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Thread: Solution to power cords on the floor?

  1. #1
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    Solution to power cords on the floor?

    Like many of you, I do not have receptacles in the middle of the floor (some do, that's great, I didn't design that for various reasons). I tend to have my larger machinery, specifically my table saw, jointer and planer, out in the middle of the shop where they are easy to move around and access all sides. Everything is on mobile bases. I have been working a lot more in my shop recently than in past years and find myself stepping on and tripping over loose cords more often than not. What have you guys done to mitigate this issue? What would be the best solution short of pedestal or flush outlets in the floor?
    Jon Endres
    Killing Trees Since 1983

  2. #2
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    Interesting in hearing the answers to this thread because i have the same issues. Rolling tools will not roll over a cord so i have to stop and clear a path.

  3. #3
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    I feed my cords down the same path as the dust collection, usually strapped to it here and there. It sounds like we are talking about tools that move so, cords on the floor is the rule of the day. Even cord covers, which I use here and there where cords pass across walking paths, will not tolerate machines rolling over them. Even mobile bases with large wheels (Rockler has one) would be subject to payload as to what they would roll across. I don't know that a tablesaw mobile base is really going to be designed for this.

    If you can replace your cords with longer ones or have good extensions for them I would just kick or whip them out of the path when you need o get by. If there is not enough cord for this, I would resolve that and see if I was able to work better with a little more slack. Just food for thought.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  4. #4
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    In this situation, I would personally employe a properly designed overhead drop with strain relief and twist locks. The drop would only extend from the ceiling far enough that ti was reachable without a step stool so that when the tool is parked somewhere else, there's no banging one's forehead on the drop.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  5. #5
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    +1 on the overhead drops. It makes for a cluttered look but it’s way safer. I’m 6’-3” so I just nail outlet boxes to the floor joists above. Some machines (table saw, surfaces) are hard wired. Most just plug in. I don’t use drops because it’s just me and I can reach.

    i like the idea of running cords along the DC ductwork.

  6. #6
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    All of my machines except the wood lathe are on mobile bases, 'parked' in one half of my two car garage. They get wheeled out into the other half (where the SUV is parked overnight) for use (not usually more than a couple at a time), and power cords are kept along the far side of the work space, so I don't have issues rolling equipment over power cords much. The only exception is the dust collector, which is wheeled around and hooked up to the machine in use. Managing it's power cord is a little more troublesome, but I usually try to locate it between machines I am using, so it does not have to move much.

    I have a retracting power cord reel on the ceiling in the center of the garage, but that can't handle most of the machines, except a bench full of small benchtop machines, and portable corded power tools. My work benches roll around too, and they have power strips for using portable, corded power tools at the benches.

    Rockler has overhead ceiling tracks with rolling hangers that might be used to support an overhead extension cord, perhaps in conjunction with a heavy duty extension cord reel.

    The thought expressed earlier about running power cords alongside the dust collection duct/hose is an interesting one too. Turning a page of the same book might be to mount (dual voltage) power outlets on roll-around dust collectors, if that's what you use (like me). I'm talking about the big roll-around collectors, not the smaller ones which have power outlets for small power tools, often with power-sensing turn-on/off.

    -- Andy - Arlington TX

  7. #7
    This wont work for everyone, but my machines dont exceed about 1 1/2 HP, so it works for me. I ran a plastic-coated clothes line down both sides of my garage shop, about 3 feet from the wall. Then I bought 2 very heavy gauge extension cords and hung them from the clothesline using shower curtain rings. I can reach most of my machines this way.

    When I upgraded the garage lighting last year, I had the electrician look it over and he felt it was ok for what I am doing. So I opted not to have him install overhead drops because I have vehicles in the garage.

    YMMV.
    Fred
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  8. #8
    I’ve had these cord tracks in my Amazon cart for a week or so. Decided to get a few machinery projects completed before I get back to reconfiguring the shop but my plans are to run the TS and jointer cord under one of the pair. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ZHTSRIIKS&th=1

  9. #9
    My Unisaw, planer, and big bandsaw are all in the center of the shop. I have the planer and bandsaw on ceiling twist locks, but I intentionally left the Unisaw cord on the floor and plugged into the wall. The reason being it is easier to unplug when changing blades. Also, if I forget to unplug it before changing a blade, I end up standing on the cord, which then reminds me to unplug the saw. Dust collection is all overhead though. Under floor wasn't an option for me, since the slab predates the shop.

  10. #10
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    As with Jim and Andy, in addition to multiple wall sockets (I planned for this when we built the house), I have ceiling sockets.



    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  11. #11
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    When you can't avoid having a cord on the floor, type SO cords are not trip hazards. If you've ever been to almost any kind of fair, large like a state fair, or small, you probably saw really large ones laying on the ground for crowds to walk over.

  12. #12
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    I interviewed at Hallmark Cards in KC once. The job would have been fascinating. they shot everything on 8x10 sheet film. They had their own Kodak processors and they had tossed the control software that managed feed rate, agitation, temperature and replenishment. The guy claimed that their repeatability was superior to Kodak. I would have been responsible for maintaining that software (FORTRAN running on an HP). For some reason I would also have been responsible for their flashes. They had a custom gas mix in their flash tubes. Every time Braun sent them a batch, I would test them for color temperature and send the bad ones back.

    so, anyway, the guy was taking me through a studio with a combination of quartz lights and flashes and cables all over the place. I happened to step on one and he got kind of mad. He said that over time, the stranded copper would become mis-shapened and could change something. I didn’t get the job because they took too long and I had another offer.

    so there you go. Don’t step on a power cord or your tool just won’t run right.

  13. #13
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    My solution is an expensive one, so unless you are starting from scratch building a workshop, it's a non-starter.

    My workshop is on a raised access floor (like in a computer server room) with the dust collection and power cords running under the floor.

    So nothing to trip over, except the cord for the Festool vac when I drag that around the shop. It's a great solution, but a very pricey one.

    In your situation, I would go with overhead drops. I never liked the look of them, but they work.
    - After I ask a stranger if I can pet their dog and they say yes, I like to respond, "I'll keep that in mind" and walk off
    - It's above my pay grade. Mongo only pawn in game of life.

  14. #14
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    El Dorado Hills, CA, USA
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    Here are two power cords laid into a stress relief joint in my concrete floor and covered with silicone. They are below the surface of the concrete, and I normally have a rubber pad over them. I've found this to be quite a nice solution to getting power generally in the right place in the middle of the shop, and I assume (haven't tried it) that I could pull the whole thing up if necessary.

    IMG_1419.jpg

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom M King View Post
    When you can't avoid having a cord on the floor, type SO cords are not trip hazards. If you've ever been to almost any kind of fair, large like a state fair, or small, you probably saw really large ones laying on the ground for crowds to walk over.
    I still gaff them when they're 'more permanent'
    ~mike

    happy in my mud hut

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