Table Lighting

[JimL]

First I would like to say hi to all the members of this forum, as you can see this is my first post at this forum. I've been visiting this forum and several others for about 6wks and can say the people here are the most knowledgable & patient of any group on the net. With that said let me get to the first of many questions to come.
I don't feel my table light is illuminating the table correctly (alot of shadowing at either end) and I'm considering buying another light. What I'd like to know is the pros and cons of different types of lighting i.e. incandescent vs flourescent.

Thanx Jim

 

[poolandpokerman]

What size table do you have and what type of lighting do you have now?

 

[Gregg]

First I would like to say hi to all the members of this forum, as you can see this is my first post at this forum. I've been visiting this forum and several others for about 6wks and can say the people here are the most knowledgable & patient of any group on the net. With that said let me get to the first of many questions to come.
I don't feel my table light is illuminating the table correctly (alot of shadowing at either end) and I'm considering buying another light. What I'd like to know is the pros and cons of different types of lighting i.e. incandescent vs flourescent.

Thanx Jim

Be prepared for a lot of good debate on this one.

Diamond sets the standard when it comes to table lighting, if price is no object of course.

The had Diamond table lights setup at the pro event at Valley Forge this year, and they looked and performed great, from what I could ascertain (ascertain is my $5 word of the day).

 

[mosconiac]

You can do it the cheap and dirty (but effective) way. I used two 4', dual bulb flourescent lights hung with simple chain. It works great for minimal money. I used plastic tubes you can get at the hardware store to protect the flourescent tubes so if I drop one or hit one, the debris will be contained.

 

[Paul Mon]

I used three 4' long fixtures that each has two 40-watt fluorescent bulbs. They are mounted parallel to the end rail, one in the middle of the table and one each about 2 diamonds from the end rail. Table is 9'. I use daylight bulbs.

 

[JimL]

The table is 8', the present light is a three fixture incandescent. I bought it a local poll hall/ supply store. They seemed to be very knowledgable and established that light was correct for my table.I think the problem w/tis light is the shades are wood framed w/ an opaqe (need spell check for that one) blue glass. I think the glass allows to much light to enter the surrounding room and doesn't direct enough light to the playing surface.

 

[Bigtruck]

High Temp Paint.....

The table is 8', the present light is a three fixture incandescent. I bought it a local poll hall/ supply store. They seemed to be very knowledgable and established that light was correct for my table.I think the problem w/tis light is the shades are wood framed w/ an opaqe (need spell check for that one) blue glass. I think the glass allows to much light to enter the surrounding room and doesn't direct enough light to the playing surface.

Bingo! Buy a can of High Temp Engine Paint ( Black) and paint the outside of the light fixtures. This will make a huge difference! Good Luck.

Ray

 

[pip9ball]

Custom built light!

The best light I've had is the one I made! It illuminated the table perfectly (no shadows anywhere), better than the current diamond light I have. If I could have figured out a way to get this baby into my attic I would still be using it. Right now, its just collecting dust in my garage :-(

Light was fairly easy to make, although took me about a month as I only worked on this during weekends. All parts were purchased at Home Depot and total cost of materials was around $250.

-Phillip

 

[JimL]

Don't think the wife would approve of painting the glass black.
I think that would look a little cheesy.We've probably established
that the glass looks great but lacks functionality. I would still be
interested in opinions on the best type of light for the table
since it looks like I'll be shopping around for a new light.

 

[JimL]

Wow! pip thats awsome! I'm no Bob Vila no chance I could make that but it is along the lines I was thinking about buying.

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

In terms of table illumination, you really should talk to a light specialist about this. Either one will get the job done, so long as the wattage is correct. Personally, I like incandescent bulbs because pooltable lamps ARE the primary light source for the entire room and flourescent lights give the room a sterile look (like a hospital). Incandescent bulbs will make the room feel warmer.

For poolroom owners, there are other differences to consider. Flourescent bulbs use less electricity and can provide significant savings on a rather large electric bill. Also, even though flourescent bulbs are more expensive, they last much much longer and in the end, serve as a cheaper alternative.

 

[pip9ball]

Wow! pip thats awsome! I'm no Bob Vila no chance I could make that but it is along the lines I was thinking about buying.

Thanks! By all means, Im no Bob Villa either...in fact the only woodshop experience I had was in 8th grade wood shop class! I took my time and asked alot of questions at my local cabinet shop (they were very helpful in explaining what I should do). I started off with building the frame, which consisted of 4 sides that formed the trapezoid shape. This took the most time as I wasn't very good with a router, however, after these were done it was smooth sailing.

I too was looking to purchase a light similar to this, problem is at the time money was tight and I couldn't afford the $800+ people were quoting me. I originally was going to build a simple square rectangle, but the guys at the cabinet shop came up with this idea and convinced me it wouldn't be that much more work I don't buy into their argument, however, I am glad I took the advice because it turned out great.

-phillip

 

[Pushout]

Make sure your lighting is low enough to provide proper illuminationl. I think the standard is 31'' from the bed. Unfortunately, I can't get mine that low. If you are using "lamp style" lights, make sure you're using a four lamp fixture for a 9' table. Three is NOT enough. Three lamps is ok for an 8'.

 

[ceebee]

Here is a couple of Pool Table Lights that I make.

The Oak Light is approximately 28 x 56 in size. It has 6 Sylvania DuLux lamps, plenty of light.

The mahogany is 20 by 67 & has 4 100-Watt bulbs.
I really enjoy making Pool Table Lights for my Customers. Giving the customer a range of choices, makes it easy for the customer to have a Pool table Light, that looks like it was made to match their Pool Table or the surroundings.

 

[JimL]

CeeBee I really like the oak light.I checked and my light is also 56".
I tried a littlt experiment with aluminum foil on the inside of the outer shades- 100% improvment. I definatley need a different style light.
whats the price tag for your oak light?

 

[Gregg]

The best light I've had is the one I made! It illuminated the table perfectly (no shadows anywhere), better than the current diamond light I have. If I could have figured out a way to get this baby into my attic I would still be using it. Right now, its just collecting dust in my garage :-(

Light was fairly easy to make, although took me about a month as I only worked on this during weekends. All parts were purchased at Home Depot and total cost of materials was around $250.

-Phillip

That table lamp is friggin' sick! Great job. I love seeing a do it yourself job that looks clean, professional, and probably performs better than the commercial lamp it mimics for 1/3 the price, and the pride that goes along with doing it yourself.

 

[alpine9430]

The best light I've had is the one I made! It illuminated the table perfectly (no shadows anywhere), better than the current diamond light I have. If I could have figured out a way to get this baby into my attic I would still be using it. Right now, its just collecting dust in my garage :-(

Light was fairly easy to make, although took me about a month as I only worked on this during weekends. All parts were purchased at Home Depot and total cost of materials was around $250.

-Phillip

What was the material you used for the small pattern grid?

Thanks in advance for your response...
Myron

 

[pip9ball]

That table lamp is friggin' sick! Great job. I love seeing a do it yourself job that looks clean, professional, and probably performs better than the commercial lamp it mimics for 1/3 the price, and the pride that goes along with doing it yourself.

Thanks...I was real pleased with the outcome. When I sold my house in California, the new home owner offered me some serious cash to leave it behind....I said no as I plan was to use this in my new home. Maybe my next home!

-Phillip

 

[pip9ball]

What was the material you used for the small pattern grid?

Thanks in advance for your response...
Myron

The grid is just plain old commercial light diffusers found in the lighting section at home depot. I needed a total of 4 of them for my light. I played around with white, gold, and chrome colors. I thought the chrome diffuser distributed the light the best so this is what I picked.

If you decide to make your own, I highly recommend the electronic ballasts over the magnetic ones. The magnetic ballasts are heavy and have an annoying buzz noise all the time. I soon swapped my ballasts out for electronic ones and all noise ceased. They are a tad bit more expensive but a must have in my opinion. All wood seen is poplar stained a cherry-oak color. The size of the grid pattern is exactly 50" x 100"...this might be overkill but it works awesome. Because of the wood, total weight is around 125lbs. Definitely needs to be secured to ceiling joists. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

-Phillip

 

[Fatboy]

First I would like to say hi to all the members of this forum, as you can see this is my first post at this forum. I've been visiting this forum and several others for about 6wks and can say the people here are the most knowledgable & patient of any group on the net. With that said let me get to the first of many questions to come.
I don't feel my table light is illuminating the table correctly (alot of shadowing at either end) and I'm considering buying another light. What I'd like to know is the pros and cons of different types of lighting i.e. incandescent vs flourescent.

Thanx Jim

i have a 9' gold crown 4 with a Diamond light over it, it is the Rolls Royce of liughting, nothing is better. period.