Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Jonathan Johnson]

Semi-basement topic...

I have a friend who is a self-employed welder. He's got a service truck with toolboxes for all his tools.

Every power tool he gets, he cuts the cord down to 1 foot or less. Here's his reasoning:

• He always uses an extension cord anyway, so a 6' cord is no benefit
• Shorter cords are less likely to be damaged
• Connecting and disconnecting a tool from the extension cord is easier when you don't have to look for the end of the cord
• When it's time to put the tool away, you don't need to wind up the cord -- and they don't get tangled in storage!

Seems like a pretty smart strategy for cord management.

[frank kayser]

I have a couple tools that came that way - including a recent Toro leaf blower and an old Skill jigsaw.  I find the connection that close always is catching on something.

[Stephen Swaffer]

I have a worm drive circular saw that I (unintentionally) shortened the cord to that length.  Its handier sometimes-but like Frank, I often find it catching on the lumber I am cutting.  Probably not as big a deal on a drill-but then cordless is the way to go.  I saw a demo the other day of a cordless table saw and miter box-they each used 2 20 Volt batteries (I think).  Completely eliminating the safety hazards associated with extension cords certainly has some appeal.

[Erik Jerde]

Between my fathers and my efforts the cord on his belt sander has been shortened to the point where it can't be sucked in anymore.

I tend to plug a few things into a triple tap extension cord.  Short power cords wouldn't work in that situation.

[Mike Sokol]

My hedge clippers have the power plug molded right into the handle with a little locking finger for the extension cord. You plug the female end of the extension cord directly into the handle after doing a short wrap around the strain relief finger. Works great.

[frank kayser]

My hedge clippers have the power plug molded right into the handle with a little locking finger for the extension cord. You plug the female end of the extension cord directly into the handle after doing a short wrap around the strain relief finger. Works great.

Yeah.  My wife's dad had clippers with a long cord, cut many times, always repaired with hospital tape.  I had a B&D hedge clipper that had one of those very short cords.  My wife never cut the cord on that short-cord hedge clipper, but i lost a couple extension cords...  Runs in the family, I guess.

[Scott Holtzman]

Yeah.  My wife's dad had clippers with a long cord, cut many times, always repaired with hospital tape.  I had a B&D hedge clipper that had one of those very short cords.  My wife never cut the cord on that short-cord hedge clipper, but i lost a couple extension cords...  Runs in the family, I guess.

It's amazing our Dad's didn't kill us.  My Dad thought friction tape was a substitute for etape.  We had real Christmas trees 25 year old strings of incandescent lights.  Yikes. 

[Jeff Bankston]

When I worked construction there were guys that did the power tool cords that way.

[ProSoundWeb Community]