Workshop lighting

Having a garage workshop with no windows and only the front up-and-over door makes lighting difficult, especially with a single overheld bulb. Time to add some more lights!

I had a fluorescent tube light on the wall in the workshop at the old house, which I managed to safely transport to the new house. I mounted it to the end wall of the workshop in existing holes and fitted a multi-socket extension lead to the underside of the mitre saw bench. I plugged the light into the first socket via a reclaimed switch from an old metal router table.

This means I can turn the fluorescent light on with a big green button, which is much easier than reaching under the bench to hit the switch on the multi-socket. I also picked up a long set of LEDs from the local DIY store as I wanted to add additional light to the various sections of the mitre saw bench.

I unwound the LED reel and positioned it across the various shelves and in the centre section to illuminate the screws and tool holders. I then peeled off the plastic over the adhesive backing and stuck the LEDs in place. I hammered in the additional grips that came with the reel with some small tacks at key locations to ensure the reel remains in position, even if the sticky backing fails.

Once I had the LEDs in place, I mounted the switch on the end of my mitre saw fence and secured the wires in place with cable grips.

I connected the LED plug to the multi-socket and then plugged the mitre saw into the third socket. As the lights are not a large current drain, it should be fine to have several things on at once through the multi-socket.

I now have a much brighter workshop, which should make it a lot easier to see what I’m doing and allow me to find tools and fixtures a lot more easily. I’m very impressed with the LED reel, which I picked up while looking for something else. You can also get ones in different colours, but I’m happy with the clear white ones and they also give the mitre saw bench a sort of comforting glow I think! 🔨