Less shadow, more light

[greenlizard]

We moved into a new/old house last year. The single garage I use as a shop is fine except for the lack of lighting. That's an easy fix except for the area above the door. I've seen what others such as Jack Olsen have done and decided to create my own version of under the door light mounts. In my scrap pile I found a bed frame dated 1962 made in North Carolina. Turns out that bed frames used to be made of real steel instead of the current mystery material. I used an abrasive saw to cut the stuff because I expected it to be blade breaking nasty junk but I was wrong. It cut, drilled, and welded just fine.

Disassembly with a grinder:

Cutting into lengths:

Test fit with support board for mounting light:

Door open:

Door closed:

And... here is the other side. The lights are equal distance from each wall. The door is not centered in the room.

I wired the light using 16 gauge extention cord type wire (stranded, not Romex) with a grounding plug. BTW, that is way overkill for a T8 fluorescent but I have a reel of it so that's what got used. The power comes from a switched outlet installed in the ceiling so the light behaves like a normal ceiling fixture. I'll install another fixture on the other side in a few days and expect this to provide enough light for open door work.
I would prefer the light directly on the ceiling but at about 7.5 feet off the floor there should be no problem bumping into them.

 

[ddawg16]

Not a bad idea.....I like it.

I like you re-tasked some old stuff.

I think your placement is perfect. And, good choice on the light

Now I'm looking at those arms and thinking what flat stock you could store up there

 

[padroo]

I always hated the shadows when the door is up. That is a good idea and you could take it one step further by making an identical bracket on the other side and installing thin wall conduit across them and you could install more light. Just an idea.

 

[TauntDevil]

Looks good. I put a light above my garage door and then some on the door so when it is down, I get light on all sides (Garage lights are on a different switch) and when it is up, works like the door isnt even up. Also put some on the sides of the garage pointing outward so when it is up, there is light outside as well. Would take pics but its all packed away now that we are moving. I need more lights for the new house :/

 

[steel 35]

Thanks for sharing; I too have a dark spot but only care when the door is down.

 

[sqznby]

That is great. Awesome job

 

[chruler]

Another fine job!

 

[Jack Olsen]

Looks great!

 

[Pardigital]

Nice!