Help with a DIY table light.

S

sneaky_pete

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I'm going to make a table light out of oak for my 8' GCIII. Right now I'm just using room lighting. I plan on using 4' shoplights that have 2 (25w) bulbs per fixture and I was going to use 3 fixtures for the table light. That would give 150 watts of flourescent lighting which is superior to incandescant commonly used in table lights. Here's the thing, I was planning only making the ligh 4' long but didn't know if it would light the entire table or not so I was wondering what you guys think. So do you think a 4' x 20" light with 6 flourescent bulbs would decently light a 8' table? I don't need surgical lighting as I"m not a pro or anything but I do want decent acceptable lighting.
 
If you want to be sure of the light coverage make a cardboard copy of the fixture you are thinking of, you can tape it together or whatever. Place any kind of light in it to see how the light throws and adjust accordingly. If the entire table is covered by the slightest light you will be assured your configuration will work with all those fluorescent bulbs.

BK
 
I built my light for my 9' table using two 8' flourescent light fixtures that is 54" above the table and it lights up the table perfectly. No shadows anywhere. You can see part of the light in my avatar pic.
 
Darn they don't make a 6ft'er. I've been thinking of making the light 6ft long and putting 4 fixtures in there and staggering them over the 6 ft to get light at both ends. The thing is oak is crazy expensive and it would be nice to do just a 4ft light but I also don't want crap lighting.
 
sneaky_pete said:
Do they sell 6' shop lights? I bet two of those would work out well.
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Not that I've seen. I have seen a pool hall with fixtures made from 2' and 4' put end-to-end for 9-foot tables. I think this is a minimum for length. It would be a little better on an 8-foot table. The 2-foot fixtures don't seem to be as bright as the 4-foot.
 
sneaky_pete said:
I've been thinking of making the light 6ft long and putting 4 fixtures in there and staggering them over the 6 ft to get light at both ends. The thing is oak is crazy expensive and it would be nice to do just a 4ft light but I also don't want crap lighting.
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If you notice the lights made by Diamond (which I believe are the best out there), they are sized the same as the table (playing surface). I think the key to their lights isn't the amount of bulbs, and not necessarily the bulb placement... IMO it's the CHROME GRID that they use under the bulbs (available at Lowes, Home Depot, etc). All those reflecting surfaces really even out the light distribution, and focus it (downward) towards the playing surface. Unless you really hate having a "light-box".. and prefer a "hanging fixture".. I'd try to emmulate their design. One good feature is that it can be mounted much closer to the ceiling (such as in a basement), and doesn't get in the way for masse' and (some) jumpshots.

I have an Olhausen 8'- and my light is a single 4' (4-bulb) commercial drop-ceiling fixture(recessed). It's 57" above the table surface. I've always wanted to install a dedicated "pool-table light" but haven't got around to it yet. Still, the lighting from that single light is "adequate". IF the walls of my room were dark, or very far from the table, I might get more shadows. As it is, reflected light from the light-colored walls helps with eliminating some of them.

To save costs, you could use an oak-veneer plywood for the box sides instead of solid oak planks. And simply trim the exposed ends with a piece of 1/2"(thick) x 1 3/4"(wide) solid Oak strips. This will supply an inner "rim" for the Grid to sit on. Use a dado, finish nails or biscuits, and a good quality adhesive. Plywood isn't the best for end-nailing. You could choose (2) 4' 4-bulb fixtures (lengthwise or widthwise), (2) 8' 2-bulb fixtures (lengthwise), or (3) 4' 2-bulb fixtures (widthwise). I'm sure any such arrangement would give very good lighting.

Ray
 
sneaky_pete said:
Do they sell 6' shop lights? I bet two of those would work out well.
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eBay has 72" tubes (search for "fluorescent 72 tube" without the quotes), but I didn't see any fixtures. I guess if they make 72" tubes, there must be some fixtures out there to put them in, but I don't know who's got them.

Since they are less common, the 72" tubes seem to be more expensive (per unit length) than 48" or 96" tubes, so the fixtures probably are too.
 
Watch the weight...

I built my own light too and ended up using Pine for the panelling. This was partly because I just painted it black and was not worried about the appearance, but also because I thought other denser woods like Oak or Maple would be too heavy for a large fixture. You need to bear in mind the overall weight when assembled and how you will be securing it in place.

FWIW My light is held up by 6 lengths of chain connected to large screw hooks mounted in the ceiling joists of the garage.
 
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