# Poor retired Plumbers Take on Failing Eyesight



## Coleve (Oct 31, 2012)

*Hi Forum members.

This is just a short one, no pun intended, which relates to the gifts nature bestows upon one’s body as they drift into the clutches of retirement, at which point your mind attempts to kill you by informing you that you are still a youthful twenty five year old and that the three foot garden fence can be cleared with ease, while your body attempts remind you that you have one foot in the grave.

My eyesight was 20-20 up to about 45-50 years at which point I had difficulty in focusing on near objects . Fought it for about five years then admitted defeat. My long sight has never changed but close up work is so frustrating.

I never buy expensive spectacles as they only last about a week. I lose or sit or stand on them. I just buy a bucket of cheap ones and spread them about my domain.

The reason I am writing this post is I found out that when I am doing anything outdoors my eyesight improves immeasurably, I find myself taking tools and items outside the workshop just to get a better look. Good light definitely helps.

With this in mind I headed down to our B&Q (Home Depot) and purchased the cheapest LED flood light I could find £8. And proceeded to install it on my bandsaw. I have posted the install of the light quite a while ago. It was Instant gratification. The LED is daylight, not warm light.

As you will see from the photos every machine now had an identical light focused on the cutting edge. I made sure each light was wired directly into the relative on/off switch. I certainly did not want to have to operate the light independently. Most of my machines are 3 phase which is not the problem you would first envisage; you just connect to any one of the three 240v live (hot) and the other on to the neutral. I did have a few problems as a couple of my 3 phase machines did not have a neutral, only live and earth. Had to prewire a neutral to each machine. You can’t use the earth as it would trip your RCD.

The only down side to the light was the extremely short cable. First thing I did was open it up and I did not want to desolder the circuit board so cut the wires, soldered and heat shrink sleeves and longer cable installed.

That light is going on my 12-inch sander and that’s it.

Why the post, well I can’t believe how it has helped my vision when operating the machines. And when like me you are cutting dove tails to ten thousand of a millimetre or nearest half inch which ever I hit first it matters. And it might help a few members who have succumbed as I have done. And it’s a cheap fix.

Colin

Somewhere short-sighted in Scotland*


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## Marco (Feb 21, 2009)

Plus One on lighting. It definitely improves the vision of the vision impaired. I didn't go to your efforts of LED lights on every tool but have the daylight LED bulbs. 3 100w on the ceiling and 3 100w clamped work lights around the shop. Painted everything in the shop white, ceiling, walls, floor big help in bouncing the light around.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Some years ago,facing a similar reality, I indulged myself and bought two Rockler LED lights with large reflectors. Something like 2600 lumens each. Hung one over the table saw, the other over the workbench. I have other lights scattered around the shop, shining into the dark corners. One light brightens up the sliding miter area. The total illumination in the room has to be nearing 7,000 lumens--Bright. 








Liked is so much that when I had our garage drywalled and insulated, I have them install five screw in light fixtures. I found some really bright LED bulbs so it is almost daylight bright in there.

The band saws are a slightly different thing. One is a Fourteen 12 Laguna. Wonderful saw, hard to see, so I salvages a small gooseneck fixture and mounted it in a box with a small on/off switch. Did something similar with my small bandsaw, which lives in a dark area of my shop, but gets a lot of use. I prefer to have separate on/off switches on lights because I want to see while setting things up. 









The small reflector bulbs are nice because they run cool, so if you happen to bump your head into the lamp, (ask how I know) you won't be burned.

BTW, what you experienced is presbyopia, which happens to everyone as the crystalline lens in the eye loses flexibility to change focus quickly and easily. The eye is a double element optical system. Most of the focusing is done by the clear cornea, the lens inside the eye makes only minor changes in thickness for its part in projecting an image on the retina. It' a function of age.


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## woodworker47 (Dec 19, 2008)

A few months ago, I replaced all of my fluorescent bulbs in my workshop with daylight LED bulbs. I kept the light fixtures and removed ballast and direct wired the bulbs. Each fixture has two bulbs. I used a total eight, 8’ bulbs and 26 4’ bulbs. It really made a big difference in the lighting in my shop.


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## Barry747 (Jun 16, 2011)

Yes, as i get older, and I'm up there, light is a very important part of the shop. My shop is in a one car garage. When I moved in I had 3 LED 4' fixtures installed to supplement the one florescent fixture. Due to the fixtures and exterior light with the garage door up and the back door open, the only tool that I have a lighting problem with is my bandsaw. So, several years ago, I bought a small LED flashlight with a goose neck and a magnetic base. Since I don't use the bandsaw frequently this was a quick and inexpensive fix. It also has the benefit of being portable and I've used it on occasion when I needed I needed pin point light such as cleaning out the bottom of a mortise.


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

I like Tom's gooseneck addition to his bandsaw. I'm going to keep my eye out for something I can add to mine. I also tinker with electronics and the daylight bulbs are a must for that as well.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

TenGees said:


> I like Tom's gooseneck addition to his bandsaw. I'm going to keep my eye out for something I can add to mine. I also tinker with electronics and the daylight bulbs are a must for that as well.


I found a desktop fixture for $2 at a thrift store, another, smaller one at HD. The gooseneck is attached to the base with a threaded barb. You can drill a hole and push the threaded part through and screw it in place with the electrical bolt you removed from the base. I installed one in a small electrical box with a switch. The smaller saw has it installed on a small bracket attached to existing holes in the upper wheel case. Easy to do, cheap too. The bulb you can get almost anywhere. The reflector concentrates ALL the light in one area.


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## papasombre (Sep 22, 2011)

LED lights are fantastic. Recently I changed two fluorescent bulbs in my home, now I have changed ten. My wife and I like them.


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## vonnyvaulx (8 mo ago)

As we get older, we all have problems with our eyesight. In your case, to neutralize the problems, you can buy bright lights that will allow you to see everything better. I don't know much about plumbing, and when I need help, I always turn to specialists. For a long time, I have been using the services of one company. I recently turned to them for hydrojet drain cleaning anaheim and for a good reason. I found out that a lot of groundwater had accumulated under my house, which could have led to tragedy.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I live in the desert, and have an acre of back yard with lots of trees and plantings. I get a little nervous in the dark, so I found a couple of theatrical PAR 38 lights and hung them under the patio cover so they shine out where my pup likes to poop, often at 11 p.m. I found some super bright reflector bulbs that shine out 100 feet before the flora absorbs all of it. Having someone extend that patio cover and I have one more fixture to illuminate the still dark opposite side. The lights do illuminate the path all the way to the sheds. 

I also have a wireless on/off switch in the shed so I can turn them back on after my wife shuts them off. We have a couple of lights in our sunroom that are plugged into a remote because there's no switch available otherwise. Love this modern stuff.


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Welcome to the forum @vonnyvaulx


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Welcome to the forum @vonnyvaulx


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## Lawseeker (Mar 18, 2013)

One more voice in favor of LED lights. My shop, about 25x40 has 16, 5000w, daylight fixtures. Very bright but I expect to add at least 10 more. I like the idea of individual lights for each machine, thanks for that suggestion.
While I need glasses to drive, so says DMV, I do most of my woodworking without glasses; the bright lights in my shop are very necessary. Nearest half-inch is about my speed (ere talent?)

Well, I need to get those drawer boxes completed for my table saw outfeed table; wow, need 1/4 inch dados, think I will wear my glasses. You all have a great day--foggy today in this part of Texas.


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