Metal Garages

As a woodworker, you know you need good lighting in order to easily see your projects. From general tasks like cutting and sanding to intricate details like carving, having a well-lit workshop is vital.

If you plan on using your VersaTube steel frame garage as a woodworking workshop, here are some tips on lighting your workshop for optimum woodworking performance.

Ceiling lighting

There are several options when it comes to choosing general lighting for your woodworking workshop. Your top options will be fixtures with T8 or T5 lamps, or LED lamps. They provide plenty of light that can easily spread and reach throughout your workshop, ensuring that your entire workspace is well lit.

When selecting which ceiling lamps to install, you will want to take into account your ceiling height and size of your workspace. Vic Hubbard on the Wood Whisperer blog states, “Examples of some different scenarios for ambient lighting would be ten-foot ceilings versus seven-foot ceilings. If you have a greater ceiling height, the fixture will allow the light to spread more before it hits the working surface, which is generally about three feet off the ground. So, you will probably want a higher lamp count fixture and will space them further apart. Inversely, if your ceiling height is only seven feet, you will likely be happier with one or two lamp T8 fixtures and have more of them spaced closer together.”

Here are his suggestions:

• Ceilings that are less than 10 feet high - 2-lamp T8 fixtures

• Ceilings that are 10 to 15 feet high - 4-lamp T8 fixtures

• Ceilings that are over 15 feet high - 6-lamp T8 fixtures or 4-lamp T5 fixtures

Task lighting

Hubbard also recommends investing in a small swivel light fixture or lamp to add to your workshop table for smaller, more detailed wood carving. LED light bulbs will be your best bet for lighting to allow you to see small details better and is easy to adjust.

VersaTube garages are ideal for converting into a woodworking workshop. With high ceilings and plenty of interior space, you’ll have no trouble outfitting your VersaTube garage with lighting that will illuminate your woodworking space. Check out our standard garage kits or design your own dream woodworking shop today.