Florescent lights for shop use...

[MoparNorm]

Thanks Terry!
Actually I'm hoping that I can build it for a little less than that! (I'm a carpenter by trade and MoparTina works real cheap! ha!ha!)

Why are barns red? I read somewhere, years ago, that red was the easiest color to make from scratch on a farm, and since there weren't many Standard Brands paint stores around in the 1750's, I think it just caught on. Now, if you travel around the country, I see many barns in the upper midwest and PA that are white. Out here in the West, green or unpainted seems to be right up there with red. Todays barns are more than likely painted red as a salute to tradition, and those first homemade red painted barns.
I still haven't decided what color to use, but red is up there near the top.
MoparNorm

[HWooldridge]

I use fluorescents for general lighting but you can also mount portable, high intensity work lights on a permanent box. I have a couple mounted to the outside of the shop for working at night and they are activated by a regular switch. However, they do put out a lot of heat and don't like vibration so take care where you place them. I'm not talking about conventional floodlamps but the rectangular halogens that Home Depot and Lowe's sell.

[MoparNorm]

Those 300 and 500 watt lights will really make your meter spin!
You can get almost the same light quality (because of the color range) with a lot less heat and cost by using HID lights.
But I've had to use the same arrangment out of necessity a few times.
MN

[Bruce]

One of My Barns

This picture is from Feburary 2000, Semi restored at the time, it is fnished now. New England Bank Barn, circa 1899, white field, green trim and green porcilinized metal roof.
I don't know why it didn't load the attachment, I will add it to my webshots page, m37bruce, check it out.

http://community.webshots.com/user/m37bruce

[MoparNorm]

Thanks Bruce,
Put the link here when you get the photo up.
MN

[Terry Newton]

Red Barns and White Houses.

I read an article some time ago that said the ingredients to make read paint last century were cheaper than the ingredients for white paint.

Therefore, in order to save money, most barns were red, and only the houses were white. However, if you really had money, then both were white.

That sounds like a logical way for the thing to get started. To me, anyway.

[Joe Cimoch]

Found this on the 'net:

Barns were originally painted red because back in pioneer days there wasn't much choice. Farmers used to make their own mixture, consisting of a nauseating blend of skim milk, lime, linseed oil, and iron oxide, better known as rust.

"Hmm," said the anonymous inventor of this concoction, "this is not the milkshake I hoped it would be. But it might make a pretty good paint."

[MoparNorm]

Is that why.....

....The Dairy Queen logo used to be a red barn?? ha!ha!
MN

[Bruce]

New England Barn

Hey Norm,
I am not sure if this will work or not? This is the one we restored in 1999, after some tree damage. It was built approximately 1899. The builder friend that helped me, stated that it would be less expensive to build a new one, maybe even 2 barns.
BTW, it is almost 6,000 sq. feet.
Apparently this file is to big as well, I'll try resizing it tomorrow.
Later,

[MoparNorm]

Hi Bruce,
I'll look forward to seeing that picture!
MN

[Guy_NH]

how many lights?

Since we are on the subject of lighting, how many would you install?

I have a (2) car garage under my ranch house. The ceiling is about 7' (ya, I know, no lift). :( It is 22' wide x 24 ' deep, so each bay is 11' x 24'. I was considering putting in either (6) single bulb 4' florencent lights in each bay or (4) double bulb. Is this not enough or too much? I want to be able to work on projects without always trying to get of shadows...

thanks for any advice...... Guy(NH)

[Gordon Maney]

I practice the simple minded attitude that you can't have too much light, particularly for certain activities. I think I would put in six of the double tube, 48" long fixtures. They are very low in cost, too.

Keep in mind there may be a bench area that you want well lighted, and I think that light falls outside of your initial calculations. The bench would deserve its own fixture, so you were not casting a shadow on your work.

You can always have several, separately switched circuits so you don't have to run all of the lights at once, if you don't need or want to..... say, half on each of two switches, or two each on three switches. None of the necessary materials cost much.

[Bruce]

Originally posted by MoparNorm
Hi Bruce,
I'll look forward to seeing that picture!
MN

Hey Norm,
Did you check out the barn, I finally got a few pictures of it on my webshots page?
TTYL,

[MoparNorm]

Hi Bruce,
That looks pretty nice. Is there a loft above, or is it open?
Thanks fo rposting the pictures.
MN

[Bruce]

New England Bank Barn

Hey Norm,
The basement is 1500 sg. ft. and contains a 8 hole milking parlor, the main floor has five bays, a secure room for ?? and a main hall, the loft has a trolly system for hay, my father-inlaw used to work here in the summer and remembers using mule power along with the trolly to store hay. The coupla used to have a locking panel on one side and 5 glass panels, we used those lovured panels, 3 guesses as to what they are made? Plastic grocery bags!!
I will try and get some interior shots on a sunny day.
TTYL,