Track lighting above long arm?

[nursecec]

I read a suggestion about using track lighting above a long arm.  Has any one tried this?  My room is 14x10 with standard 8 foot ceiling.  I have a fairly large window on the west wall, which on a sunny day,  gives me nice overall lighting.  But on cloudy days and at nigh additional light would be needed.  The current set up is a ceiling light/fan in the center of the ceiling.  Longarm is not yet set up so I don't have actual experience with what lighting is actually needed and will wait for final decision until that happens.  I didn't purchase $800 option lighting because it seems awfully expensive.  I live by myself and would like a fairly easy solution that I can set up or my non-electrician son could set up.   I have a couple questions:

1.  how much track should I get for a 12' table?

2.  What lighting should I consider:  LED? halogen? flourescent?

3. 

3.  Anything else I should consider?

[RunningThreads]

Matt Sparrow posted an inexpensive light system many years ago.  I would use led shop light instead of the fluorescent lamps as they are  only slightly more money.  On the set I made for the Millie I also used a wireless outlet switch and velcroed the remote to the power advance switch box. When I got it to my liking I took the pipe outside and sprayed it flat black to match the table.  https://manquilter.wordpress.com/2009/09/23/new-lighting-for-2009-apqs-millennium/

 

Nigel

[Deb in the Mtns]

My husband installed 2 lengths of track over my 12' frame for my Lenni - see photo.  It's LED and wonderful!  I do wish I had one more section, but the way the ceiling was built didn't allow it.  He also put flat panel LED fixtures above my sewing machine and my cutting table.
My windows are now a bit darker because I have direct Southern exposure and covered them with a UV film to keep things from fading.

[Gator]

Which ever way you go, get the LED lights.  They are more expensive than the others but well worth it in the long run.  Fluorescent gives lots of folks headaches and sometimes casts shadows.  Halogen and regular light bulbs give off  to much heat to stand under?

[jimerickson]

I use track lighting to illuminate both for my long arms, and the entire space of our quilting studio.  Began years ago with halogen bulbs, which I've since replaced with LED's.  I like track because of the flexibility it offers.  If the original lighting plan is incorrect, or if your needs change, it is easy to move, add, or remove fixtures to better light your area.  I've used both PAR 38, and PAR 30 narrow beam flood bulbs.  Chose narrow beam because most of the light I need is task lighting.  I've primarily  bought 2700K or 3000K light color range, and 900-1200 lumen bulbs.  Back in 2013 I paid over $35 per bulb, for the PAR 38's but the price has come down substantially since.  As an example, I just replaced the florescent bulbs in my shop (screw in bulbs for track fixtures) a couple of weeks ago. I bought 40 PAR 30, 900 lumen, 25 degree floods for less than $100.  Bought them off e-bay.  I didn't like the florescent bulbs because they were slow to come to full illumination, especially when it's cold, and weren't focused at all.  The electric consumption between the LED and the florescent bulbs were about the same.  (the LED' are way less than the original halogens)

I've managed to buy the the individual fixtures for about $10 each.  ( over the years I've probably bought 150 fixtures to light both the house and work areas)  When you flood the task areas with light, there doesn't seem much need for additional ambient light.  Do  yourself a favor and install track lighting over your quilting machine.  Then if you need to move light around, it's easy to do.   Jim

[floyd6451]

I have a 4 foot LED shop light. I have another but so far one gives plenty of light.  Attached with a swing arm on a redwood 4x4

 

[clgtennis]

I found these instructions to build a light bar over my Freedom.  A friend of mine volunteered her husband to help me and we built it (mostly he!) in one evening.  I love this light bar and it was inexpensive compared to others I looked at and attaches perfectly to the brackets on my 10 foot frame.  I found all the supplies at Home Depot and Lowes.

http://www.hurdusew.com/Docs/DYI_Light_Kit.pdf