Where do you buy ceiling-mounted drop cords

Re: Where do you buy ceiling-mounted drop cords

Bartee (metro Atlanta)

>Home Depot

Re: Where do you buy ceiling-mounted drop cords *LINK*

Hoa Dinh in Alameda

>Sears carries them, so does McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com) and our favorite supplier, Lee Valley (www.leevalley.com).

Search for "cord reel."

Good quality cord reels, especially the ones rated at 15A and 20A, are not cheap.

IMHO, when it comes to extension cords, especially extension cord in a reel, longer does not neccessarily mean better. For a cord reel, heat dissipation is severely limited. When I use my cord reel for anything that approached the amperage rating, I pull all the cord out of the reel for additional safety margine.

-- Hoa




Industrial Cable Reels from Lee Valley

Re: Where do you buy ceiling-mounted drop cords

Travis in Texas

>Thank you very much for the information! This will help me & my wife who also loves to do woodworking not having those pesky cords running all over the place.

Re: Where do you buy ceiling-mounted drop cords

Robert Hutchins

>Try Harbor Freight, too. They might be a bit less expensive there.

Re: Where do you buy ceiling-mounted drop cords

Travis in Texas

>Thank you Robert, I did not even think about Harbor Freight as being a place to look. They are often cheaper on a lot of items.

Re: Where do you buy ceiling-mounted drop cords

Ron

>http://www.grizzly.com/products/h5694

I just bought one and mounted it. Seems ok but time will tell

Re: Where do you buy ceiling-mounted drop cords

George (Oxford, NC)

>I have had this one for over a year and had no problems

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=91470

George

You get what you pay for? *LINK*

Mark Goodall - ATL - tooljunkie

>I've had several, but I've yet to buy one that I really like.

Like Hoa said, the good ones for 15A and 20A aren't cheap.

I've had a few cheaper (under $60) some are okay, some really don't stand up to any serious work. Those have 14G wire and handle 13A which is good for sanders and some things, but not your 15A circular saw or CMS. They aren't the best built (insides) and I've had to open/fix/scrap a couple because the copper contacts aren't up to the task.

I've used some of the $200+ ones at a warehouse and they are built to last.

What I do in my shop is:

I have one 25' 14G 13A one (heaviest duty you can get at HD which isn't saying much) for light tools.

I have some 5'-6' 12G cords hanging from the ceiling for other tools.

I have several 12G and 10G cords varying from 25'-50'-100' on those hefty pnuematic hose reels. They are very handy. You have to keep them unplugged while your unroll/roll them, but it's a good way to keep top quality heavy duty cords organized.

Happy Woodworking!




http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.

Wayyyy overpriced..... *LINK*

Tim Greif - West of Chicago

>I love Lee Valley, but when you can buy the exact same thing elsewhere for half the cost, well ............. They appear to be identical. I have one and it's served me well for years. I plug everything from sanders to my Delta Contractor Saw into it. Watch for it on sale. I got mine for less than $30.


Craftsman Cord Reel

Re: Wayyyy overpriced.....

DaveK

>I bought three of those and hardly anything stays plugged in. IMHO I would go with LV. A lot less stress

??????

Tim Greif - West of Chicago

>You'd pay $35 more for what you can fix with a $3.00 cord receptacle? I did exactly that. Cut the little 3 outlet thingy off and put on a commercial receptacle. I think the Lee Valley and Craftsman are made by the same people. I see absolutely no difference, right down to the little hanger hook. I'd expect Lee Valley to have the same issues. As I said, I really like buying from Lee Valley, they have great stuff. But when the price difference is that great, my loyalty is to my wallet.

I made mine

Johanna

>I had 220 and 110 outlets put on the rafters. The 220's serve the table saw, planer, and big dust collector. For those big tools I wanted 10 gauge cords, so I just made them up from parts bought at the orange box. To make it possible to lift one of them out of the way (the others stay down all the time), I tied some twineto the end and tossed it over a rafter. When I want to plug something in I untie the twineand it lets the cord down.

Got that one too

Ken Garlock Collin County Texas

>I bought that Grizzly model with the 12 ga cord about 3 years ago. It hangs in the center of the shop and I use it frequently. I have never had any problem with its operation of with the triple outlet.

I would buy it again,

Ken

Re: Wayyyy overpriced.....

Johanna

>I'd be concerned about using a contractor's saw on a 14 ga wire, especially such a long one. Don't know for sure what the requirement is, but I always use shorter, heavier wire for stationary tools.