A simple "Try each one and see what it does." is too much to ask, eh? Then the "I switch one on for normal use and both for 'OMIGOD, I'm gonna go blind!' lighting. Here are your sunglasses." Do that only after you've built the sunglass case on the wall into the shop.
Right. Just as the cheaper shop lights usually come with plugged cords.
Enjoy your feckless and fun-filled Friday, sir.
-- Ask not what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive... then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. -- Howard Thurman
I enjoy almost everything about running Romex. I almost live for it. It's the thoughts of ripping up and replacing my new drywall that makes my eyes wet--all the more so because it's too cool outside to do the drywall mudding... I assume you are just teasing about that.
In that case, I'd run conduit between the lights and hook 'em up through one small hole in your new drywall at the switched end, to get the new pair from the switches up to the ceiling.
WAITAMINUTEHERE. If you didn't yet know how many light fixtures you wanted on the ceiling, how could you run wiring at all?
-- Ask not what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive... then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. -- Howard Thurman
It works well to run banks of lights if you need a gazillion extra lumens on certain work 1% of the time. I guess Lew likes brightly lit docks so he can see even if he's down in the bilge, eh?
Most office buildings have switched diminished lighting which is good enough for the cleaning crew to work with, or to continue heating the building at night. This was true almost every place I worked before I started my own business.
-- Ask not what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive... then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. -- Howard Thurman
Well, from my new but currently unactivated sub-panel, I have installed a 15 amp circuit breaker and 12-2 Romex to a new wall switch, and from there 12-2 Romex up into the attic where at least 30' of it is now sitting in a neat coil. From there it will easily thread around the perimeter of the attic where other romex cables currently also live. This route also traverses my new running board but allow me to keep my story simple.
Installing 2, or possibly 3, duplex outlets on this perimeter of the attic would make it easy to power 4 new fixtures.
In answer to your question, I think I'm prepared to install almost as many light fixtures as I want, as long as their cords are not further than 5 feet from my walls.
I need to take accurate measurements of some details so I can "commit" to a diagram, then I may be almost good to do.
I went to Lowes today, and they had lots of fixtures, but not many like I wanted, and I couldn't tell the features they had (only one with an "enclosure"/reflector for instance). Perhaps all of the fixtures were of the same brand. I stood there for 15 minutes to see if someone would offer to help me, but they didn't, and I left thinking it probably wasn't a quality brand anyway. They did have a stack of 4' 2-bulb T-12 fixtures on sale for 9.97--of the same brand too! Putting two and two together, it made me wonder how good any of those fixtures is.
Are your rafters running the short length, door to the benches? If so, run a piece of romex down into the space and install a quad outlet for every row, centered in the ceiling. Plug 3 fixtures into each one and have a spare for extension cord drops to the center of the shop. (I use the hell out of my duplex outlet that way. Running to a power strip, I have the little HF drill press, my Shop Fox mortiser, and the Delta 1" belt/6" disk sander plugged into it.) Choose how you power them (should you wish to go to a second circuit. ;)
Butcha just can't commit, can ya? Bwahahahahaha!
RUN AWAY! In what city do yo live, again?
-- Ask not what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive... then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. -- Howard Thurman
Well, because it was a lighting circuit? I've seen I can switch a C'Breaker in less time than it takes to get the cover off the panel, so this is not a big deal.
Actually, I'm in a hurry to commit so I can start installing lights! (We) Made a lot of progress in that direction this week.
Thanks for the warning. I was hoping someone would advise me one way or the other. It could have been the "bargain of the month" and I didn't know it.... I live close to Indianapolis, how about you?
Bill wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news1.newsguy.com:
I picked up some of the $10 fixtures from Lowes some time ago. They're just ok... until I turn the CMS on. Then they blink off and on and become a sudden distraction. As a result, they don't get used very often... Too bad, I like the extra light.
One of these days, I'll run a new circuit for those lights and a switch on the wall. It's not a big enough hassle to be high on the project list.
This summer, I bought 250' of 12-2 and 250' of 10-2. I was not in short supply of either. However what I ended up using was much more than I guessed I needed, so this ended up being a good purchase. I'd advise anyone sizing up his or her requirements to do the same.
Yeah, I got a 250' box of 12-2 for ten bucks (on sale from $20) when I moved up here. Most of it's gone after running attic lights (miniscule attic area) and 240v for my shop tools.
-- Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises. -- Demosthenes
While I was reading reviews a few minutes ago, I read where someone installed lights above where their garage door sits atop (that one might do this had not occurred to me). That just goes to show that you don't have to do everything on the first pass. Lots of good ideas are offered around here. BTW, you got a VGD on your romex. Evidently, yours even came with box! ; )
Yeah, I got it on sale and before the extraordinary rise in copper wire prices. I think they're $60 now.
Yeah, a box with a hole in the center where you could snake out curly wire. If you didn't rotate it while pulling, you ended up with a kink every 6' or so. DAMHIKT
-- Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises. -- Demosthenes
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