As someone who rewired my entire shop lighting two years ago, I learned everything there is to know about LED shop lights. Today, I will share it all with you. The short version: LED shop lights changed my workshop for the better, and I wish I’d done it sooner.
Why LED Beats Everything Else
Fluorescent flickers give me headaches. Always have. LED doesn’t flicker. It also uses less power and the tubes last basically forever compared to fluorescent. But the real selling point for woodworkers? Better color rendering. You see wood colors accurately under LED light, which matters a ton when you’re choosing stains or evaluating finish coats.
How Much Light You Need
Shop lighting has gotten complicated with all the lumen ratings and color specs flying around, but the basic math is simple: aim for about 50 lumens per square foot. A 400 square foot shop needs roughly 20,000 lumens total. Sounds like a lot, but a decent 4-foot LED fixture puts out 4,000-5,000 lumens. So four or five fixtures covers a medium shop.
More is better for detail work. I went slightly over the recommended amount and I’m glad I did.
Layout Matters More Than Brightness
Even distribution beats raw brightness every time. Dark spots create shadows. Shadows cause mistakes. I’ve caught myself mis-reading pencil lines in shadowy areas and nearly ruining cuts.
Position lights over work areas, but not directly above your table saw — glare off the table surface is bad. Slightly to the side or behind where you stand works better. Probably should have led with this section, honestly, because bad placement wastes good fixtures.
Task Lighting
Overhead handles general illumination. Add swing arm lamps for close bench work. Under-cabinet LED strips fill in where needed. Multiple light sources eliminate shadows way better than one bright overhead fixture trying to do everything.
Color Temperature
5000K is daylight equivalent and my preference for seeing work accurately. Some folks prefer the warmer 4000K tone. Avoid 6500K — it’s harsh and unpleasant for extended sessions. That’s what makes color temperature endearing to us picky woodworkers — getting it right makes the whole shop feel more comfortable.
Installation Tips
Most LED fixtures can daisy-chain together, which reduces wiring runs. Link them in series and run one power supply to the first fixture. Pull chains on each individual fixture, or wire them all to a single switch — depends on your preference and whether you sometimes want partial lighting.
What It Costs
LED fixtures are genuinely cheap now. $30-50 each for decent quality units. Full shop lighting upgrade for under $200 is realistic. When I compare that to what I spent on fluorescent tubes that needed replacing every year or two, the LED setup has already paid for itself.
