Ring light for the mill.
LED lights mounted on a ring are readily available on ebay. They are commonly known as "angel eyes" and are used mainly for automotive applications and they normally need 12 volt power source. They are available in many sizes.
The idea of a ring of lights around the spindle of the mill is very attractive since the work is then uniformly illuminated. By contrast halogen light cast hard shadows which means that some parts of the work are poorly illuminated.
The idea of a ring of lights around the spindle of the mill is very attractive since the work is then uniformly illuminated. By contrast halogen light cast hard shadows which means that some parts of the work are poorly illuminated.
The "angel eye" as received comes with two flying leads.
They are quite cheap. I bought two 80 mm diameter angel eyes from an ebay source at a cost of £3.59 for the two
They are quite cheap. I bought two 80 mm diameter angel eyes from an ebay source at a cost of £3.59 for the two
To mount the "angel eye" a ring of 8 mm thick MDF board was cut using a 89 mm holesaw to cut the outside diameter and a 51 mm holesaw for the inside diameter. The quill on the mill is 50 mm diameter so it will slide easily through the inner hole.
A 6 mm hole was drilled for the wires.
Four 6 mm holes were drilled equally spaced on a 68 mm circle and four 6.35 x 3.2 mm neodymium magnets were pressed into these using the bench vice.
The MDF ring was spray painted black.
A 6 mm hole was drilled for the wires.
Four 6 mm holes were drilled equally spaced on a 68 mm circle and four 6.35 x 3.2 mm neodymium magnets were pressed into these using the bench vice.
The MDF ring was spray painted black.
The angel eye was attached to the MDF ring using six small spots of cyanoacrylate superglue.
The wires were shortened and connected to a 12 volt 1 amp power supply using a plastic connector mounted on a magnet.
The magnet attaches to the side of the head stock.
The magnet attaches to the side of the head stock.
This photo was taken looking up from below the headstock.
The MDF ring attaches to the headstock magnetically. It can be easily removed for cleaning or replacement if this ever become necessary.
It takes up little room and access to the spindle is barely impaired.
The MDF ring attaches to the headstock magnetically. It can be easily removed for cleaning or replacement if this ever become necessary.
It takes up little room and access to the spindle is barely impaired.
This is a very easy light to make and it provides good uniform lighting of anything immediately below the spindle.
Update 1.
Having used the ring light for a few days during some milling jobs I am very pleased with it. It provides really good all round illumination and this greatly enhances visibility of the workpiece. However, the ring light does restrict access to the spindle key hole and great care was necessary to prevent damage to the angel eye.
Since I had a spare angel eye I made a second ring light. The only difference is that the ring was made from 3 mm thick hardboard rather than 8 mm MDF. I also completely recessed the 3 x 6 mm magnets. This makes the ring light much thinner and there is now much better access to the spindle key hole.
Since I had a spare angel eye I made a second ring light. The only difference is that the ring was made from 3 mm thick hardboard rather than 8 mm MDF. I also completely recessed the 3 x 6 mm magnets. This makes the ring light much thinner and there is now much better access to the spindle key hole.
This shows the new hardboard ring with the magnets pressed in and fixed in place with cyanoacrylate adhesive.
The new thinner ring light.The ring has been painted and the angel eye stuck on with cyanoacrylate. The total thickness is only 6 mm compared with about 12 mm for the original version.
I shall probably try to mount the original ring light on my drill press.
Update 2.
Since doing the captive draw bar mod there is no need for access at the bottom of the spindle in order to release the drawbar. This means that it is possible to use a larger ring light. With the 80 mm ring light there was some shadowing when I used my largest 13 mm chuck. Making a 100 mm ring light has virtually solve this problem.
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This shows the new 100 mm ring light installed with the 13 mm chuck in place.
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Here the 13 mm chuck is 45 mm above a white surface and there is practically no shadowing.
If the chuck is mover closer then there is some shadowing. However, I would only go closer with smaller drills and these I would use in a smaller 10 mm chuck. |
