- Joined
- Oct 30, 2019
- Messages
- 225
short one today ...
My dad found a new-in-box "Cordmatic" retracting reel extension cord. We thought it would be good to use overhead in the woodshop, for smaller power tools (<10 amps) that are being used in the middle of the room, etc.
The ceilings are 13', so we need the cord to never retract fully. Upon thinking about materials that could be used to make a cord/retract stop, I came across a few old golf balls in a box of junk.
At the mill, I put a flat on the top and bottom. Then clamped it sideways and milled flats down one side, so that holes could be drilled and tapped for fasteners to provide clamping.
Cut the ball roughly down the middle on the bandsaw, after drilling a vertical hole through it (which is where the cord would pass through)
10-32 tapped holes allow straightforward clamping. I wrapped the wire in a small scrap of rubber (probably SOOW cord jacket off-cut from something) to increase friction. The inside of the golf ball had slightly too little friction on the yellow cord's aging plastic jacket, and the rubber plus extra thickness provided exactly what was needed so that it did not slip easily/over time.
Now my wife and I can reach the power when needed. We aren't tall -- but take some comfort in the fact that nobody could reach this if it was 12-13 feet off the ground!
Thanks for reading
My dad found a new-in-box "Cordmatic" retracting reel extension cord. We thought it would be good to use overhead in the woodshop, for smaller power tools (<10 amps) that are being used in the middle of the room, etc.
The ceilings are 13', so we need the cord to never retract fully. Upon thinking about materials that could be used to make a cord/retract stop, I came across a few old golf balls in a box of junk.
At the mill, I put a flat on the top and bottom. Then clamped it sideways and milled flats down one side, so that holes could be drilled and tapped for fasteners to provide clamping.
Cut the ball roughly down the middle on the bandsaw, after drilling a vertical hole through it (which is where the cord would pass through)
10-32 tapped holes allow straightforward clamping. I wrapped the wire in a small scrap of rubber (probably SOOW cord jacket off-cut from something) to increase friction. The inside of the golf ball had slightly too little friction on the yellow cord's aging plastic jacket, and the rubber plus extra thickness provided exactly what was needed so that it did not slip easily/over time.
Now my wife and I can reach the power when needed. We aren't tall -- but take some comfort in the fact that nobody could reach this if it was 12-13 feet off the ground!
Thanks for reading
