Throwing some light right on the workpiece

[mzetati]

Hi all,

I was recently given (well, I asked for it) a scrapped lamp of the type usually mounted on 'chairs' for dental works.

I drilled a 5mm pilot hole through the top plate and the rectangular tubing of the frame, then cut the 35mm hole using the drill and saw mill shown in the picture, and finally

enlarged the hole at the bottom of the frame to 8.5mm, for the 8mm drawbar: the idea was having the hole centers laying on the same line, as square to the desktop as it could

get.

Next, I turned a bushing to adapt the lamp to the square column itself (they were not parts of the same set, : ) out of a piece of scrap teflon [the lathe bits normally used

for brass and bronze (no top rake) worked OK] and put some tapped holes on the column itself (one will accept an hook to hang the dremel, the second I do not know yet) plus

the tapped holed for the switch and a 16mm hole on the back of the column for the cable.


I agree the carboard box sitting on the desktop as shown in the picture is not the best item I could find to hold the transformer, it will be replaced (VERY) soon with a more

proper container, bolted to the wall as high as the cables will allow, with ventilation holes drilled in the directions chips and debris are less likely to come from.

Marcello

 

[Herbiev]

I find good lighting essential

 

[Troutsqueezer]

Somewhere some dentist is drilling on the wrong tooth.

Now, you don't usually see walls like those in your pic here in California. Here's it's almost always sheetrock. I imagine there was a window there once from the look of it. A rather nice window from the way the framing looks. Or maybe a doorway?

Nice job with the light.

Trout

 

[Herbiev]

Are spare globes readily available ? If so I imagine they wouldn't be cheap

 

[Diy89]

I'm thinking doorway to an adjacent room...

Great light to!

 

[mzetati]

That room was never finished, even the purpose it was built for is not clear, and I did not want to coat those bricks (and rocks) with plaster or whatever: just put some wallpaint on the ceiling and floor (which are modern). The opening was a doorway, leading directly to floor level, ...four meters below. Another identical opening, on the opposite wall leads to the same end, needless to say the "window" frame is constantly shut.

As for the replacement bulbs, they're readily available and definitely not cheap (they're 14V instead of the commercial 12V, and You can get them only through suppliers of tools etc. for dental works). Probably I could replace them with the 12V ones, providing I replace the holders too (and eventually reduce the wattage), taking the power from different wirings of the transformer.

I've no idea of what kind of light I would get through using LED lamps: sure they would reduce power consumptions to ridicolus levels, at the cost of replacing the tranformer with a more proper VCC source (Now I think of it, I've got a couple of unused 12Vcc/5A stabilized power suppliers, one of them is that gray plastic box hanging right behind the lathe: I made them to power the lathe DRO and scales [yep! overkill], but never got around fitting the stuff to carriage and bed.. ..do not think I will ever, but that's a different story).

As for the illumination I get from that lamp, I'm not entirely satisfied, as it covers an area too concentrated for my personal tastes: need not forget it was made purposely to give light to a rather small area, tho. (But there's plenty of room for custom mods).
By now, I can see clearly enough not to revert to the previously mounted lamp, with the added bonus of having a solid iron column to hang the dremel when I'm using the flex shaft.

Marcello

 

[mzetati]

The lamp head contains two bulbs throwing light at about 45 degrees towards the rear: right in front of the bulbs, there are two mirrors reflecting the light to the lenses on the front.
The mirrors were kept in place and partially covered by two flanges with a rectangular opening, which lead to produging a rectangular illuminated area on my lathe of about 1' x 6".
Having cut those covers to almost the mirors diameter, the illuminated area on the lathe has increased to a circle of about 3' diameter.

Marcello