just completed a shapers work shop and we had over head ceiling flouro lights which worked great, but i;ve noticed alot of bays use side lights , wot the differance if any?
Side-lights positioned at blank’s height will display very neatly curves and especially all “accidents” along them. You really shouldn’t think of shaping seriously without them.
They show the highs and lows on the flats… which are rarely flat. As balsa said… you’re shaping compound curves, and the lights show irregularities in those curves, especially if you can turn them off and on independently. Overhead lights are good for glassing.
I shaped with side lights for years, now I don’t, and my boards come out OK. So it can be done. But I’m not a “serious” shaper, by any means.
“I shaped with side lights for years, now I don’t, and my boards come out
OK. So it can be done. But I’m not a “serious” shaper, by any means.”
I shaped WITHOUT side-lights for years, now I do, and my boards come out better. Lol. I’m not a “serious” shaper either. Actually I’d say I’m not serious at all. But side-lights definitely help.
Before I set up a shop I used to do it all outside and then bring in the garage and have someone hold a shop light at the edge while I was sanding. They had to walk along with me to keep up. Bad news to have your wife or girlfriend to do it. They’d start to space and drift off and not hold the light in the right spot. This caused consternation. When doing a board for friends, that’s the price they had to pay. Be there with the light or don’t get a board. In other words… They’re a must.
It's all about shadows. Side lights and a dark color on the walls make for shadows across the white blank... If you've got a low spot or a high spot you will see it alot easier if your lights cast a shadow across it. No reflection. Lighter colors and over head light reflect and deceive the eye. I've seen alot of rooms painted black with side lights. I prefer what I call "Dodger Blue" or a little darker. Not as dreary as black. Some guys prefer single bulb eight footers, some prefer double. The extra bulb may be to bright for some. That's a personal preferance you have to take into consideration.
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just completed a shapers work shop and we had over head ceiling flouro lights which worked great, but i;ve noticed alot of bays use side lights , wot the differance if any?
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Always good advice on here.
Please post pictures of the shapers work shop and the progress of the shaping .
didn’t want to make a new thread, so I have to collar this old one.
Some questions towards lights:
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how long must be the sidelights? As long as the board, or will 5 ft lights last for a 9 ft board?
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how should be the covering? 1 ft? Then I would still have 6 ft left in an 8*12 shaping bay. Think, thats should be enough?
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what about the color of the lights? Is there significant difference between warm white (3000k) or neutral white (4000k)
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LED or classical neon lights?
cheers, Andi
AndiHL-
I went with LED lights mounted on portable & adjustable stands instead of permanently mounted fluorescent tubes since I move ‘shop’ between a garage and basement depending on the season. My 6 foot set are ‘warm’ colored and worked for an 8 foot board.
I made some bigger boards and ended up getting another set of LED’s that are 13 foot and ‘cooler’ colored, which I prefer. Mine do not have a tool shelf on them but I did add a 4 inch strip of Masonite (leftover template material) on top of them to help with glare. In the basement I mounted them without the stands to save room.
With LED’s one needs to make sure they are bright enough. The cheap decorative rope lights are not enough. Mine are very basic, plugging into the 110v wall socket with no switches, transformers, or drivers.
Edit: If you are thinking of wider boards/SUP I would not do a foot shelf each side in an 8 foot space, maybe 6 inches instead.
Also, I wonder how real ‘neon’ would work in a bay, with the long glass tubes and power supplies. Has it been done?
I like the idea of using LEDs. However and for now, I have good old T-8 flourescent lights; two 4 foot fixtures on each side using one bulb in each fixture.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BG7_JIcxSIL/
I shaped the first 5 boards without proper lights.
Then I setup a shaping bay with sidelights.
The mistakes are so much more visible with the sidelights and it´s so much easier to see what you are doing. It´s really a big difference.
Never again without.
Lighting is everything.
Without it, lumps and bumps lurk in the shadows.
Admitted lighting freak.
Many adjustments over the years.
These are the best I’ve ever had.
I’m on my 11th shaping room.
12’ of lights.
Set in a box, not under a shelf to channel ight outward toward blank & no light escaping to the floor to bounce back up a lose the contrast of the blank and the dark floor.
I also installed the light deflectors to remove the glare of the lights.
LED replacement bulbs are now available for the old T8 flourescents for about ten bucks (American). They will last quite a long time. You can get rid of the ballasts with no more flickering and ballast/starter issues. They are also MUCH brighter. They are the way to go and worth the initial cost.
tblank,
Where do you buy those?
Do they replace the 8’ bulb, or the entire fixture?
Hi Barry, You’ve got a real talent going. You put out some nice stuff, onya. As much as I hate to direct someone to the “big Boxes” but they may be your best bet. A good hardware store will have them and you can order them online. As a matter of fact, Amazon just had a deal on them a month ago. I haven’t seen any eight footers, only fours. They don’t replace the fixture, you just eliminate the ballast and wire direct to the tabs. Back to back fours will work to get eight. I am not bothered by the short shadow where the two fours meet. If you have room, you can overlap to get away from the end to end thing if it is that critical to you. Cheers.
I picked up some LED fixtures that can be linked together for 8’ or 12’ lengths. I am in the process of buidling a new shaping room and it will be a long way away before I can show you how it turns out. http://www.cooperindustries.com/content/public/en/lighting/products/shoplights/_867561.html
These may be ellligble for an eco rebate depending on where you live. I figure the led strip will outlast me. No more bulbs. They are dimmable and will work well in colder climates. They came in around $65 Canadian which is about $2 US haha.
This is my dream set up…
BTW, I’m buying 4 LED bulbs to give this T-8 swap out a shot. Great recommendation.
my new, high flexible shaping bay is finally finished and is waiting for new projects:
Hi Stanishowl-
Did you see our **BLOG **about how the Pro’s set up their shape rooms? If not, check it out http://foamez.blogspot.com/2016/08/a-look-at-how-pros-set-up-their-shaping.html . There is a lot of great information about lighting and more.
Best of luck.
Brad