I am wondering what lights to put up around our sawmill , like the 250 or 500 watt costruction lights or the temp string lights or what ? I am trying to figure it out without spending money 2wice or 3 times for the right lights , I am asking cuz the days are getting shorter here in s.e. mich and I still do work during the day and you gotta do what you gotta do , and believe it or not we get on average at least 2 sawmill jobs a week or so , thats pretty good for us , should they be led or the old standby regular bulbs , I just dont know , I have been trying to figure it out for a while now, thanks for any suggestions ,
jim
LED lights can definitely be bright, but the light is harsh. I've ran and been around machines that had high intensity LED light kits, they are hard on my eyes, kind of a white/blue light. Halogen work lights can be pretty harsh too. I'm not much help, am I? ??? Actually, for my siding project I'm doing I'm just rigging up some light receptacles for halogen yard light flood bulbs, we'll see how those work out.
As my recent experience would show, The portable halogen lights can be fairly fragile. The glass is hard to find and/or very expensive to replace. It must be 1/4" tempered glass. I found the glass for $37-$50 plus shipping. If I was going to buy a bunch of lights, I would look elsewhere first. I would look at the caged construction string lights or the LED lights first. I would also consider the lights they use for the light-alls on the highway. Don't know how much they cost nor how robust they are, but they put out a lot of light.
Are you under roof but in the dark, or just out in the open? I saw under an open wing of my barn and use the standard double floodlight fixtures to light up the mill, like they sell at Lowes for house porches. I also have one of the big streetlight fixtures mounted off to the side to light up the log yard. Between them all, its bright enough to saw.
YH
My mill has the old round car head lights that run off the mill because I don't have power at my mill shed but they work goog for me.
I'd run an industrial light string.
http://www.grainger.com/product/LUMAPRO-String-Light-WP25352/_/N-1z0dhjm?s_pp=false
I tend not to mill of an evening, but on the last occasion I had to, I used the LED spot lights I have rigged to the back of my ute...
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11340/WP_000998.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11340/WP_001001.jpg)
In the shot down the driveway, that double gate is 35m (108') away.
I bought them on Ebay for $80AU for the 4 spotlights, free shipping and they are 27w each so with all four of them on they draw a little over 100w in total.
Just last week I had to finish job after it got dark (4:30 pm these days). I had to use an LED head lamp and that started the same thought process. The LED lights might be a bit harsh but they put out plenty of light. I'm thinking of getting LED lights that were meant for tractor or other farm equipment use. I have one on my tractor as a rear light.
Yes I am under a roof thank god , I built a 14 x 30 sawmill shed last year and it was great in the summer but now i am going to enclose 3 sides for the winter leaving the front open to load and unload , and the wiring wont be a problem it will stay dry , so at least i have a few ideas from all you guys who responded , thanks
jim
I used 4 45watt fluorescent dusk to dawn lights in my 36x36 shop. its so bright I could do surgery! they were very inexpensive. under $40 each from lowes. they have slightly smaller lights for $25 and that includes the bulb. they are rated for outdoor use and cold weather use. sometimes with the big door open in the daytime they will shut off due to the daylight sensor but a small piece of tape over that would fix that. they only shut off when its bright enough they aren't needed anyway.
these pics are from 07' just after I installed the electric and lights, 4' fluorescent. They are real close to a necessity in the fall and winter.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/30023/IMG_1485.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/30023/IMG_1490.JPG)
david
I use generator powered 4 ft florsent shop lites
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19561/Foster_mill_007.JPG)
I was thinking about this post over the weekend. It occurred to me that we don't know if your mill is outside or under cover. That would change the options tremendously.
Are you outside or do you have a roof over the mill? What power is available?
I am outside under a roof with power I get from my shop 60 ft away
jim
I vote for fluorescent. Look around many business' are replacing perfectly good fixtures with the newer small energy savers, plenty good for a mill. Frank C.
They don't work so well in the cold. I've even had trouble with the cold start ballasts not working in the cold. ::)
The newer ones will work well below zero, they are the smaller bulbs, they burn bright and very quick, they were 46 bucks a piece with bulbs, not really the walmart version for sure, no issues to this point with bulbs or ballasts since 07' , I was told that all of the older versions of fluorescence would be obsolete by now, not sure about that, never had to buy any, david
I use high output, low temperature 8 ft fluorescent lamps. Both the ballast and the tubes are not the standard. The tubes will not fit into a standard 8 ft fixture (different pins on the end.) They are advertised to work to –20 F. I don't have those temperatures here but they do put out the light. These are located inside an enclosed unheated building. I would not use them in an exposed location but under cover, I would expect them to work.
Quote from: jmouton on November 11, 2013, 07:22:36 PM
I am outside under a roof with power I get from my shop 60 ft away
jim
Since we are talking stationary, then I take back what I said earlier. I would vote for strategically placed halogens or the large area outdoor lights. Perhaps you and find a couple of parking lot lights that someone is getting rid of.
I think this would be a good job for LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights.
They are very bright and don't use as much electricity as incandecent, halogen or flourescent lights!
Led's would work great, I'm sure, and can even be directed at a specific area. With white walls the fluorescents reflect quite well. All sheds are different, and lighting must be directed as needed.
david
I dont think I am going the flouresent bulb way its either led or the 500 watt light and it will have to be trial and error where I put them ,put them up and then move them 6 or 12 times to make sure we can see and not cut our fingers off ,, I just hate doing the same thing 2wice but I know the importance of good light with moving parts ,
jim