Ultimate Shop Light

Ultimate Shop Light FARM SHOP Miscellaneous 14-2-15 "My shop light does such a terrific job you almost think someone had pulled the sun from the sky and mounted it on a post," says James Rimmer, Arkona, Ont., happy with the shop light he built to eliminate the need for conventional trouble lights. Rimmer came up with the light to make his job as a mechanic at a Ford New Holland dealership easier. "It's so bright you can't look at it. You have to squint from 25 ft." The light uses a vapor, halogen 300 to 500 watt bulb of the type used for streetlights or by homeowners to illuminate their yards. The lights can be purchased at most hard-ware stores for $30 to $40. "I use the 500 watt bulb. It gets very hot so you have to be careful," says Rimmer. He welded together an extendable stand from two pieces of scrap tubing about 4 ft. long. One slides inside the other. By loosening a T-bar screw, Rimmer can extend the light from 5 ft. up to 8 ft. The head of the light can be adjusted to shine down at a 45? angle or up to a 180? angle. The light head can be easily detached for hand-held use since Rimmer attached it to the stand with a pair of discarded male and female air hose end connectors, mounting one on the stand and one on the light head. For the base of the stand, he used a circular base from an old TV stand but says a large disc blade would work just as well. He wired a 1-ft. length of electric cord to the light. "That way, if someone stumbles over the extension cord running to the light, it will come unplugged, leaving the light standing." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, James Rimmer, Rt. 1, Arkona, Ontario, Canada NOM 1BO (ph 519 828-3166).

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