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James Rathbun

Lighting up the South Bend Lathe

Posted on January 17, 2022January 17, 2022

Now that I have a few months working on the old South Bend Lathe, it has become crystal clear that I need to improve the lighting around the machine. The bulk of my garage shop lighting, 48 inch Fluorescent Fixtures is behind me while I an standing at the lathe. I opted to install a Dental Lamp I inherited from my grandfather with a twist.

South Bend Lathe with Dental Lamp with LED as a light source.
South Bend Lathe with Dental Lamp with LED as a light source.

The Dental Lamp is held above the work space with a 20 inch riser. The connected to the 22 inch chrome arm with a 16 inch horizontal support. The horizontal support allows the lamp to swing around the riser and the chrome arm allows you the place the lamp exactly were you want it. I purchased a 30 inch piece of galvanized pipe which I painted black to match the riser.

The original light had long since disappeared, so, I purchased a new light socket and wired it up within the frame. At first I used a 60 W bulb in the lamp, and hoped the polished mirror finish would reflect enough light to make a difference. The results were a bit underwhelming.

I jumped over to Amazon and soon had a Garage LED sitting at my door. The LED just fit within the globe of the dental lamp and the difference in lumens is amazing.

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