iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Sawing lights

Started by Luke_Eames, November 04, 2016, 10:36:48 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Luke_Eames

Hi Everyone,

I need to replace my sawmill lights before day light savings kicks in.  Right now I have some florescent lights and they work ok, but they're starting to flicker and they leave a lot of shadows.  Anyone have good luck with decent lights for sawing under?  I'd have them attached to the trusses, which are 14' up.   

Thanks!
Luke
Wood Mizer LT-70 Super Wide
Wood Mizer EG200
Cat IT18

ESFted

S.U.N.Y. College of Environmental Science and Forestry '65
Stihl MS661CRM, Stihl MS460,  Stihl MSE 220, Solo 64S, Granberg Alaskan MK-IV CSM
Dreams of a Wm LT70 w/all the accessories

Ljohnsaw

With the low prices on LED lighting now, I'd do that.  I've got florescent lights in my garage and shop.  They drive me crazy in the winter - dim, flicker, won't start.  So I picked up two cases of LED 60 watt equivalent and will be putting them up once I install sockets.  And, they save you on your electric bill!  you can find them now at about $2 a bulb or less.  You can get the normal yellowish incandescent color or go with cool white - brilliant white! 8)  Florescent bulbs are crazy expensive now :o
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

drobertson

I installed what I think are high intensity flouresent fixtures, the bulbs are smaller in diameter than the older ones. This was back in 07' same bulbs, no flickering even in cold weather. Modified, I looked at the link above, pretty sure this is the one, if so, they work.
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

4x4American

Well this is a timely post!  I'm in the same boat right now.  Need to run power to the millshed first..but that shouldn't take very long.  Then I'll be looking at lights here soon.   So I'll be following

Boy, back in my day..

Kbeitz

Me to... Almost got my roof over my mill finished. I was given two 55 gal. barrows of
the smaller in diameter high intensity florescent bulbs. Now I need to buy the fixtures.

Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

Maine Wood Turner

Howdy folks, I've been switching from fluorescent lights to LEDs in my shop.
I've noticed some flicker in them plus my shop radio, when you can hear it, gets a buzz . RF interference I guess.
Harsh as they are LEDs seem bright enough to work by but if I have to do fine work good old incandesent bulbs show the details better. My older eyes seem to like regular "old fashion" light bulbs.

YellowHammer

I've switched to LED "fluorescent tube" replacement bulbs and LED floods on some of my fixtures, and keep replacing the old style fluorescents as they burn out.  They are nice.  I still hate sawing at night because of the shadowing, but with enough lights, it's OK.  After my recent fire Marshall inspection, they made me enclose all of my remaining fluorescent tube light bulbs in plastic safety tubes.  They serve two purposes; they will protect from a dust fire when it settles and piles on top of them, and also protects and encapsulates the glass bulb when they fall, or somebody hits them.  I never thought fluorescent tubes got hot enough to catch fire, but on the metals ends, where the high voltage contacts are, they can, especially if the dust builds up.  True to what I was told, when I pulled the many lights down to put in the protective tubes, they all had sawdust fine sawdust on top of them, and one even had little blackened, charred specks of sawdust right near the contacts, on the little metal rim.  Who knew?  I guess the fire guys know what they are talking about.  Protective tubes are not needed for LED tubes, they told me. 
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Ox

That's disconcerting to say the very least.  Thanks for sharing.  I'll have to check mine.
K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without
1989 GMC 3500 4x4 diesel dump and plow truck, 1964 Oliver 1600 Industrial with Parsons loader and backhoe, 1986 Zetor 5211, Cat's Claw sharpener, single tooth setter, homemade Linn Lumber 1900 style mill, old tools

killamplanes

I have t5 very happy with them a kinda pricy but in 8 yrs never replaced one.
jd440 skidder, western star w/grapple,tk B-20 hyd, electric, stihl660,and 2X661. and other support Equipment, pallet manufacturing line

Kbeitz

I've seem many fluorescent tube ends burn off from bad connections. 

Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

barbender

I've been putting LED's in everything as the prices come down on them. I find in work areas a 50/50 mix of daylight/soft white color makes a nice blend.
Too many irons in the fire

kelLOGg

My neighbor's employer was going out of business so she brought home 2 boxes of T5 fluorescents and gave them to me. That was 2.5 years ago. I looked up the per piece price and it was about $10; I thought she had hit the mother lode so I advertised them on CL at half price but got no hits. I eventually decided I would switch over from my T8s to T5s. Lowes sells T5s so I went there and found they didn't sell the fixtures. >:( Weird. By this time LEDs had come down in price so the T5s were less valuable to me and I will probably never use them. If any one would like them They are free - just pay shipping or pick them up. I have never tested any of them because I don't have a fixture. One box was unopened when I got them and the other had a tube broken.



 



 

 

 
Cook's MP-32, 20HP, 20' (modified w/ power feed, up/down, loader/turner)
DH kiln, CatClaw setter and sharpener, tandem trailer, log arch, tractor, thumb tacks

TKehl

I've been putting 4' LED "shop lights" in my shop.  Similar in length to the florescent, but LED so they work in the winter.  Made a big difference.  They're around $30 for each for the whole setup, but Menards runs them on sale periodically too.  I'm sure tons of other places carry an equivalent.
In the long run, you make your own luck – good, bad, or indifferent. Loretta Lynn

Chuck White

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Maine Wood Turner!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

millwright

I replaced all my old lights with  4' LEDs they  work greAt

Darrel

When I build my shop, I'm planning on putting in LED's, unless by that time LED's are obsolete. 
1992 LT40HD

If I don't pick myself up by my own bootstraps, nobody else will.

hopm

Been changing out lights in our district to the tune of 28,000. Going to the magnetic LED strips. Got a 9 month payback on energy savings. Anybody interested in 4' T12 tubes I'll give them away by the truck load!!

Kbeitz

Quote from: hopm on November 06, 2016, 08:56:29 AM
Been changing out lights in our district to the tune of 28,000. Going to the magnetic LED strips. Got a 9 month payback on energy savings. Anybody interested in 4' T12 tubes I'll give them away by the truck load!!

Tell us more about these magnetic LED strips....
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

AlaskaLes

We'll be building our mill building this winter.
For now, I've got a couple of 12V/1400 lumen squares that I plan to mount on the fwd side of the saw head, shining down the log where I'm typically looking.

Later, I'll be installing LED fixtures overhead, but I'm thinking these driving lights should work well for those Winter days when the lights are going out and I'm not quite ready to quit.
You can see Mt McKinley from our backyard...Up Close!!

Mighty Mite MK 4B, full-hyd, diesel bandmill
Kubota 4wd 3650GST w/FEL; Forks;
3pt Log Arm& Log trailer
Husky 394XP
Husky 371XP
Husky 353
Echo 330T
Nyle 200M
Robar RC-50 50BMG-just in case the trees get out of line

hopm

They give 52 ft candles at 10' in most of our classrooms. Attached a link of one of our kids changing out a fixture. Take not this is a 15 year old changing them in less than 2 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8TP9zSowQs&feature=youtu.be

Luke_Eames

Thanks for all of the replies!  I'm thinking of doing a trial run of the T-5 high bay lights that ESFted suggested.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lithonia-Lighting-4-Light-T5-White-High-Output-Fluorescent-High-Bay-IBC-454-MV/202838871

I figure try one and if it works good, make the investment into a few of these.  My milling barn is about 500' off the road so everything gets powered with a generator.  We're looking at next year upgrading to one of the big fancy diesel generators to power the operation. 
Wood Mizer LT-70 Super Wide
Wood Mizer EG200
Cat IT18

Thank You Sponsors!