LED Task Lamps

LED Task Lights

Ikea had these LED task lamps on sale for $9.99 (normally $39.99, such a deal!).

The light output is respectable, and of good quality and color.

First we got three to use around the house and to do some jewelry assembly. Because the LED lamps are very small and stay cool, they are a welcome relief from the very hot halogen lamps that we were using.

When we started thinking about other uses, and the sale price, we returned and eventually acquired 15 of the lights (for immediate use, and to keep around for spare parts).

Click on the small photos for larger images.

The lamp comes flat packed, and consists of the lamp/gooseneck, base, and a small AC power supply.

Around the shop

It became obvious that we didn't have to mount the lamp onto the heavy metal base, and that there were many ways that a bright LED could enhance our existing lighting and help while working on various shop machines.

These photos show the light mounted on the machine, and a little detail of the mounts for each. The mounts all have two holes spaced 5/8" apart that mimic the mounting holes on the OEM bases. Metal posts at one end of the gooseneck normally slide through holes in the OEM base and are affixed with the supplied screws. It was actually kind of fun trying to figure out where these lamps should mount, and where to put the on/off switch

Band saw and drill press:

Scroll saw and grinder:

Lathe:

This is just one of the magnetic mounts we've made, shown here to demonstrate its use on a non-level steel surface.

Magnetic bases

Making the base magnetic was a natural tweak for the light.

The first attempt used eight 3/4" x 1/4" round magnets purchased from the local hardware store and epoxied onto the bottom of the base. The low power magnets were marginal, they couldn't support the heavy base well on vertical surfaces, so we looked for something better.

The solution was 1/2" x 1/8" rare earth magnets. Only four of these powerful little magnets are required to secure the entire OEM assembly to a vertical surface. The while rectangles are 1/8" thick spacers to make sure it won't tip when used on a non-ferrous surface.

That modification of the OEM base worked out well, and it doesn't depend on an iron surface.

However, we wanted a smaller magnetic base that could be affixed to small areas of ferrous machines and tabletops. So we took some small pieces of Corian and created some small bases that we can easily move from machine to machine when we want a little extra light. For example, this can be easily affixed to the toolrest slide (banjo) of a wood lathe.

Here are some of the construction progress photos

Drill the holes:

Glue in the magnets. We used a steel surface to make sure the magnets were flush with the Corian while the epoxy was curing. This way the epoxy conformed to the perfect magnet position.

Finally, screw the lamp to the base, and cover the magnets (optional, but the lamps come with a thin adhesive rubber pad, so we gave it a try.)

Hopefully others will find these photos useful.