Thread: Shed Lighting

Originally Posted by SWR

nstalled Flux= desired illuminance x floor area/C of U x MF

For workshops, desired illuminace is 300 lux.

My workshop is 5.5M x 5.5M, very light in colur, and cleaned once a year, so the

total flux needed = 300 x 5.5 x 5.5 / 0.5 x 0.6 which comes out to 30,250 lumens

The lumens could come from:

Lumens
1300 - 100W filament bult
3150 - 200W filament bulb

1100 - 20W energy saver fluorescent

2100 - 900mm fluorescent tube
3000 - 1200mm fluorescent tube
4800 - 1500mm fluorescent tube
5200 - 1800mm fluorescent tube

light outputs for tubes allows for fading during life, and is less than the 'new tube' figure
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Based on what I have read and on numerous measurements, 300 lux is too low especially for older eyes.
Remember at 60 years of age you need twice as much light to see something as clearly as you did when you were 30 years old.
300 lux is JUST ok for storage areas but definitely not ok for operating general machinery - suggest 500-750 lux.
To be able to clear'y see blades and cut lines, more than 1000 lux is needed, using a spotlight is recommended.
For assembly and finishining areas ie see fine scratches etc about 1500 lux is needed

The lumens ratings on those lights is a somewhat optimistic.
It depends on the wattage but most 1200 mm fluoro tube produce ~2000 lumens and once it ages its downhill from there.
Hopefully no one still uses filament or compact fluorescents.

Perhaps this will shed some light ( puns) on the amount of light needed.
Illuminance - Recommended Light Level

When looking for lighting information I found an article stating a woodworking shop should have a level of 100 foot candles of illumination at the bench. 100 foot candles = 1,000 lux and to get that I would need 1,000 Lumens so for my 635 square foot/59 square metre shop I bought 16 of, 4,000 lumen LED battens for a total of 64,000 lumens. My walls and ceilings are unpainted OSB and my cell phone Lux meter reads very close to 1,000 lux at the bench and would be better if the room was painted. I'm 68 and love the light level but some younger people have said it is too bright.

Pete

I had a couple of really bright panels bought from Aliexpress, which cost only 15$, and I can truly tell you they are not worth your attention.

Just my 2c worth, i find colour temperature has a big impact on visual comfort when working. Too far a bove 4700k and the light colour starts to appear blue and is hard to work in. At work we use hibays which are 5000k and Haneco Vista battens which are selectable in colour temperature and wattage. They are around $65 each but find them excellent and have a decent warranty. I'm slowly upgrading the old fluros in my shed to led.