Problem I have found with the Angel eyes is that they project a ring of light down but depending on diameter the end of the tool is often in shadow, with the light round it.

I saw one fitted around the quill on a bridgy and in the photo's you could not see the cutter or say a line you were trying to follow.

This wouldn't have suited me as for one and probably the main reason I get into setups so tight I often have the quill nearly rubbing a 4th axis or upright part of the job. This would entail removing the quill light so no point in having it. Secondly the shadow makes it unusable.

I tried an experiment and bought the largest light I could off Ebay, sure it was 160mm but might have been 150mm and this just fits round the casting on the lower part of the head which usually is out of harms way. It was a quickly cobbled up job made from bean tins and some plastic cut on the laser. However it worked. Didn't get in the way and no shadow.

Only problem was it was that skimpy built it used to come loose and after the third time it fell off and got whanged by the cutter, it died. New lights now on stock just waiting for some decent laser cut plates to form into a holder to class 10 on the Beaufort scale.

I've had no need to add extra lighting (yet) there's penty of ceiling flouros in my shed and we keep led battery lights about the place in case of rural cut-outs so I can find the genny – could always hang one of those somewhere.

But if soemone wants a potentially neat way of adding lighting .. how about a length or two of angleable coolant nozzle with an led stuck on the end. You can get them all the way up to secuirty floodlight strength these days. I've even got a solar panel powered floodlight on the lower barn which could easiy be modded for the panel on shed roof and the led inside……

I do a bit of cross stitch (Well, what other useful job can you do when sitting in front of the TV when you want to be with the family…?) and have just found that a twin led headlight is fantastic for lighting up my current project. It's small, light & the beam goes exactly where your head is pointing. It's good enough for me to pick out dark brown thread on black fabric. Makes you look a bit of a nit, but that has never bothered me.

The project.. A picture of my wife, 44000 stitches, approx. 440 hrs work to complete, 118 colours and 28 stitches to the inch (0.9mm). Completed 22000 stitches since November. I also wrote the software to convert from a full colour image to the thread colours.

Anyway, if it will let me see something that dark & that small, it should be useful on the mill or any other bit of kit.

Regards,

Richard.

Edited By richardandtracy on 30/03/2015 14:30:37

Hi Geoff

On my little Warco WM14 mill I have mounted two strips of 24LEDs one each side on the head of the mill. This gives a virtually shadowless illumination of the work piece irrespective of the size of chuck/collett being used. They were bought in from China, run on 12V DC and were pre-mounted on an aluminium support with threaded inserts

Martin

PS

Don't ask about the group of 4 that are not working on the right hand side, spanner slips oops says it all. Have got spares but not a round tuit,

Edited By Martin W on 30/03/2015 18:59:27

Edited By Martin W on 30/03/2015 19:02:22

I have an array over the bench. However I haven't bothered connecting the others I have as I find the light far too harsh. I think it needs to be far brighter for the same effect as normal light and I wonder if it is because it is only operating on a few wavelengths and not using all the receptors in the eye.

Martin W

I have a Warco WS 18 mill – does a good job.

Would you let me have details of your led strips and buying address

as I would much like to add them to my mill.

Many thanks

Richard.

Did anyone see the news item the other day (week?) saying that Graphene LED bulbs will be in the shops shortly?

graham.

Maplin seem to do various LED strips, including some described as being IP65, ie coolant proof potentially. Might not be as cheap as ebay but you could call in and handle what they have on display before you buy.

This is my version of LED lighting, parts cost less than a fiver on ebay (including the power supply).

Geof,

You might be interested in this:

I think it is the same as Tim is using.

Mike

.

Three pics visible on my iPad

… What's the problem, mechman ?

I don't see the pictures either, looking at the URL **LINK** I assume you see them as you are logged in to that web-site, hence the https.