LED worklight for lathe?

[Alan Heffernan]

Looking for latest insights on LED work lights for my 3520B. A magnetic base would be nice but too many offerings say they must ride a horizontal surface.

Did some searching here and elsewhere but wanted to get up-to-date information from you all since the cost and quality seem to be on the upswing.

Please share your recommendations and experience.

[John K Jordan]

I bought several of Ken Rizza's brightest lights (Woodturners Wonders). Magnet bases with gooseneck. They are very bright.

I have not found a perfect place to mount them directly to the 3520b. The magnet base will mount nicely on the back side of the motor housing but the gooseneck is a little too short for me. It will mount securely to the top of the headstock if you remove the rubber mat but I like to rest my left arm there for some thin spindle operations. The easiest solution is to mount a piece of steel plate to the back of the lathe or the wall, if the lathe is close to the wall like mine. In my spare time I want to make a steel bracket with a threaded hole, unscrew the gooseneck from the magnetic base and fasten to the bracket, and mount the bracket in a hand place on the lathe, perhaps using one or both of the big screws that hold the cast iron bracket on the back of the headstock.

I should mention that I don't rely on one light, but have several arranged around and above the lathe, most swing arm lamps with LED bulbs, some CFL. I like the multiple highlights from separate lights to help judge the surface curvature and finish. All these are wired to come on with one switch.

PM3520b_IMG_20160323_122528.jpg

Rizza's light is the black one in the front with the red button.

JKJ

[Bob Bouis]

You can get gooseneck lamps intended for sewing machines fairly cheap. They have a threaded rod on the end of the flexible shaft that can be mounted in anything with a hole in it. They just take regular base light bulbs, so you can add an LED bulb if you like.

[Dick Strauss]

Ikea has some great LED lights for about $10. Add a round wooden disk with holes drilled for rare earth magnets and you've got a winner for under $15. Do a search on IKEA for "Jansjo" and you will see one with a clamp for $15 and one without for $10. I like the one without!

[Kyle Iwamoto]

+1 on Woodturners Wonders. They have great lights. Not cheap though.

[Tom Brouillette]

I bought one of these on the recommendation of one of the forums, I forget which one. I could not be happier with the result. It's bright, flexible, and has a powerful magnet base. http://www.cindydrozda.com/html/LED_Lights.html

[John K Jordan]

I bought one of these on the recommendation of one of the forums, I forget which one. I could not be happier with the result. It's bright, flexible, and has a powerful magnet base. http://www.cindydrozda.com/html/LED_Lights.html

I have several like that and they are good. I have one on my milling machine and two at my sharpening station and a spare on the shelf. They are especially easy to move around as needed. However, much depends on the brightness of light you want. They are bright but without the numbers, bright is a relative thing - those I have are not even close to the brighter LED lamps I prefer at the wood lathe.

Unfortunately, the brighter and heavier duty lights, especially those with the magnetic switch and very strong magnets, are more expensive.

JKJ

[Justin Stephen]

Not LED but I use a Moffat lamp with a magnetic base (not cheap either) and just attach it where the little rubberized pad goes on top of the headstock. I had to sacrifice the pad, obviously, but it seemed to be a fair trade off. If I need more than that, I have an Ikea floorlamp with a flexible neck I can bring in from the side, but I rarely do. I also have a 4-bulb LED headlamp I can use as needed, although I typically only use it for fine detail work off-lathe. The LED lights out today were not so readily available when I bought the Moffat several years ago.

[John K Jordan]

Not LED but I use a Moffat lamp...

You can get a bright LED bulb for the Moffat from the hardware store/Home Depot, etc; I used a Moffat on the bandsaw first with a hot incandescent, then a CFL, now an LED bulb.

JKJ

[Thom Sturgill]

I have had Ken Rizza's middle sized lamp and upgraded to the bigger one. I also have the small one he sells and my wife likes it so much I had to buy her one. I have an overhead shelf that I built with a steel frame - holds the magnet well and I can locate the light where ever i need. They were upgrades from the IKEA style which just were not bright enough for my old eyes. I suppose that when I get the cataracts out, they will be too bright! LOL.

I have also had success with sticking them on top of the tailstock.

[Justin Stephen]

You can get a bright LED bulb for the Moffat from the hardware store/Home Depot, etc; I used a Moffat on the bandsaw first with a hot incandescent, then a CFL, now an LED bulb.

Oh sure, and I think I have an LED in mine. What I was getting at is that the Moffat is a much bigger lamp than the little LED lamps that people are buying now.

[John K Jordan]

and I think I have an LED in mine

Sorry. Of course. I just wondered when you said "Not LED..." The moffat does look a bit clunky now but it's built like a tank. I wish I had a second one for my woodworking drill press.

The headlamp idea is interesting. In analyzing the light at my lathe I considered one place on the turning that is hard to add light - the side directly facing me. I think I'll invent a strap-on "belly light". It will be all the rage.

JKJ

[Reed Gray]

I have been using a couple of these around the shop for when I want broad lighting rather than spot lighting:

http://www.bluemaxlighting.com/floor_lamps_27_ctg.htm

Very bright, and perfect for bowls. They are designed for the house, and not for the rough treatment that I hand them, but the amount and spectrum of light they give off is very close to actual sun light. Ever take a finished piece out in the direct sun to look at it??? I don't get nearly as many 'surprise' scratch marks any more. I have found the 'therapy' type lights let me see better, which I figure is the spectrum. There are a lot of this type of light in the florescent type bulbs, and they don't flicker any more. They do seem to be more rare in the LED lights though.

robo hippy

[Justin Stephen]

The moffat does look a bit clunky now but it's built like a tank.

Yup, I am very fond of mine. I do with the magnet base was just a little more powerful though.

The headlamp idea is interesting.

The one problem with most of the hiking style ones (as opposed to something more like a miner's helmet) is that they are designed to provide a narrow, powerful beam. The one I got was the Princeton Tec Quad 4 (~$33), which was four bulbs instead of one or two and provides a much wider spread for work.

The wife and I are closing on a new house so my workshop will likely soon be moving back out to the suburbs. One thing I will be considering when I get there is a dock light for the wall behind my lathe, something like this model where the second arm is height adjustable:

docklight.jpg

I think I'll invent a strap-on "belly light". It will be all the rage.

I'd buy that.

[dan sherman]

Ikea has some great LED lights for about $10. Add a round wooden disk with holes drilled for rare earth magnets and you've got a winner for under $15. Do a search on IKEA for "Jansjo" and you will see one with a clamp for $15 and one without for $10. I like the one without!

That's what I did, though I made my bases out of aluminum. They are cheap, small and work great.