A Ring Light For The Super X1 Mill

Michael Cox creates shadow-free illumination on his mill.

Good lighting is essential when working with machine tools. The problem with most conventional machine lights is that they are very directional and whilst one side is well lit the other side is in deep shadow. This problem can be alleviated by having two lights shining from two opposing directions. The other problem with conventional machine lights is that they tend to restrict the operators view by physically being in the way.

In recent years LED ring lights, photo 1, also known as “Angel Eyes”, have become available in a range of sizes. These are popular with car enthusiasts as enhancements to the standard vehicle lights. They are usually rated for 12-volt power supplies, come in sizes from 40mm diameter up to at least 160mm diameter, and come in every colour of the rainbow. There are many suppliers of such ring lights on eBay. Potentially these ring lights can provide all-round lighting for the mill spindle.

I bought two 80mm ring lights to experiment with on the mill. These had 24 white LEDs mounted around the ring.

First version