say that electronic ballasts have all but eliminated flickering. In my experience here in warm south Louisiana I have no problems with start up, it is nearly instant with my fixtures. They may not be the right fixture for you, but the technology has come a long ways in the last decade. The evenness of the light produced and the low cost of the fixture and bulbs coupled with low energy consumption make these fixtures a good fit for many situations.

 

[ryan50hrl]

Agreed....just buy the right temperature bulbs...

 

[Steve Neul]

There's always Solitube for daytime lighting and there is flouescent bulbs with more yellow light.

 

[rrich]

If you're building the shop...

The walls, the whitest and glossiest possible. I did that in mine and work most of the time with only the garage door open and no lights on. (The door faces north)

I would put a bunch of pot lights in and use LED bulbs. You can get the LED bulbs from cold to warm.

 

[Glassnwood]

If you're building the shop...

The walls, the whitest and glossiest possible. I did that in mine and work most of the time with only the garage door open and no lights on. (The door faces north)

I would put a bunch of pot lights in and use LED bulbs. You can get the LED bulbs from cold to warm.

I bought the paint already. Chrysler 333 is the brightest white I know of. Good catch on the door.All spring,fall, winter it is open, But when you live in FL August just gets too dam-hot. Unfortunately the door faces west.

 

[ACP]

I use 300 watt CFL's. Their like mini-suns and the color seems pretty normal actually to me. I don't think there's any substitute for natural light for what you do though.

 

[Hackberry]

I use 300 watt CFL's. Their like mini-suns and the color seems pretty normal actually to me. I don't think there's any substitute for natural light for what you do though.

How does this do in a cold winter shop? I use 100 watt incandescent put in in 1990. Have replaced one but added four two bulb T-38 four footers in a 576 sq ft shop. Eyes are getting older and 12 300 watt equivalents sound great.

Tried an electric hanging heater to keep things at 50 degrees but I did not like the extra $100 per month bill.

 

[against_the_grain]

Hanging flourescents are only supposed to be used with really high ceilings. Talking around 13 feet minimum. Most flourescents are designed to be mounted directly to the ceiling that is painted a light color. Again, the fixtures designed to be hung aren't recommended unless you have really
high ceilings.

There are some good articles on shop lighting that cover just about all aspects. There is more to lighting than you might think.
As others have said, color temp is important in considering the type of light you want. Also the amount of lighting you need depends upon your age, shop size, and height of ceiling.

In the end, you shouldn't have much of a problem finding the right fixture and bulb for your particular needs. Just know what you are getting before you purchase it.

You may also want to supplement your ceiling lighting with dedicated lights for certain areas of your shop and tools.

 

[Bill White 2]

I have 8 4' 2 tube T-8 fixtures on the 9' ceiling in my shop. No buzz, flicker, etc.
I do use task lights for the lathe and some bench work.
Changed 1 tube in 3 years.
Bill

 

[Gary Beasley]

I did notice there was an LED style light in the selection at HD, it was a bit pricey so I didn't mention it. It looked to be built like the hanging fluorescent fixtures.

 

[Getting better]

I've been mixing T-8 florescence with Regular track light incandescent and halogen for task lighting. The older I get the more fixtures I add

 

[Glassnwood]

I've been mixing T-8 florescence with Regular track light incandescent and halogen for task lighting. The older I get the more fixtures I add

Give this man a cigar.:thumbsup: That is exactly what I need track lighting :yes:
Thanx to all.

 

[Hackberry]

I have been told a mix of florescent and incandescent is good for lathe work as the light mix allows better detail/progress visual of the turning while it spins.

My shop is a two car garage with 7' 3" a ceiling. Adding two bulb 4' florescent fixture added a wow factor to the lighting. They are in between the ceiling joists on supports I added so they are not screwed directly into the half inch plywood loft floor. This also protect the bulbs somewhat when I get carried away swinging long boards.

The 200 or 300 watt equivalent cfl bulbs are sounding great as long as the start a zero degrees and can be screwed in horizontally. They would still cost less electricity.

 

[Glassnwood]

Good day all.
Now that I have A/C it's time to put in light's.
I have a small shop (350 sf), it has good natural light. What kind of lighting you would you put in if it were your shop? Thanks

Thank you all for good advice.
I went to an estate sale & found 6(new) Halo recessed down-lights for $15.oo Every thing I need but the bulbs. :yes::yes::yes:

 

[Trav]

Well track lighting or can lights may seem like a fit for you, but it is not if you are trying to avoid fluorescent or LED bulbs. The government is phasing out incandescent bulbs. Some are already not manufactured any more. So with the track lighting or can lights you will be screwing in a compact fluorescent or LEDs sooner than you may think.

 

[ACP]

How does this do in a cold winter shop? I use 100 watt incandescent put in in 1990. Have replaced one but added four two bulb T-38 four footers in a 576 sq ft shop. Eyes are getting older and 12 300 watt equivalents sound great.

Tried an electric hanging heater to keep things at 50 degrees but I did not like the extra $100 per month bill.

They do really well actually. They take, maybe 2 -5 minutes depending to warm up to full brightness. But I usually turn them and the heater on and give it about 10-15 before I go out in the winter anyways, so it's not an issue with me. Even when they first come on their pretty bright. 12 would be insanely bright. I have four in my three stall garage with a dual 4 footer above my bench. I seriously don't need the four footer unless I'm doing joinery at the bench. The 4 300 watters are that bright. My ceilings are 11' I think out there.

 

[Chataigner]

Well track lighting or can lights may seem like a fit for you, but it is not if you are trying to avoid fluorescent or LED bulbs. The government is phasing out incandescent bulbs. Some are already not manufactured any more. So with the track lighting or can lights you will be screwing in a compact fluorescent or LEDs sooner than you may think.

Absolutely ! Here in France, 100W incandecent bulbs are no longer permitted to be sold. You can find 60W if you search, but they are increasingly rare. It's almost entirely CFL with a sprinkling of LEDs in the shops here.