I am curious what you have heard negative about fluorescent lights and woodworking? I have fluorescent strip lighting for my shop and I have no complaints at all. They work just fine for me so I wonder what negatives you heard.

Halogen lights are supposed to be used in the bucket fixtures and I believe its due to the heat they give off. I have heard that if used in a standard light fixture there is a risk of it over heating. This is just what I have heard.

I have Halogen floods in my house and I hate them. They are always burning out and IMO they don't produce great lighting. I have even paid the big bucks for the bulbs that are supposed to last for years and they still burn out fast.

Fluorescent strips are really easy to install, you can just detach your old fixture and wire on the new on. The wiring is easy, there are only 3 wires and you just gotta match the colors. I know you heard negative things but I guess ill argue that by saying I feel they work really well in a garage shop.

 

I've never tried it, so keeping that in mind:

Halogen is "bluer" than most incandescents. Your typically "cool" white fluorescent is also bluer. You can get "warmer" fluorescents, of course.

You can replace an incandescent with a halogen if the base type and voltage is the same. There are halogens in all wattage ranges. As long as you stay under the wattage range for the fixture you have, it will work fine. They do run hot.

I think they are pretty harsh, but you might like it.

I'd try just replacing the incandescents with warm compact fluorescents. They are so much more efficient you can get a lot of light with relatively low wattage. You can find a "200 watt equivalent" CFL that uses 40W. On the other hand, a naked bulb wastes a lot of that light.

If it were me, I'd hang some shop lights and get warm fluorescent bulbs for them. You can do both - replace the incandescents with CFLs and put some shop lights over your prime work areas.

 

Hi Dan,

I have read part of this thread about fluorescents - http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?25302-Fluorescents-are-a-bad-way-to-light-a-woodshop - but I admit I haven't read all of it so perhaps the negatives are debunked later on in the thread.

Good point about the bucket fixtures. The bulbs I have are just bare bulbs sticking straight down from the ceiling. I think the one that is burned out probably got that way from overheating against the garage door, unless the former owner of the house put a dead one in on purpose. (I haven't changed them since we moved in.)

BRTech - Are compact fluorescents the same as those energy-saving twisty bulbs? Because we have some of those in the house and they are horribly dim. But I don't think they are 200 watt equivalent; more like 60 and 100w equivalent.

Part of my reluctance to hang shop lights, I think, is I've been having a heck of a time trying to locate the beams in the ceilings and walls when I do want to hang things. Everything has been drywalled. I want to run some dust collection ducting later this year too and am not looking forward to trying to find those ceiling studs.

 

I have old fluorescent strips in my workshop, and they are terrible when it comes to making color decisions during the finishing progress. I carry pieces over to the basement window if I can.

 

Oh, and I should mention that in the winter I tend to get headaches which I have tentatively linked to fluorescent lighting in my day job workplace (and in my commute when I was taking public transport). So that has probably put me off fluorescent as well, but a combination of sources might be OK.

 

No matter what type of lighting you use in your shop, your project is going to look slightly different if you put under a different light source. Since standard incandescent, halogen, and fluorescent are all so prevalent, I can't see making color rendition a big factor in your choice of shop lighting.

If you need more light and don't want to do any wiring, get one or two hanging fluorescent fixtures that have a plug-in cord on them. This, IMO, would be your best" bang for the buck" in terms of brightness, coolness, and energy efficiency.

 

Oops… well I hit the post button before your headache comment. I guess you have to take that into consideration.

 

I think in terms of general lighting, task lighting, and color lighting. They are kinda independent, IMHO.

For general lighting I've got newer fluorescent strip fixtures in my shop (garage) and kitchen. I went with T-8 fixtures with electronic ballasts (more expensive) and got rid of the older T-12 fixtures with magnetic ballasts (cheap). I also went with better quality bulbs. Noticably brighter, somewhat less power, and so far no flickering. You can pick the bulb to get the color temperature that you like best. I've noticed I like working in the shop when I have plenty of light.

Even when the general lighting is fine, some tasks go better with task-specific lighting, so I've got some small lights (and flashlights) for that.

Getting lighting right for colors is another thing entirely.

 

I use a combination of ,incandescent and fluorescent, fluorescent being the main light source. Incandescent is used for task lighting.
You need a lot of light in a shop ,so ,don't skimp. put up as many fixtures as you need to light your shop ,properly. I no longer use any standard fluorescent bulbs, they are the ones that are horrible for woodworking. I use "FULL SPECTRUM" TYPE (also known as "NATURAL "or "DAYLIGHT" type) these bulbs are much better for color rendering,and are better quality, they cost a little more,but are well worth it. I put switches with pull chains in some of the fluorescent fixtures, so if I'm in one end of the shop for along time, I can turn off lights in the other end,other wise,they they turn on,and off with the wall switch.
FULL SPECTRUM fluorescent bulbs make a huge difference. No matter what time it is ,when I walk in my shop and flip the switches,it is day time in there.I say Let there be light,and there is.

Here is an after thought. You might find screw in type FULL SPECTRUM fluorescent bulbs,with high wattage at a lighting shop, or online.

 

I would find out what about the fluorescent lights gives you the headache. It could just be certain types of bulbs trigger the headaches. You may want to check into that a little and see if there are safer bulbs for people who are sensitive to the others.

Charlie's idea of the hanging shop lights that plug in seem like a good choice if your not wanting to mess with any wiring. If you went that route you could have the hanging florescent fixtures which plug into an outlet so no wiring needed, and you could keep the lights you have now.

I am pretty sure Halogen lights need to be in a certain type of bucket fixture. They will work in your current fixtures but the bulbs will shut themselves off once they reach a high heat. Then you will have to wait for it to cool down before it will turn on again.

 

I have 26 of the 48" flourescent tubes in my shop and the light is great. I use the "daylight" flourescent tubes and find that they give off the best natural light. My lights are switched on by 4 different wall switches so i can have full control. For me personally, I would not use anything else. I also have 10 windows and 2 sets of french doors with glass inserts that provide alot of light…but the overhead lighting is important.

 

I too would second using the natural or daylight flourescents. You cannot beat flourescents for low cost, less heat and the amount of light.

In my shop I have flourescents overhead….a few regular incandescents and a few Led lights with magnifyers (old eyes can't read or see the small prints and scratch lines) and skylighting. Over tools that need extra light I have either a light fixture with CFL bulbs….a magnetic led light or place the tool directly under the skylights.

Of all the light sources, the skylights give the best, the cheapest and the most color true, but they do not work at night (unless a full moon) and during very overcast days. Skylights might be a bother to put in (unless you know how or have a friendly contractor - luckily I have that covered)....windows may be an option (easier to put in then skylights as there is no cutting through the ceiling but again you need to know how or have a friendly contractor) I put windows on every wall in my shop - I lose some wall space…but gain a lot more light! The older I get the more pleased I am that I put in the extra work to get more ambiant lighting.

 

Your information RE: flourescent lights seems a bit off. I have 6 of them, 2 bulb 4 foot models, with daylight bulbs that are great for lighting up my little garage workshop. I would recommend going with T-8 fixtures if you go that way though. T-12 bulbs are going off the market soon due to Government regulations.

FWIW, 2 of my lamps are over my doors when the doors are open. But when they are closed, the illuminate the area very nicely. I would NOT skip putting lighting in there…

 

I too use only FL lightning. I use full spectrum T-8 lights and do not have any flickering, and the color spectrum is pretty decent.

I do have older T-12 FL as well and those are indeed horrible.

T-8 FL lightning I think is the best way to go as it is energy efficient, covers a large space, and with proper bulbs the colors would look good enough - mind you, as stated above, even halogens would throw off the true colors of the wood and finish in the workshop.

 

Elizabeth, I too only have FL lighting. I have the T-8 ones as well that don't flicker at all. Also, I chose to get Daylight temperature bulbs. Whenever I walk from the house into the garage and the lights are already on I think I've left the garage door open. Its very cozy and comfortable to work in and bright.

You can see the light produced by these in my workshop photos…. http://lumberjocks.com/Eric_S/workshop I have 4 workshop style strips, each one holds 2×4ft' bulbs.

The only thing I would do is install another FL strip near the door to the house, its a little darker over and I've been meaning to add one more strip.

 

My shop has a bunch of Florescent hung ceiling recessed lights. I got a few of them, about $45 at Home Depot. they screw up to the ceiling nicely, have 4 48" bulbs which they sell in boxes of a dozen fairly cheaply. The reason for using these is that they are pretty good lights. They have ballasts that don't buzz and have a hinged reflector that diffuses the light nicely. I enclosed all of mine with birch plywood sides. They look good and make working for older eyes a snap.

 

I use t-8 flourecent lights in my shop. I use the daylight ones. In the house I use daylight cfl bulbs. I use 100 watt cfl daylight bulbs for photography. The t-8 work well. The daylight bulbs are closer to the color of sunlight. When buying cfls look at the lumens the higher the brighter. You can have 2 45 watt equivalent bulbs with different lumens thus different light.

 

Me, too.

Quite a few 2-tube fluorescent strips, with just about the highest CRI (Color Rendering Index) you can get. I don't remember how much they were, but it's several times more $$ than your basic, cheap fluorescent bulb.

I'm quite happy with the lighting in my shop, and … I've got pretty lousy, pretty picky, pretty sensitive eyes.

My $0.02. YMMV.

Good luck !

 

Ok I was unaware that ,these were available: 85 Watt Fluorescent Full Spectrum Bulb,
Approximate Incandescent Equivalent: 300 Watts
This just one example I found

 

I would be careful with halogen bulbs because of the heat. The larger bulbs have a mogul base and it won't screw into a standard base fixture anyway. I use flourescent lighting also. So far I am using the older lights because I have them with a lifetime supply of bulbs. I suppose I will have to replace the ballasts someday but that bridge is still in front of me. Most headaches from flourescent lighting is caused by flickering. Better fixtures should take care of that. I have overhead doors in my shop and was able to hang some lights from the track. I used the end of the track and mine has a flat metal strip in the other end that holds that end. That works for me and I have my light below the door. I actually went to a lighting supply house and talked to the people there about the best light for my shop when I built it. I was wanting shop lights like we had in the manufacturing facility where I worked. They explained that I needed a 30 ft. high ceiling so the light could spread. HHHHMMMMM never crossed my mind. The man there finally said lets talk to my supplier and see what he recommends. that is what he gets paid for. I sketched my shop on a sheet of paper and they faxed that to them. In a few days they had the answer. He recommended cold temp 8 ft flourescent fixtures. I nearly choked when I saw that the bulbs cost more than the fixtures. I didn't go with the cold weather fixtures because I didn't have to and the regular bulbs work fine in our climate. I have added more fixtures. I would use a fixture that uses 4 ft bulbs because they are a LOT cheaper than the 8 ft. Buy the daylight bulb or the one with the best color rendering for you. There is a whole world of bulbs to choose from. As mentioned already when you want to really look at colors, carry a sample outdoors and use the sun. That is the best and we can't reproduce it….exactly. Incandescents are a waste of time and energy. You will never go back to that once you change. They give bad lighting for colors too. You can plug the flourescent fixtures into the existing sockets (by using an adapter) and you can have light right away. I haven't bought any compact flourescent bulbs in years. I was not able to find those in the high output mentioned but perhaps they are available today. Like I said that was years ago when I used them. I was not impressed with the small amount of light I got and at that time and they were expensive.

 

I get headaches from the fluorescent tube lights as well, but don't seem to have any problems with the CFL's (compact fluorescent lights) which is what I have in my shop. As for the halogen lights they do get hot and would not use the flood type bulbs as they don't throw the light evenly. I do have 2 fixtures that resemble the cheap fluorescent shop lights that hang from the ceiling that have 2 500 watt bulbs in them that I do use for task lighting. You want to make sure that they hang level or you will go through bulbs regularly. If your wanting to stay with the incandescent style bulbs, I would suggest jumping up to the 300 watt incandescent bulbs, they to will throw off some heat but will drastically improve the lighting in the shop. They screw into your regular fixtures just like the standard bulbs.

 

As with many others, I also use 2-tube fluorescent strips throughout my shop. Mine are all T8. Note that the Sawmill Creek thread you referenced was started in 2005, so many of the complaints around T8's not being available or being too expensive does not apply anymore. Yes, T8's are more expensive, but the electronic ballasts last longer and do not have the issue of working in the cold, like the magnetic ballasts. Also they do not seem to have all the flickering you tend to get with the magnetic ballasts. At least that is what I have observed.

Another option I have seen is replacing a couple of single bulb fixtures with track lighting. There are various fixtures you can choose from that support multiple bulb styles, including halogen, low voltage, incandescent, and CFL. Most of them tend to be can style, but others are more open and might be considered.

 

My 2-car garage (aka shop) was originally lit with two basic 2-bulb fixtures (typical glass bubbles). I removed those fixtures and replaced each of them with a pair of 4-foot 2-lamp fluorescent fixtures, running the length of the garage, connected by a 4-foot section of conduit. So instead of 4×60W incandescents I have 8x~30W fluorescents. The lighting went from dismal to stunning, with essentially the same power usage. Personally I have no problems with fluorescent lighting, but I know there are lots of people who do. As many before have said, the color issue is completely separate.
I was really happy with this upgrade, and it was really quite easy to do (would have been even easier with a second person to help hold the fixtures as I mounted them but an 8' 2×4 made a great helper).

 

Elizabeth, I have an odd, L shaped shop and had incandesent lights like you. I added tube type flouresent light over the years, but never really had enough light and I hate the T-12 flourescents when they start to flicker; which they all seem to do sooner or later. I tried some of the daylight cork screw, CFL, bulbs but the glare gave me a headache.

About 6 months ago I read about these really big CFL lights that are 68 watt flourescent lights with an equivalent output of a 300 watt incandescent, They are made by a company called TCP. I got mine at Home Depot for about $14 each. These lights are warm white, 2700k, and I love them. They just screw into a standard light fixture and bingo, let there be plenty of light.

You could try one without any hassle, just replace the one you have that is shot. They use a standard fixture but they are much larger than the normal CFL. About the size of a Nerf football.

The SKU numbet at Home Depot is 599031.

 

I too am a FL advocate but no one has mentioned painting everything in the shop gloss white. I did this and it made a BIG difference. Neil -no offense man but your shop looks like a cave with lots of shadows. I also have vision issues and I dont think I could work in yours. More light/white paint might eliminate the shadows. Please take this comment in the spirit it was intended.Neil - I just saw the lighting plan for your new shop which looks super so Ill quit worrying about you!