DanMcDaniels Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 This probably seems like a dumb thing to bring up, but my shop floor always is cluttered with extension cords, shop vac hoses. etc. I'm not as steady on my feet as I used to be and worry about tripping. The roof trusses in my shop are about 14 feet off the floor so it's difficult, but not impossible to hang things. Does anyone have any tips for taming the mess on the floor? Any and all ideas will be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 Well, I have a dust extractor with a boom arm. That arm has a vac hose and power extension for whatever tools I'm using. I love that it is off the ground. Dyami wrote up a nice blog article of an over-the-bench arm he made that's similar in concept. Maybe you could devise some arms like that and mount those to your trusses. The other thing that helps a lot for me is a ceiling-mounted extension cord reel from Rockler. Between those to things, you should be able to get the cords out of the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike M Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 I hung a 10 foot length of electrical conduit over my bench area and hung an extension cord from a few steel rings so I can slide it from one end to the other as I work. The end of the cord has a 3 way socket and hangs just over head height so I can reach it easily. I'm planning to add a vacuum hose to the rig so I can hook up to my sanders on the bench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim0625 Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 I hung a 10 foot length of electrical conduit over my bench area and hung an extension cord from a few steel rings so I can slide it from one end to the other as I work. The end of the cord has a 3 way socket and hangs just over head height so I can reach it easily. I'm planning to add a vacuum hose to the rig so I can hook up to my sanders on the bench. The sliding rings sound like a good idea. I think back to the college days when I worked in maintenance at a Oneita knitting and sewing. On the sewing side, inside the huge building, you'd see about 200 ladies sitting at sewing machines, and hanging from the ceiling was an extension cord for each machine. I'm thinking a few hanging cords strategically placed may serve you. In my shop, I have a type of electrical trolley I rescued from the scrap heap about 20 years ago. It has a 12" extension cord that hangs from a rolling system that is encased in a long metal shell, 24 feet long. I know they are still manufactured but prob expensive. For any outside work, I have two cord reels from NAPA that can extend in various areas of the shop or out into the yard. They are close to both doors. Depending on the size and design of your shop, it may be simple to make a type of boom that swivels and would reach various areas of the shop. (incorporate the rings sliding on conduit) I have a metal working background so it would be relatively easy but if you don't do much with metal, it could be made from mostly wood w/o too much trouble. My 2 cents! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 i have two retractable 30' power cords from rockler their list price is $89 but they go on sale couple times a year fo about $60 here's the link http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10673 . i just added two power recepticles in the ceiling to plug them in. i know they make retractable air hoses also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin57 Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 Another vote for the retractable extension cord. Couple of things you'll want to consider if you're going to mount it on the ceiling. -some come with built in breakers and the ones I've seen have the breaker very close to the take up reel (means climbing a ladder if you trip it). - Make sure you know what gauge cord you're getting (I made sure I got 12 gauge rather than 16), and the amp capacity(13 amp capacity running a tool plus dust collection might constantly trip your breaker). Just Google "retractable extension cord" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nateswoodworks Posted March 15, 2011 Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 Not sure if it would work for you but this helped me. In the center of my shop is my TS and runs off 220. I also have my jointer, planer, and drum sander there that call that area home. I ran 220 to my tablesaw cabinet and wired in outlets for 110 and 220. Now I run one 220 cord and plug everything into my ts cabinet. Just a thought. The dropcords and boom-arm would also be great. Nate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petersb Posted March 16, 2011 Report Share Posted March 16, 2011 I hung a 10 foot length of electrical conduit over my bench area and hung an extension cord from a few steel rings so I can slide it from one end to the other as I work. The end of the cord has a 3 way socket and hangs just over head height so I can reach it easily. I'm planning to add a vacuum hose to the rig so I can hook up to my sanders on the bench. Mike, Do you have a picture or two that you could share? That sounds like a great idea. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted March 18, 2011 Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 I've got a 50' orange extension cord that is my primary power source for all my tools. (I only have one functional outlet in my shop, on it's own dedicated 20Amp circuit. I "borrow" the outlet over the washer for the drill and sanders, and the one over the dryer for the drop light in the work area.) I use one of those orange flat reels, and a pair of nails tacked to a doorway (they were already there when I started looking for options) to hold the reel up. I keep the outlet end tucked into the tabs on the end of the reel designed to hold the cord, and unroll just enough to use for the project. When I'm done, I roll the cord back up and hang the reel back up along the door. Since it's the doorway to the tool storage area, and right next to the stairs out of the basement shop, I remember to hang it up before I leave. If you were to keep the cords on reels and only unroll enough for each use, that might help your tangle problem. The best suggestion I can give is to put away the cord or hose right away. Perhaps some sort of carry tray or wheeled cart for the vacuum hoses? (I think Woodcraft has a plan for a welding cart that you might be able to modify for that purpose.) I've seen plywood cord holders on the sides of some tool stands, too, so that might be another help. One thing I used to do when I worked retail and had to vacuum the carpet every evening was throw the cord over one shoulder, so I could loop it and control it. I didn't get it completely out from underfoot, but it was always on one side, so I was always aware of it. (plus it kept them from giving me things to put away while I cleaned. Bonus.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Eshenroder Posted June 16, 2011 Report Share Posted June 16, 2011 The easiest solution to the extension cord "spaghetti" mess is to get an extension cord reel. If you're wondering which kind of reel to buy, you can check out the top ten extension cord reel reviews. I personally recommend the QuickWinder RAP-100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobbe Arnesson Posted June 17, 2011 Report Share Posted June 17, 2011 Be careful with rolled up cords and high wattage, the cord will not be able to cool down and might overheat with extreme cases being fire. http://www.electrical-contractor.net/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/122077/all/Overheated_Extension_Cord.html Always make sure to uncoil all of the cable before using it with high powered tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rutabagared Posted June 17, 2011 Report Share Posted June 17, 2011 Be careful with rolled up cords and high wattage, the cord will not be able to cool down and might overheat with extreme cases being fire. http://www.electrical-contractor.net/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/122077/all/Overheated_Extension_Cord.html Always make sure to uncoil all of the cable before using it with high powered tools. I agree. A coiled up extension cord functions just like a large resistor, increased current generates increased heat. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaidensGator Posted June 17, 2011 Report Share Posted June 17, 2011 My shop is about 500 sf, 300 in the room where I have my power tools, and 200 in the other room. There were only two outlets, one each of 110 and 220, each with its own breaker in the main box, and they were both in the small room where I didn't need them. About a month ago I wired 9 more outlet boxes from the 110v around the two walls where I have my tools. The other wall is floor to ceiling shelves, and the fourth wall is a big door. I now have a total of 9 outlet boxes, each with two outlets for my power tools. Since I'm never running more than one tool at a time, plus the vacuum or dust collector, I don't overload the circuit. You can get a box, an outlet, and a cover for about a dollar total. Add in the wire, and for just under thirty bucks, I have outlets everywhere and don't need to use any more extension cords. I wish I'd thought of this nine years ago when I bought this house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNehlsEnd Posted June 19, 2011 Report Share Posted June 19, 2011 Have you considered putting in drops to reach up an attach to. This could be done for electrical as well as for the dust collection. As said retractable cords are nice for smaller hand tools, but I wouldn't want to run a machine from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobbe Arnesson Posted June 22, 2011 Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 I agree. A coiled up extension cord functions just like a large resistor, increased current generates increased heat. This is just splitting hairs but the added resistance is neglectable with a coiled extension cord, the heat buildup is primarily due to the cable not being free to release the heat into the air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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