See What You Saw
By the time you reach the age of 40, you'll need 50 percent more light to see as well as you did at 20. By age 70, you'll need twice as much light as you did at 40. But, before you light up your shop like a Broadway stage, consider these strategies for improving task lighting in areas where you're actually working.
Enlighten broader areas
Production of most incandescent bulbs over 40 watts ended in 2014. Compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs, while more expensive than incandescents, use much less electricty and last far longer, making them cheaper in the long run.
Wall cabinets can cast shadows from overhead lights. Solution: under-cabinet fixtures that flood light over worksurfaces, above. These lights come in both hard-wired and plug-in varieties. If power isn't close, or you don't want to fuss with wiring, use battery-powered LEDs. They can provide weeks or even months of bright illumination from one set of batteries.
For a truly budget-friendly option, don't rule out the lowly, ever-affordable clamp-on flood lamp that you can quickly move from place to place, below.
Spotlight small areas
Sometimes you need a pool of light focused on a small area; for example, to help you see a cutline at the bandsaw, the center mark for a hole at the drill press, or a tool edge at the grinder. For these jobs, add an auxiliary light on or near the tool, below. To keep a cord out of the way, use a battery-operated LED model.
A magnifier with built-in LEDs, below (no. 57312, rockler.com, 800-279-4441), provides a clear view for close-up handwork and detailed inspections. And while it may not be the most stylish option, a headlamp goes wherever you do, bottom, putting light right where you look.
By focusing additional light on the tasks at hand, you'll create both a safer workshop and one that's more pleasant to work in.