Bench Task Lighting

[Chuck in NC]

I have fought with an adjustable desk lamp with 60W incandescent bulb for a while now when cutting dovetails. The assembly will move slightly or collapse altogether sometimes depending on the positioning.

The arm assembly is similar to this: Desk lamp

No problems cutting the tails (tails first for me). But after I mark the end grain pin lines with a knife I have trouble getting the lamp to highlight the fine line when making the saw cuts. I get it oriented "just right", release the assembly, then the lamp shifts downward.

Any recommendations?

[DFJarvie]

I have 2 of these and the work fine. I put flurecent bulbs in then for more light.

[Aram]

I used the same setup until I came across this.

Ikea LED lamp

I use a pair of them, and they blow the doors off of the incandescent contraption. The light is great, and they're easy to position.

[Chuck in NC]

DFJarvie said:

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I have 2 of these and the work fine. I put flurecent bulbs in then for more light.

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Same type articulating lamp as I linked to?

[Chuck in NC]

Aram said:

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I used the same setup until I came across this.

Ikea LED lamp

I use a pair of them, and they blow the doors off of the incandescent contraption. The light is great, and they're easy to position.

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Aram - at that price I'm going to just order one and try it out.

[Aram]

Chuck in NC said:

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[blockquote]Aram said:

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Aram - at that price I'm going to just order one and try it out.

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That was my path also. Now I have two in the shop, and one for reading at night.

[Anji12305]

If there are screws at the joints, make sure they're tight.

If you like the light provided, put a piece of flat stock with a bracket at each end to span the opening. If you prefer metal, the Home Depot has galvanized roofing material that would serve.

Through bolt at the bottom at a fixed point.
Drill several holes at the top span to allow for adjustment.

If you're like me, shop lighting is always at the same height.

I'm another convert to the Ikea LED which has a clamp mount.
When sharpening my saw, I chuck a small board in a handscrew
and clamp the lamp to the board. If the assembly is unstable, I can clampl the handscrew onto my bench.

Height adjustment is simple and stores easily.

Dunno about you, but brighter lighting makes seeing small teeth possible. (For me, anything smaller than 14 tpi is effectively invisible)

[MarvW]

Thank you...

I'm going to buy one and use it over my saw vise. I have a pretty good setup, but I can use more and brighter lighting.

[Chuck in NC]

Anji12305 said:

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If there are screws at the joints, make sure they're tight.

If you like the light provided, put a piece of flat stock with a bracket at each end to span the opening. If you prefer metal, the Home Depot has galvanized roofing material that would serve.

Through bolt at the bottom at a fixed point.
Drill several holes at the top span to allow for adjustment.

If you're like me, shop lighting is always at the same height.

I'm another convert to the Ikea LED which has a clamp mount.
When sharpening my saw, I chuck a small board in a handscrew
and clamp the lamp to the board. If the assembly is unstable, I can clampl the handscrew onto my bench.

Height adjustment is simple and stores easily.

Dunno about you, but brighter lighting makes seeing small teeth possible. (For me, anything smaller than 14 tpi is effectively invisible)

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I spent some time yesterday going through every joint and adjusted screw torques to snug things up a bit. There's a fine line between too tight and too loose but I was able to tweak it to work over the range of motion I need to saw drawer DTs.

Still hold out hope for the IKEA lamp. Amazon prime says delivery on Wednesday.

[jason conway]

This is what I use and like it a lot. Although I have not used the other lamps these are useful for way more than just at the bench

Petzl-TIKKA