A number of years ago I read about a guy who got tired of the tangle of tool cords in his shop. He cut all the cords off his small power tools, leaving about a foot and put on new plugs. He found that storing them on a shelf without having to fight all that cord worked great. Of course he had to use a six foot extension cord every time he wanted to use a tool, but he seemed happy with that.
I am now thinking about trying this and my question is: anyone out there ever done this and what are the problems/rewards involved? I’m wondering if the plug from the tool and the plug from the extension cord might get in the way or get hung up on the bench or something. It’s sorta like standing on a perfectly good roof with a circular saw, about to make the first cut for a new attic fan and thinking “do I really want to do this?”
Replies
swenson,
had a big old belt sand with a short cord on it. the lack of long cord made it easy to pack up and store. i notice that cords get in the way mostly at installation time. in other words, when power tools are all in five gallon buckets and the cords are tangled in the besseys and i can't see what's what for the jumble. yeah, i hate cords as much as anyone...
eef
I think I'll try it on one tool at first, just to see how well it works, like a palm sander or something. I gotta find a light plug so I'm not swinging around a big mass of plugs. Maybe a locking plug so it doesn't pull out.
I do the opposite, add a longer cord. Nothing worse than reaching overhead with something like a drill on the job and having the plug hang up on the ladder at your feet. Same with plugging into your shop vac with a short cord sander and having no room to move. I wouldn't want a plug that could hang up on my work, nick it or cause a tool to wander off the track. The idea could eliminate some of these issues if the plug was just at the end of the strain relief but if you were using more than one tool, you would need multiple extension cords. If you are a commercial shop, OSHA doesn't like non molded plugs.
I'm in the process of reorganizing my shop. I'm building a cubby cabinet that will hold individual power tools. Each will have it's own space so cord tangle shouldn't be a problem. I never wrap the cord around the tool, just loop the cord and set it on top. There have always been some tools that have no cord and are meant to be used with a dedicated extension. I have an auto buffer and a hedge trimmer like that but only certain size plugs will fit in and the plug is always vibrating loose despite the locking mechanisms. For me, I'll take a 10' cord and suffer through the 10 seconds it takes to coil it up. On the job, I often want several tools at the ready, unplugging one and plugging in another is what gets to me.
It used to be that you could tell a professional level tool from a consumer model just by the length and flexibility of the cord. PC and MIllwaukee used to have the best cords right from the factory, that is no longer the case. My new PC 4" beltsander has a short, stiff, kinked cord that has to go. It's not just the length of the cord but what type it is. With what we a getting these days, it's no wonder folks want something that causes less pain.
longer is better
Like Hammer1, I prefer longer cords on tools, to avoid the plug getting caught on something mid-way through a cut. A really-stubby (6" - 8") cord on the tool with a mid-length (10' - 12') extension might accomplish the same thing, though.
Throw all your power tools away and go buy all Festool. They have removable cords.
I have a circular saw with a cord that was amputated accidentally. To get it going again, I just put on a new plug end. Since it's not tapered like the molded kind, it gets caught on everytihng and occastinally unplugs itself. Drives me nuts. I have a Sawzall with a modular cord that gets connected at the handle. Once connected though, the cord is a mile long. It's OK, but I don't think I'd want to have to do that with every tool. On balance, I'd rather deal with a long cord that doesn't disconnect itself or get caught on stuff.
cord that was amputated
Quickstep
I cut the end off a long extension cord with a hedge trimmer once .Went down into my shop, got a new plug, wired it in, plugged the cord into the outlet, walked down to the other end to plug in the trimmer... oh oh! I've got an extension cord with a male plug on each end and it is hot. Just when I think I can't get any dumber I go and surprise myself.
Thanks for the input. I was afraid that might happen.
I do this but replace the plug with a little NEMA ML2-15 twist-lock plug. It pretty much guarantees that nobody will borrow my tools without asking first. I have a couple extension cords with the corresponding female connector and a few adapters that I hide around to go from a regular female 120V connector to the ML2-15 style in case I need to use another cord or loan a tool.
These are widely available but here's McMaster-Carr: http://www.mcmaster.com/#nema-style-connectors/=9o20xu
This isn't as bad as cutting a hole in your roof since the worst case is that you hate it and just have to put the long cords back on with a new plug.
Thank you ckm
This is exactly the kind of info I was looking for. I didn't see adaptors listed on the Mc/Carr website, but figured I could just make some with a foot of cord with a ML2 female on one end and a regular plug on the other. I didn't look too hard for adaptors, perhaps I just missed them.
I guess they haven’t figured out that if they are going to borrow your tools they have to borrow your extension cords too.
I'm gonna try it on one tool to see if I like it. Thanks again.
Yes, by adapator I just meant a short section of cord with a regular male plug on one end and female plug of whatever style you go with on the other.
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