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Gerald O'Brien

18/09/2004 11:45 AM

Shop Lighting

I was wondering what is an ideal lighting shop set-up would be. I
recently repaired a table in my basement where it looked very good but
when I brought it outside I was shocked at the difference in how it
looked.It was awfull!


This topic has 7 replies

MO

"Mike O."

in reply to Gerald O'Brien on 18/09/2004 11:45 AM

19/09/2004 1:49 AM


"Phisherman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 11:45:38 -0400, Gerald O'Brien
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >I was wondering what is an ideal lighting shop set-up would be. I
> >recently repaired a table in my basement where it looked very good but
> >when I brought it outside I was shocked at the difference in how it
> >looked.It was awfull!
>
>
> Natural lighting is best overall. But not everyone has windows in
> their shop. I use fluorescent lighting for general lighting and
> drafting incandescent lamps for task lighting. For sharpening tools,
> I use natural sunlight.

You could also possibly use the "full spectrum" flourescents. I've got a
couple in the main light over my workbench, it's amazing how much better
things look than with the regular tubes. Seems to be easier to work under,
too.

Mike O.

SI

"Slowhand"

in reply to Gerald O'Brien on 18/09/2004 11:45 AM

19/09/2004 10:30 AM


"Gerald O'Brien" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:2004091811453816807%gobrien@hotmailcom...
> I was wondering what is an ideal lighting shop set-up would be. I
> recently repaired a table in my basement where it looked very good but
> when I brought it outside I was shocked at the difference in how it
> looked.It was awfull!

I prefer the 4 tube 4' long eight foot flourescent T8's for ceilings under
10 feet. For higher ceilings (like my 14 foot ceiling) I prefer the 2
tube - 8' long flourescent HO's. It what works for me. And the more the
merrier. Lights are like clamps imo. You can't have enough.
SH

GG

Greg G.

in reply to Gerald O'Brien on 18/09/2004 11:45 AM

19/09/2004 2:06 AM

Mike O. said:

>> On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 11:45:38 -0400, Gerald O'Brien
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> >I was wondering what is an ideal lighting shop set-up would be. I
>> >recently repaired a table in my basement where it looked very good but
>> >when I brought it outside I was shocked at the difference in how it
>> >looked.It was awfull!
>>
>You could also possibly use the "full spectrum" flourescents. I've got a
>couple in the main light over my workbench, it's amazing how much better
>things look than with the regular tubes. Seems to be easier to work under,
>too.

Try some GE Chroma 50's or the Phillips/Sylvania equivalent.
The number to look for is CRI - Color Rendering Index.
The closer to 100 it is, the more "natural" the light will look.
Your average shop light is a single phosphor tube with a CRI of ~68.
Chroma 50's are tri-phosphor blends with a CRI of 92 or so...

If you are going with new fixtures, get the newer T-8 designs with an
electronic ballast. They use less power for a given light quantity,
don't "flicker" like tar ballasts, and the bulbs are reduced mercury.
Almost all of the T-8s are tri-phosphor bulbs.

Most commercial lighting these days is T-8 - which makes buying good
bulbs cheaper. I use Alto 850 T-8 bulbs - 5000k color temp, 3000
lumens, and a CRI of around 93.

FWIW,


Greg G.

GO

Gerald O'Brien

in reply to Greg G. on 19/09/2004 2:06 AM

19/09/2004 1:36 PM

On 2004-09-19 02:06:09 -0400, Greg G. said:

> Mike O. said:
>
>>> On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 11:45:38 -0400, Gerald O'Brien
>>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I was wondering what is an ideal lighting shop set-up would be. I
>>>> recently repaired a table in my basement where it looked very good but
>>>> when I brought it outside I was shocked at the difference in how it
>>>> looked.It was awfull!
>>>
>> You could also possibly use the "full spectrum" flourescents. I've got a
>> couple in the main light over my workbench, it's amazing how much better
>> things look than with the regular tubes. Seems to be easier to work under,
>> too.
>
> Try some GE Chroma 50's or the Phillips/Sylvania equivalent.
> The number to look for is CRI - Color Rendering Index.
> The closer to 100 it is, the more "natural" the light will look.
> Your average shop light is a single phosphor tube with a CRI of ~68.
> Chroma 50's are tri-phosphor blends with a CRI of 92 or so...
>
> If you are going with new fixtures, get the newer T-8 designs with an
> electronic ballast. They use less power for a given light quantity,
> don't "flicker" like tar ballasts, and the bulbs are reduced mercury.
> Almost all of the T-8s are tri-phosphor bulbs.
>
> Most commercial lighting these days is T-8 - which makes buying good
> bulbs cheaper. I use Alto 850 T-8 bulbs - 5000k color temp, 3000
> lumens, and a CRI of around 93.
>
> FWIW,
>
>
> Greg G.

Thanks for the input.I have copied down the specs. My definition of
'awful' is that a table that I patched up with filler and stain looked
really very close to the existing finish in that you could'nt really
see the patch but when outside in full sunlight you saw eveything as
opaque(filler,stain). I tried again but found that everything looked
good from 1 angle but less so from another and in full sun all looked
bad. I just thought that having proper lighting would help and was
wondering what the norm would be in a shop without windows.
Thanks

Pn

Phisherman

in reply to Gerald O'Brien on 18/09/2004 11:45 AM

18/09/2004 8:13 PM

On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 11:45:38 -0400, Gerald O'Brien
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I was wondering what is an ideal lighting shop set-up would be. I
>recently repaired a table in my basement where it looked very good but
>when I brought it outside I was shocked at the difference in how it
>looked.It was awfull!


Natural lighting is best overall. But not everyone has windows in
their shop. I use fluorescent lighting for general lighting and
drafting incandescent lamps for task lighting. For sharpening tools,
I use natural sunlight.

LJ

Larry Jaques

in reply to Gerald O'Brien on 18/09/2004 11:45 AM

18/09/2004 11:12 AM

On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 11:45:38 -0400, Gerald O'Brien
<[email protected]> calmly ranted:

>I was wondering what is an ideal lighting shop set-up would be. I
>recently repaired a table in my basement where it looked very good but
>when I brought it outside I was shocked at the difference in how it
>looked.It was awfull!

You stained it, didn't you? <har!>

Add some incandescent lamps to your fluors (or vice-versa)
to get closer-to-real lighting when you finish.

--
The ancient and curious thing called religion, as it shows itself in the
modern world, is often so overladen with excrescences and irrelevancies
that its fundamental nature tends to be obscured.
--H.L. Mencken in "Treatise on the Gods"

JB

Jim Behning

in reply to Gerald O'Brien on 18/09/2004 11:45 AM

18/09/2004 5:56 PM

Subjective answers will follow.

What do you have for lighing now?
What color are your walls?
What color is your ceiling?
How high is your ceiling?
How many windows?
Does the sun shine when you work?
Define awful.

Gerald O'Brien <[email protected]> wrote:

>I was wondering what is an ideal lighting shop set-up would be. I
>recently repaired a table in my basement where it looked very good but
>when I brought it outside I was shocked at the difference in how it
>looked.It was awfull!


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