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Best Lighting Tips for Woodworking Shops

cluttered woodworking shop filled with tools and materials

Anyone who loves woodworking as a hobby or does woodworking for a living would agree that lighting is highly important. Woodworking projects usually take days and nights to finish, and woodworkers continue to work in shops or garages in the evening or night when daylight isn’t available anymore. However, most of the time, the available installed lighting in the garage or shop is not enough.


What is the importance of proper lighting in woodworking shops?


The woodworking shop or garage is where woodworkers and hobbyists store raw materials and tools. The lack of adequate lighting will result in problems and frustrations, which include:


  • Difficulty in finding tools - Low and inadequate lighting will frustrate woodworkers when they cannot find the tool they need. 
  • Tripping hazards - Having tools, materials, power tool cables, and extension cords on the floor of woodshops is a common sight, and without ample lighting, woodworkers might not see them and trip over.
  • Power tool freak accidents - It is a no-brainer that working with power tools needs bright lighting. Otherwise, a woodworker might hurt himself by not seeing how close his finger or hand is to the diamond blade.
  • Measurement errors - Taking measurements is an essential part of woodworking projects. Without ample lighting, inaccurate measurements may affect the accuracy and quality of the projects. 
  • Detailing is difficult - Fine detail work will be a challenge in low lighting, particularly on intricate wood designs or decorative work.


What is the best lighting for woodworking shops?


The best lighting for any woodworking shop provides proper illumination with complementary lighting. There might be some tasks that require directional lighting or lights with higher brightness. LED bulbs, those used by programmable LED signs that you see in stores, are the best type to get, as they can be extremely bright when needed.


The amount of lighting a woodworker would need depends on the project they are working on. Of course, particular areas in the shop would need brighter lighting than other areas. For example, the workbench is wear woodworkers do the detailed work and thus, needs to be the most illuminated area in the shop.


In general, an incandescent light bulb in the middle of the shop would not suffice. It usually produces just 800 lumens of light. If the garage or woodworking shop is 200 square feet wide, a light bulb with 4,000 to 6,000 lumens is the required type to provide ample central lighting. LED bulbs can effortlessly provide this brightness while using less energy and emitting less heat.


woodworking shop with a huge window

How do you achieve the best lighting for a woodworking shop?


Aside from using extremely bright and energy-efficient LED bulbs similar to a scrolling LED sign, investing in other lighting fixtures is recommended. Here are the areas you would need to illuminate with these LED bulbs:


  • Center of the space - Central lighting or general lighting is the most important to focus on. It will immediately brighten the shop to a reasonable degree and improve the overall illumination of the space. Recessed lighting with an extremely bright LED bulb will do the job even better than a long fluorescent tube.

  • Focused areas - Some areas of the woodworking shop would need focused lighting, specifically for detailed tasks. Because they are closer, these bulbs do not need to be as bright as the central lighting, so a range between 100 to 5,000 lumens will do. A foot-long LED tube light is recommended for this use.

  • Mobile illumination - Finally, some woodworking tasks will require you to position yourself at a difficult angle or go to an area in the shop with no bright lighting. Mobile lighting then is the solution. Aside from getting a trusty headlamp, adding rigid LED light strips to tools is an excellent way to add complementary lighting. These strips can also be added to headlamps for even brighter illumination.


What are other illuminating solutions?


Aside from getting LED lighting for the woodworking shop, there are other measures for light improvement. Here are two methods to consider:


  • Add more windows. Doing so maximizes the amount of natural light inside and will reduce the need to turn on many lighting fixtures during the day.
  • Consider painting the walls a lighter color. Dark wall paint absorbs light and makes lighting ineffective no matter how many fixtures are on. Go for white, off-white, or cream.


The takeaway


Investing in the proper lighting for the woodworking shop will make it a much more comfortable and safer place to work. Working in low light conditions will not only lessen the quality of your work, but you will also put yourself at risk for accidents. 


Light-emitting bulbs are the best type of lighting to use as they are incredibly bright, consume less power, and do not emit heat or gas, which may be detrimental to one's health.



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