Grandpa made something like this.

fflintstone · Apr 17, 2013

Grandpa made something like this.(update 25AP13)

Grandpa made something like this and I thought it was a great idea. It is very convenient to switch from one power tool to another without having to unplug and replug. The plywood on his finally delaminated a decade ago, and I upgraded his original along with making another.

I lost both in a fire and am now making some others

Grandpa had just put a single duplex outlet on the end of a long extension cord. I upgraded to dual duplex and commercial grade outlets.

This is just a scrap of plywood from our pattern shop at work. Grandpas had shellac on it. I just wiped an oil finish on mine.

Grandpas just had a small hole to hang on a nail, I went with a handgrip for easy carrying.

The final product ready to go.

In The Doghouse · Apr 17, 2013

I like that. Any dimensions l x w for size?

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cyamaha2007 · Apr 17, 2013

My grandpa used something very similar also. Pretty cool.

Spareparts · Apr 17, 2013

I did one like this but frequentlysome one would pull it by the cord, either cutting the cover or pulling the cord loose, not really a big deal to repair but I got a strain relief for the box (looks like chinese finger cuffs) and that solved the problem. That is a very handy setup on the plywood.

mdbeck1 · Apr 17, 2013

Looks like a good candidate for this thread:
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=172251

sprntpshr · Apr 17, 2013

Hope you don't mind if I copy that...Great idea.

Norcal · Apr 17, 2013

Do not ever use them where OSHA has juristiction, if they are around fines can result.

uniballer · Apr 17, 2013

Make a h with wood, rap cord around wood. :lol_hitti

wssix99 · Apr 18, 2013

Why would I want to do this today when I can buy an extension cord and power strip for less money? Just the proper strain relief for a cord going in to a metal box (not shown above) is $2-3.

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fflintstone · Apr 18, 2013

wssix99 said:
Why would I want to do this today when I can buy an extension cord and power strip for less money? Just the proper strain relief for a cord going in to a metal box (not shown above) is $2-3.

Because REAL MEN have all the materials required laying around, and appreciate using something they created themselves.

Highbeam · Apr 18, 2013

I would like being able to coil up the cord and then uncoil without it turning into a rats nest.

mhm993 · Apr 18, 2013

Because real men repurpose scrap bits into thoughtfully designed objects that will last decades and feel good in their hands, instead of buying plastic Chinese ****.

DJGlover7 · Apr 18, 2013

Second, third, and fourth that sentiment!

John in OH · Apr 18, 2013

Nice item!! There was a setup similar to this that used to be a project choice for the first-year electrical course in 4-H. My brother made one when he was in 4-H back in the '50s. It saw a lot of use until the cord rotted and it eventually fell apart, but still a great learning project for a youth and very useful.

Possible upgrade to improve safety would be to replace one of the outlets with a duplex GFI receptacle and wire the second duplex outlet as a slave to the GFI.

wrench409 · Apr 18, 2013

I was going to build one of those type outlets for multi use but found this one instead.

sawbuck · Apr 18, 2013

I like the grandpa one ....made in the USA !

Socophreak · Apr 19, 2013

Dont trust the quality of today's consumer grade stuff. Have something close to that in my work van, and I trust it more than any power strip.

fflintstone · Apr 19, 2013

Socophreak said:
Dont trust the quality of today's consumer grade stuff. Have something close to that in my work van, and I trust it more than any power strip.

Yeah, I don’t like consumer grade ****.

To ME there is a HUGE difference between a $.59 home despot duplex outlet and a commercial grade outlet. While home despot sells commercial grade outlets for $6 they can be found online for $3<. I bought several dozen when I started my shop.

I look for old high end stuff at garage sales.

As far as power strips go, I scored a dozen high end $60+ surge/breaker power cubes at a sale once for $1 each. Lost half of them in my first fire.

Blk88GT · Apr 19, 2013

wrench409 said:
I was going to build one of those type outlets for multi use but found this one instead.

I have had some luck, and some bad luck with these. In high draw situations, the contacts in these things cause the outlet to overheat and the plastic melts. Your mileage may vary...

Big-Foot · Apr 19, 2013

You had a very smart GrandPa.... Thanks for sharing the idea!

wssix99 · Apr 19, 2013

fflintstone said:
Because REAL MEN have all the materials required laying around, and appreciate using something they created themselves.

Yes, but WISE MEN use a proper strain relief:

Grampa probably would have used an underwirghters knot:

This is a key thing worth mentioning for folks who might do this project and not have experienced with the proper relief or knot.

I recently made a similar rig as you did for a specialized project and the strain relief cost more than all the other components - but its a lot better than having an energized cord pull out of the box.

madmanmerc · Apr 19, 2013

old school is the best school lol

wrench409 · Apr 20, 2013

Blk88GT said:
I have had some luck, and some bad luck with these. In high draw situations, the contacts in these things cause the outlet to overheat and the plastic melts. Your mileage may vary...

Thanks.

I just rewired my garage completely and only use extension cords for short times and hard to reach places in the yard - leaf blowing, bush trimming, etc.

I will keep an eye on this cord when I use it.

Great idea to inspect cords regularly anyway.

LEVE · Apr 20, 2013

I would like being able to coil up the cord and then uncoil without it turning into a rats nest.

I've used these boards with boxes affixed. I did find that you'd best have a good grade of extension cord wire. I had wire break on the first few wraps around the board from continued use/flex always at the same point. But it worked... however, there are a couple of other ways to do this.

The first is called an "Daisy Chain".

Here's the method I use:
Looping Method

I first tried the daisy chain only a few times and it seemed a little unwieldy when I tried it. But after seeing the video, I may revisit it. I can see some benefits over the looping methods.

That about wraps up this looping stuff! :beer:

fflintstone · Apr 25, 2013

So I am working on a second one with my son. I wish dad and gramps could see it.

Note the child size latex gloves I recently scored.

fflintstone · Apr 25, 2013

and for all you safety NAZI's out there.
I picked these up at a flea market.
using the drill bits to stretch em out.

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cousin eddie · Apr 28, 2013

dont know if id consider myself a "safety nazi",but i must commend you for making your boy wear eye protection. a good habit started young will stay with him. after all, GOD only gave you two eyes.

Howard Sterndrive · Apr 29, 2013

Using a metal box on an extension cord is tricky. I *think* the code says to not bond the ground to the box. And then the receptacles should probably be orange as in isolated.

thdewey · Apr 30, 2013

Thanks for mentioning the strain relief. I'm going to redo my extention cord box this way. I used a 4 socket box (GFI). I thought that the regular clamp was enough.

And fflinstone, as for your son working on your new board to replace Grandpa's....my eyes aren't misting up. I...I was just cutting some onions up... Promise.

Vegaman_Dan · May 2, 2013

The advantage to making your tools like this is that you can freely modify, change, improve or repair them if something goes wrong or you just decide it would be cool to add _____.

I've done this same setup in the past, but not with a board backing. I like that idea a lot. The one thing I did do was add a light switch as one of the slots in a 3 gang box so I could turn off the power locally without going all the way back to the plug in the wall. Today if I were to make one of these- and I think I want to, I'd do similar. Four outlets, switch, maybe with a light on it to show power is hot.

I love the slot cut into the board for easy handling. That alone is a great tip.

Grandpa made something like this.

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