Well we kind of leaped forward once we got the great input here and things are coming together nicely. The three key components of the room are just about complete.

Here is the photo table with the seamless background (almost) installed. I have already tested this and it is terrific to be working at the proper height and have a nice gradient background automatically every time I release the shutter.
[www.rodbuilding.org]

The workbench is pretty standard and just needs the laminate top installed. I had second thoughts about using a laminate since most workbenches are wood-top but considered I'd mostly be gluing up handles and storing building items so ultimately decided the laminate would work OK.
[www.rodbuilding.org]

The wrapping table is completed. Just waiting to move the wrapper in and get some rod finish dripped on it. ;)
[www.rodbuilding.org]

Next project: A rod measuring area, blank inventory rack and dryer installation. After that I'll be looking for a Craig's List couch and chair!!

Next Question: Does anything work better than 4 foot shop lights over the wrapping table????

Your wrapping table -- Is open on the other side ?? You will be using a chare Adjustable rolling on that office plastic on the rug so it is easyer to roll

Bill - willierods.com

Yes, track lights work very well when they are installed about 3 feet behind and above your wrapping position. Also a couple of goose neck lamps and unless you wish to use a magnifying visor, a good quality magnifying lamp. I would opt out of overhead florescent lighting.

Jim,
Randolph's idea is much better than the 4' shop lights. My bench top is 12' long( 2- 6' metal work benches bolted together) with a 3/4" white melamine top and a white pegboard back. I thought adding two 4' shop lights 18" over the bench top (under the two shelves on top of the benches) would be the ultimate solution. Didn't really work as well as I thought it would. The shop lights with their covers were adding more problems with glare than focused useful light. I put 2" blue painter's tape on the sides of the light covers that faced me which helped a little, but I still wasn't getting the focused light I was looking for when wrapping. My shop is very well lit: it's 14' x 14' with 7' ceiling and 6- 4' two tube fluorescents on the ceiling, plus the two under the bench shelves. But when wrapping, I've had my best success with a desk lamp I bought cheap at Lowe's that has a small four tube fluorescent cartridge that has an adjustable neck that I focus over the wraps I'm doing and leaving the two lights under the shelves off. I have often given thought to constructing a track light system, and I might, but the desk lamp is working fine at present. I'd send you a picture but I'm ashamed of the carnage on the bench after my last build.

Overhead fluorescent lighting is good for general lighting - broad area coverage mounted high up on the ceiling so that the lights will not interfere with repositioning fishing rods / blanks from place to place. As Randy has already posted - a 'task light solution" is better. Goose necked lamps attached to 2x6' blocks is what I settled on. I have two on each work bench and one "spare" in case needed. Since they're not permanently mounted they can be repositioned near the wrap I'm working on. When loaded up with 100 watt 'reveal' ( sunlight bulbs) they provide a good true thread color for sunlight - and if necessary the goose neck can be lowered down over an specific area to speed epoxy cure. I do this when I'm applying a decal / name on a rod. I apply epoxy to the area where the decal will go first then proceed to wrap the guides & epoxy them. By the time I've finished wrapping the guides the epoxy for the label is just about ready ( normally about an hour).

Thank you gentlemen! I am launching a search for a good goose neck or two. I agree about focused light. I even found myself using a 300 watt photo light on a stand over my right shoulder (and my left and in front...and anywhere I thought it would work better). It was great light but it was incandescent. The temp in the whole room would go up about 5 degrees and eventually fry the little hairs off the back of my neck. It became my "winter" light. I can't seem to find fluorescent bulbs with the UMPH to really light up my world but maybe with a goose neck using lower wattage closer to the work I can solve the problem.

I'm sure avoiding a lot of mistakes with you guys around. Started moving some of my messes out of the office and into Area 51 today. It's looking nice.

Have a good weekend!

I tried quite a few before I found this one. [www.officedepot.com]

I really like the light provided by the LED's.

Steve Hartzell
Lake Conroe - Willis, Texas

I use Halogen lamps, florescent gives a false/incorrect color to the thread in my opinion.

x10 on Randy's comment about Halogen lights.

I have florescent ceiling lights on 4 foot spacing in the ceiling.

Then I have a halogen desk light that is a swing arm light with a 50 watt bulb, that I generally have about 6 inches from the guide or blank being wrapped.

In contrast what many folks do, I have a long enough bench so that I can remain in the middle of the bench and roll the power wrapper by my work station. That way, I use a single light in a single position, and move the guide in question under the light and into the area where I am located with its tools etc.

By the way, your rod wrapping bench looks really great. However, I am sorry to see that you did not go with a formed laminate surface with a curved rolled edge on the side of the wrapper. I am fearful, that you will not light the sharp edge on the wrapper side of the table. A person often rests his arms on the edges of the bench and with the sharp edge - it will continually cut into the arms of the wrapper. If you have sufficient material, it might be a good idea to run a router with a slight radius down the side of the bench that is on the wrapper side, if you have sufficient material in the top to allow this to happen without destroying the top. I mention this because I had made a table years ago, which we used as a family with relatively sharp edges and always regretted not having a rolled edge on the sides o the table.

This is a picture of the 50 watt halogen light that I use for rod wrapping.
I found that the light happens to fit perfectly on the bottom of an unside down 3 lb coffee tin. This elevates the rod to just the right height, so that the light is shining down, not up.

I tried a swing arm light mounted on the back of the bench but found that that light did not work.

I have very good general lighting in the ceiling, but the Halogen light provides the necessary task light for building.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

I have a magnafing lamp that is put into holes near the end of my bench
Can not move the rod so I move the light

Bill - willierods.com

Based on some earlier comments, I have been searching for a nice Led Thin, Compact desk swing arm light.

It appears that this one may fill the bill. I picked up the last one that was available at our local store and it will be interesting to see how it works out.

I like a thin compact light that is easy to have between myself and the rod, so that I am lighting my side of the rod when wrapping.

I don't want the light to be behind the rod, because the wraps will be in the shadow of the rod:

[www.menards.com]

I have also picked up some very inexpensive very very bright multi LED lights.
They are a simple very thin pc board with the lights mounted on them. I mount them on some of my machines for detail work when working on the machines.

Perhaps, if the light that I listed above does not give sufficient light, I may replace the existing LED assembly that is in that swing arm light and mount the PC board mounted multi LED bulb assembly.

This document lists numerous examples of various types of LED lighting sources. Some have screw bulb, some double pin twist in, some double pin plug in, some bare assemblies that are soldered in and others.

[www.ledlight.com]

This is probably the way I will provide general light for the workbench in the next shop I build - and will likely also go with 12-15w LED task lights @6500K in goosenecks with at least one 50+ watt halogen for any fast cure needs. It looks like we will be moving to North Carolina before the end of summer so the new shop is not that far off that I can't begin dreaming!

LED strip lighting: [www.environmentallights.com]


[www.environmentallights.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/2014 07:05PM by Ken Preston.

Every LED I've seen seems weak...I like the idea but is there a minimum wattage I should look for to guarantee a strong, bright light?? I'd like to avoid the heat and the goose neck design is going to be best for this set up.

Jim,
The swing arm light that I ordered last week will be here this week:

[www.menards.com]

I will let you know how the light is from this swing arm light for wrapping.

I do agree with your statement on average, that most of the LED lights that I have seen in the past have been on the weak side.

However, many of today's automobile manufacturers are now using LED's for all of their lights including the head lights. So, certainly there are very bright LED's on the market currently. However, I am not sure if many have made it into the lamp market yet.

As I said earlier, a couple of years ago, I received some LED circuit board mounted multi bulb displays of about 30 bulb of a generous size that run on 12 volts DC and are very very bright. I have used these on some of the shop machines are are very well suited for assembly work as would be the case for rod building.

So, if this new light that I am getting is close to those lights, I will be well pleased.

By the way, before going with goose neck lights, consider the possible use of swing arm lights. I have tried several goose neck lights in the past and have found generally that the flexible arms are either too short, or too flexible so that the light is difficult to position where you want. I did find that by elevating the swing arm Halogen light that I currently use so that the base is essentially at the same level as the rod being built, that I have plenty of adjustment room to get the light right where I want it.

I generally keep the light at 6 inches to 18 inches on my side of the rod and above it and positioned on the side that is away from my favored wrapping hand. I happen to be left handed, so I keep the light on the right side. This way, my wrap is never in shadow, either from my hand, or from the rod itself. When I had used two lights, one on the right and one on the left, I found that I was creating shadows from the left side mounted light from the shadow effects of my hand on the wraps. So, I dispensed with the double lights and only use the single detail light mounted on my non rod wrapping hand, and on the side of the rod that is close to me. Good light and no shadows.

I have some of these LED flat lights:

[www.fleetfarm.com]

and

[www.fleetfarm.com]

These lights typically run off of 4-1.5 volt batteries, or 6 volts DC.

So one could easily take the light element from lights similar to these, and mount them in a nice thin swing arm light assembly and have a great detail light for rod building that would have a small head and a flat head design to be out of the way.

It is a simple matter to use an inexpensive 6 volt dc plug in power supply to power the lights.

[www.google.com]

I suspect that it will not be long before similar lights will be available on the market.

We will see.

But you can just do an experiment and pick up one or more of these small compact lights from many sources and just do some light intensity testing to see if they might work for you and your needs.

I warned you, but you wouldn't listen, white floor so you can find the dropped micros. :-)

Michael,
Exactly why my building bench is white, my walls are white, my ceiling is white and my floors are white.

Dropped items pop out.
I vacuum the floor and wipe down the bench every day so that that the bench is clean and the floor is clean.
Then, any dropped items stand out, since there is nothing else on the floor.

Be safe