Electrical Cords on Handheld Power Tools
angapmac | Posted in Jigs, Fixtures, Tips & Tricks on
I am one of the many, I’m sure, who is looking for a way to simplify the handling of electrical cords on handheld power tools (sanders, drills, routers, etc.) when putting them away on shelves or somewhere after usage. Somebody must have found a easy and practical way of doing it.
Replies
I currentloy simply wrap them around the tool ... and it down't work well.
I've thought about getting the velcro straps that you can use to cinch up wires and such that are coiled. I think they'd work very well.
John
Thank you John. This is one good way indeed. It will be interesting to see what other tricks have might been found by other creative woodworkers.
Yves
The velcro straps work well, there are also reusable plastic cable ties or you could just replace everything with Festol products with the nifty removable cords:)Troy
Get some 3/4" double sided Velcro strips and with a flat board and a beveled edge straightedge ,(plus a sharp knife.)
Position the straightedge,( centered on the strip) and press down on it to slice the strip into two 3/8" strips.
I attach the strips just about two or three inches beyond handle.
The Loop is made to encircle the cord , by pinching about one inch.
with a visegrip and using a sharp needle,pierce two holes through
both layers of the strap.
Use bare copper wire shaped like a long staple ( pre- bend to fit the holes) With a needle nosed plier, twist the ends fairly tight and cut off excess wire, but leave 1/4" of the twist (which you will flatten after removing the visegrips.)
One 13-1/2" strip, will make four usable strips.
I have them on about twenty of my corded tools. Any small cutoffs, can be used for bread ties (I HATE those ^$%#@ plastic clips that come on the ^%$#& Bbead!
Steinmetz.
Edited 8/14/2007 3:28 am ET by Steinmetz
Thank you Steinmetz, I'm not sure I understand all of your explanations, but I will reread. Too bad you cannot send a picture! Yves
Enclosed attachment showing a double sided Velcro strap
Note: the two dots (For holes)Also, (above the holes) depicted, is staple shaped solid copper wire.Sorry if you had a problem deciphering my original post,I hope this will make it clearer?
Steinmetz
Trying to send a sketch, I'll try again SteinmetzNote two dots (for inserting the wire)Above the dots, is a depiction of the wire "Staple"
mentioned in the first post I submitted.
Edited 8/14/2007 5:06 pm ET by Steinmetz
Sketch well received and understood. Thanks again Steinmetz!Yves
Nothing works better than a cable that disconnects from the tool, ala some Milwaukee and Festool products. It seems like such a damn simple idea, one would think others would wise up. Oh, wait, it's the old, "Not invented here." syndrome.
The strain relief on my PC sidewinder has cracked after only a few years, most of that time spent in its case.
Ed,Back in the early 60's, My new bride and I received a nice new cannister type vacuum cleaner as one of our wedding presents. Since the retractable cord had not been used on home appliances yet, I had a nuisance on my hands (NO, not the bride) I cut off all but seven inches and attached a male plug to the short end, and a female receptacle to the new "extension cord" Needless to say, the bride reacted as if I had lost all of my
senses.
I don't have that Hoover any more, nor, do I have most all of my senses but, I still have that bride Ask me about the time I sawed our television in half?
Edited 8/15/2007 3:57 am ET by Steinmetz
Great ideas guys and have been there and done that with one additional feature.
I have also cut the cords on all my hand held power tools as well, leaving about 5 inches left. I purchased three 25' retractable power cord reels (12-2 wire) from NAPA auto parts store, and hang them from the shop ceiling. Your local home center also now carries similiar ones.
When I bought them, they included a large three plug (female) end which at first glance appears to be a great benefit. Turns out it is a nuisance. I removed the large three plug inlet to replace with a single 20 amp rated plug.
The reason for removal was simple. When you are using your router or any other tool, the large plug gets in the way and due to its weight, often works loose from the power tool end. Replacing it made it far more user friendly and a lot more convenient to use.
I placed two of the reels above and at opposite ends of my workbench, with the remaining one aft of center of my shop. My shop is 38' x 16' and I have no problem providing coverage with these three reels.
One last tip. When you cut the plug off your power tool, I saved a couple of them and mounted a female plug on the fresh cut end. When you need to take the power tool outside of your shop, and don't want to lug a long extension cord, these often work great.
Good luck.
ThreeRiverstool - Pittsburgh, the real steel city.
Attached is a sketch of the Velcro ties I staple on to mt powertool cords and extencions
Thank you Steinmetz and have a great 2008!
One suggestion I've read is to shorten them to a few inches and use extension cords. I've done this on a couple of my tools when I've had to replace the cord anyway. I don't cut off the plug, but disassemble the tool, disconnect the cord, use a new cord with a molded-in plug, cut the cord short, and connect it. Works pretty good.
Shortening the cords is a good idea especially for tools that need to be unplugged for change overs or set up adjustments (routers, saws, etc. I think it is more likely that the tool would get unplugged if the plug was closer to the tool. Just make sure the extension cord is at least as heavy as the cord on the tool.
That seems to be an excellent idea! Thank you Disputantum. Disassembling the tool does not seem an easy task, however. If I cannot do it, I will at least try shorten the existing cord to a few inches!
Yves
Disp,
Some years ago there was a bloke selling kits, in Britain, to allow one to replace the power cord on all corded tools with just a short stub of cord to which was attached a male universal connector, including a safety clip. A corresponding female connector was used on a single long cord to the mains supply, which then served all power tools in one's collection. The female connector also had the corresponding bit of safety clip so the connectors could not pull apart easily.
The seller and his product seem to have disappeared from the marketplace now, although I happily bought spares so I can continue to use the system with any new tools.
Power tools with a very short stub-cord/connector are easy to store. The single cable to connect to can be kept in a dedicated storage spot so you always know where it is. You can also make 2, just in case; or to have different rate fuses in each, to suit the tool being used. I have one hung on a hook in the shed and another in the house.
This is a good arrangement for all tools except those with a very thick power cord, such as large routers. The diameter of the hole in the connectors was limited to 8mm whilst cords on heavy duty power tools are often 10 or 12m in diameter. Perhaps, though, similar pairs of connectors of different sizes can be found in an electrical goods shop?
If you do use such connectors, one feature they must have, in addition to some sort of mechanical clip, is a lack of protuberances, as these will catch on everything as you work and drive you nuts. The ones I describe above are torpedo-shaped and will only catch in the most grabby of spots.
Of course, Festool have proprietary connectors of a similar sort in a lot of their power tools. However, the cord plugs directly into the tool, which itself has no integral cord at all.
Lataxe
just take power cord,"fold"in 1/2 (or 1/3,etc.depending on length),and loop the bundle into a 1/2 knot(not too tight)- this keeps the various cords separate,fairly compact,and doesn't kink them all up (and no straps, tubes, ties, etc. to keep track of) i learned this trick at Hodgdon Yachts in East boothbay,Me when iworked there a few years ago-give it a try!
Did you work on Scheherazade while you were at Hodgdon? Some impressive boat!
yes,i worked as a joiner on "scheherazade" and prior to that for 2 1/2 yrs. on "antonisa",a 125' sloop- both beautiful boats,but "antonisa" gets the 10,imho- check her out at hodgdonyachts.com/antonisa.html
Great for rope but it wii stuff your leadsYou can make it fool proof but not idiot proof
i don't copy "it will stuff your leads"? (in my experience,trying to make anything "idiot proof" is futile-there are far too many of them- just try to keep them out of your shop)
Another alternative would be to 1. cut the cord length down, and install a locking type plug (L5-15 for 15 Amp 125 VAC), then 2. Build an extension cord of suitable length and gauge for the service, with the matching receptacle (L5-15R). These particular connectors lock together for safety with a partial twist.
One quick way to store the cord is to fold it back and forth upon itself to make a small bundle and shove the end inside a toilet paper roll to keep it from unrolling, hopefully you have used the paper off of the roll first!
Not bad I must say Wingdoctor! Toilet paper roll or any other similar device would do I guess. Ought to be tried. Thank you,Yves
I have found a free method of controlling power cords on handheld tools. I save carboard tubes - paper towel, gift wrap, TP - and cut them down to 5" or so lengths. The cords get folded back and forth and then slipped into a cardboard tube. It helps if the plug and the tool are on the same end of the folded cord so that the plug doesn't have to go through the tube, but this is a minor enhancement. This also works well for all those small household extension cords that like to tangle themselves up so quickly.
I also like the velcro straps, but it is a lot easier to lose track of those than it is the cardboards tubes.
Steve
Thank you Steve. This approach which is the second to surface must have some real value. I will certainly try it before shortening any of my cords.Yves
If you want something that holds up a little longer, cut 5" pieces of PVC.
Jack
if you do shorten your cords first check to see what size of wire is in your cord. for best results dont use any extenion cord that is less then 14/3 any less and you lose power and can burn up your motor/and or short out your cord. caused by hot spots in the cord
Hey Robert --
We can hear you. No need to take up a full screen with the huge fonts! ;-)
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
Cable Clamps (http://www.cableclamp.com) work well, too. We use them on the cords for our photography equipment, and I use them on my tools at home.
Tom McKenna
Associate Editor
I have three Milwaukee tools fitted with their 'Quik-lok" cords. I find these the easiest to store; they all live in my truck exclusively. I also bought the Milwaukee replacement cord in a 25' length; very handy. It lives in the Sawzall case, the other one is corralled with a home-made Velcro cinch.
One of my circular saws had surgery to have the cord bobbed and fitted with a 'Twist-Lok" set. I thought this arrangement would work as well as the Milwaukee, but that project never seemed to float to the top of my "Round Tuit" list. Sharing one power cord between multiple tools may sound viable but, in the real world you will always need the tool you un-plugged two ago. The aggravation is likened to changing-over a Shopsmith.
It seems that at least once a year, the local hardware stores offer exceptional prices on extension cords. So, for the bulk of corded tools, that never leave the shop, some have had their cords replaced with new extension cords(see also last paragraph). Typically, I would cut 10" off of the female end of a 14 gauge cord, and then wire the cord to the tool. I WAS saving the ends to make a hydra box for an extension cord, but they somehow got disposed of. Those of us married guys know how that can happen. Fitting the tools with longer cords now exacerbated the "cord storage problem."
As much as I hate to say it, HDepot came to the rescue. They sell a product called, (of all things) "Cable Clamp". These come in four sizes and simply operate much like a handcuff (or so I'm told).
The largest one they make will clamp a 3" diameter bundle; but it's on the last ratchet position. Even with my extra-long cords, I can coil them and usually still have enough throat left to clip it to somewhere on the tool. As I remember, the largest ones, of which I choose orange, were shy of $2.00 each.
Both the ROS and palm sander cords were replaced with ones salvaged from vacuum cleaners; set-out for trash. IF I am on a service call, and it's that neighborhood's trash day; you can pretty much bet I won't make it on time.
Practice...'till you can do it right the first time.
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