Straightening out power leads

[klkarrier]

Is there any tips i could use to straighten out power cables on hand held tools. Reason being, I bought a couple of new tools, a router, planer and circular saw recently and the leads are constantly wanting to go back to how they were when they were in the box. I've already nicked the planar's cable :? . I've tried to keep them tensioned when not in use but still they want to curl back towards the machine

 

[Eric The Viking]

It's a nuisance brought on by cheap plastic mainly what's used for the outer sheath of the cable. I've struggled with this one for years in the computer industry.

Given the time of year, you might try stretching the lead out over a radiator for a while (low risk), or pouring a recently-boiled kettle of water over the worst kinks, over the kitchen sink (obvious caveats apply). Have a towel ready and dry it quickly as soon as you've heated it through.

Obviously, keep water well away from the power tool itself and the mains plug - I suggest getting an 'assistant' to look after the power tool while you concentrate on really warming the cable (and put tape over all the little slots and seams, and the trigger, just in case). Moulded mains plugs will let water in along the cable and at the fuseholder, so keep the plug higher than the cable you're trying to unkink.

If it does get slightly wet, don't panic - towel it dry and work kitchen towel into any crevices, then put it in the airing cupboard or over a radiator for a week or so. If it gets very wet, do the same drying thing, but get it checked before attempting to use it.

Heat guns are tempting, but it's very easy to melt the insulation (even inside the cable where you can't see it!). Personally I wouldn't risk it.

Sometimes heat works, sometimes not. If dangled, say over the bannister rail, mains cables do eventually come fairly straight but that takes bloomin' ages. I've got a few salvaged PC power leads that are still kinked after around 20 years. They've been hanging on a coathook on the back of a door, but you'd think it shouldn't take that long.

E.

PS: as long as you haven't nicked the cable as deep as the copper, you can make a serviceable repair with heatshrink sleeving (as long as the mains plug is removable). Take the plug off, apply sleeving that's about 1.5x the diameter of the cable with about 1" either side of the damage. Shrink with a hot air gun used gently (start in the midfddle and work out to the ends of the heatshrink. For extra strength, use two layers with a shorter piece shrunk on first then a longer piece to cover both it and more cable. You can get heatshrink with a sealing goo on the inside, too, which makes a repair watertight. It's very good but it's expensive and makes a rather rigid repair, so for dry workshop use it's probably unnecessary.

If you're worried a nick might happen again, put a couple of lengths of unshrunk heatshrink loose on the cable before you put the plug back on. They'll just float about until they're needed, then all you have to do is slide them into place for a fast repair.

This used to be done with expensive audio multicore and camera cables in the broadcast industry - they were delivered with the ends sealed by a moulding system, so taking a plug off for a mechanical repair wasn't an option.

 

[Bm101]

Wonder if one of those spiral cable tidy wot sits would help if you had it on the working end? Keep the flexibility but direct the cable away from work. Pennies on eBay http://www.hilltop-products.co.uk/media ... ory/sb.jpg

 

[Eric The Viking]

Wonder if one of those spiral cable tidy wot sits would help if you had it on the working end? Keep the flexibility but direct the cable away from work. Pennies on eBay http://www.hilltop-products.co.uk/media ... ory/sb.jpg

I use that stuff around the hose of my pressure washer. I found that in use it became very rigid, and any sharp corner, such as the edge of a scaffold board would cut through the rubber (the hose vibrates with the action of the pump and the board acted as a saw).

I managed to carelessly do this right down to the Kevlar inner braid in a couple of places, but sealed it up with heatshrink and then protected the whole thing with spiral wrap. That hose has lasted for around 20 years (but it's kept in a dark place so UV won't damage it unnecessarily). A cable tie at each end stops it coming undone, or you can melt the last turns together with a soldering iron for a neater effect. Takes ages to put on though.

 

[AES]

I share your frustrations with "kinky cables" too kl, (and it happens on domestic items too, such as our juicer, which is worse 'cos it's only 2 core). Apart from heat shrink sleeving for our outdoor cable reel, which works well) I've not tried but I guess ETV's advice is sound.

The "richer" members would know for sure, but I think I'm right in saying that all Festool power tools come with a removable power lead (i.e. there's a socket at the tool end which you plug the lead into). That strikes me as a very good idea (apart from anything else it would significantly reduce the number of leads to store, and to trip over when using 2 or more tools together!) and several times I've toyed with the idea of fitting something like 2 or 3 pin cannon connector sockets (aircraft type) on very short flying leads onto each power tool. But A) like everyone else, I guess it would be a huge job to do all my tools, and B) AFAIK, all such line sockets are rather expensive and it would cost an arm and a leg - especially as obviously, you'd need a socket which includes some type of mechanical latch to stop pulling the lead out when working at the full extent of the power lead.

But I do dream of doing such a thing "one fine wet day"!

Perhaps - and that's a definite MAYBE!

AES

 

[Myfordman]

Buy a reel of arctic grade cable or the rubber stuff and swap the leads. So much more flexible over a wider temperature range.

 

[klkarrier]

(i.e. there's a socket at the tool end which you plug the lead into). That strikes me as a very good idea
AES

I was wondering on that too .. these type of plugs used to be fitted to garden strimmers..would they work?

 

[Paul200]

I share your frustrations with "kinky cables" too kl, (and it happens on domestic items too, such as our juicer, which is worse 'cos it's only 2 core). Apart from heat shrink sleeving for our outdoor cable reel, which works well) I've not tried but I guess ETV's advice is sound.

The "richer" members would know for sure, but I think I'm right in saying that all Festool power tools come with a removable power lead (i.e. there's a socket at the tool end which you plug the lead into). That strikes me as a very good idea (apart from anything else it would significantly reduce the number of leads to store, and to trip over when using 2 or more tools together!) and several times I've toyed with the idea of fitting something like 2 or 3 pin cannon connector sockets (aircraft type) on very short flying leads onto each power tool. But A) like everyone else, I guess it would be a huge job to do all my tools, and B) AFAIK, all such line sockets are rather expensive and it would cost an arm and a leg - especially as obviously, you'd need a socket which includes some type of mechanical latch to stop pulling the lead out when working at the full extent of the power lead.

But I do dream of doing such a thing "one fine wet day"!

Perhaps - and that's a definite MAYBE!

AES

I've done the Festool thing to my tools. The Festool leads have a rubber outer sheath which is totally 'inert' - ie. it just lies where you put it - no kinks or curls - nothing. Festool supply tails with their socket on the end of it for (I think) about a tenner. You just need to rewire your tools with the new tail. I don't actually own any Festool but their leads are fantastic!

Main advantage is no more spaghetti all over the place waiting to trip you. Main disadvantage is the plug/socket combo dangling at the rear of the machine can get very irritating when it catches on the end of the workpiece. You need to make sure you shorten the tail to the minimum you can get away with so that the plug is hard up against the body of the machine where the cable exits. I found this out the hard way and now have to go back and rewire most of them for the second time :?

 

[Eric The Viking]

I've done the same for the lawn mower, very cheaply with an IEC plug/line socket combination. It does get in the way, but you just run the main lead over a shoulder when cutting the lawn. I often route the cable of a power tool the same way so it doesn't catch things.

One word of caution - the strain relief on most connectors is nowhere near as good as that on the tool itself, so expect the cord to pull out and/or break occasionally, which can be exciting. It is very good practice to check tool cord and plugs occasionally for damage, especially if you share your tools at all. You might even consider shortening the cable by 5" or so every couple of years (if you're using an in-line plug+socket), so you re-make the connector with a fresh bit of cable.

Our cleaner used to get most upset when the vacuum cleaner cord burst into flames at the point it came out of the machine. It happened twice*, after which point I learned to shorten the cord occasionally.

E.

*She got her own back on it eventually when she thought it was a wet+dry model. It wasn't.
It survived the actual deluge, but the bearings seized shortly afterwards. :-(

 

[YorkshireMartin]

Twisted cords can be sorted out with a little trick.

Obviously this only works as described if the cable is fixed into the tool but for removable cable types, remove the cord and suspend the cord end accordingly and make sure it's free hanging.

Put a moderate weight on the plug end and hang the plug in the air by the tool ensuring that the cable is vertical right up to the point of connection to the tool. Obviously you need to be careful not to use too much, or too little weight, but you'll find that the plug starts to spin around and when it stops of it's own accord, you should be back to having something like a straight cord.

Used this method all the time on horribly twisted mouse and keyboard cords, although with those you can simple hold the connector end, no weights required. Also works with old corded telephones.

The weight on the plug is only necessary because the alternative is dangling the power tool by its cord, which probably isn't a good idea...

You get the idea I'm sure. Far easier to do than explain.

 

[moosepig]

I was wondering on that too .. these type of plugs used to be fitted to garden strimmers..would they work?

A lot of these remarkably don't have an earth pin - probably not such a good idea unless you can find one with an earth connector.

 

[Monkey Mark]

I'll find a link later, but I usually swap the cord for the better rubber type. Stops it twisting and kinking and makes them generally nicer to use as the cord flows nicely behind.

 

[Shultzy]

I use a IEC C13/C14 'Kettle' Lead re-wireable Male Socket Connector Plug attached to the tool and a similar female connector attached to length of 3 core cable. If you buy the cable "off the reel" it comes reasonably straight.

 

[rafezetter]

(i.e. there's a socket at the tool end which you plug the lead into). That strikes me as a very good idea
AES

I was wondering on that too .. these type of plugs used to be fitted to garden strimmers..would they work?

do you know what... that is a damn good idea 1 long cable (or two) that attaches to anything. I get so tired of trying to cram the supplied leads into some of the supplied boxes, which then makes the kink matter worse.

 

[Monkey Mark]

(i.e. there's a socket at the tool end which you plug the lead into). That strikes me as a very good idea
AES

I was wondering on that too .. these type of plugs used to be fitted to garden strimmers..would they work?

do you know what... that is a damn good idea 1 long cable (or two) that attaches to anything. I get so tired of trying to cram the supplied leads into some of the supplied boxes, which then makes the kink matter worse.

Just remember to check if the item is class 2 (double insulated), otherwise you Must have the earth too and those connectors, if I'm thinking of the right ones, don't support the earth.

 

[Woody2Shoes]

There are few things more irritating than a power cable that "thinks it knows better"!

I think there are two problems, which can combine:

1) What I call "bends" - caused by the outer sheath having a slight "memory" of the way it sat bunched up in the box for months on end. This is worse with sheaths which are more (thermo-) plastic than elastic. This problem can mostly be got rid of by usage and warmth (e.g. on a sunny day), then avoiding tight bends when storing.

2) What I call "bias" - caused by twisting, where the individual wires get twisted inside the outer sheath. Something very similar can happen with a rope (if it's simply twisted, not braided). So I always coil the cable, in a loose coil, rather than winding it - if that makes sense - as if I were coiling a rope.

Sometimes when I share/lend my power tools I get them back with the power cord tightly would round them - which is just one more reason to be selfish!

Cheers, W2S

 

[Eric The Viking]

Just remember to check if the item is class 2 (double insulated), otherwise you Must have the earth too and those connectors, if I'm thinking of the right ones, don't support the earth.

IEC ("Kettle") leads and normal connectors do support earth (i.e. they're three pin). i've only once seen a two pin version (on the back of a Revox audio tape machine), but it's deprecated and almost impossible to find.

There is a very good argument for *always* having a good earth in any cables you use, even if the device is double insulated. When fitting a new cable to a D. E. device, I always fit one with an earth core if it's physically possible. This is because the earth is there to cause the fuse to blow in the event of a fault (and/or trip the RCD if there is one). If the earth wire is there and connected at the mains end, you have a far better chance of disconnecting the power in the event of an accident. And, of course, some tools require one.

In any case, if tools 'share' a cable. you need an earth for the ones that need an earth(!).

On IEC connectors, from memory, the standard PC version is rated at 6A and the 'kettle' type at 10A. There are two physical differences: Kettle connectors have a notch and a corresponding lug, so that you cannot plug a 6A lead into a kettle, and they're made of heat-proof plastic. You can use a kettle lead to power a PC, but not vice versa.

There are two problems in using them for power tools:

1. The cable clamps and strain reliefs are weak in the re-wireable connectors, and the terminals inside are usually nasty (I solder them if I'm not in a rush, and ignore the screws completely).
2. They weren't designed for the job. There is a week mechanical connection (only the friction of the pins), so they pull apart easily and will get looser over time as the pin grips relax and spread.

You can get round (1) with heatshrink carefully applied, to reduce the amount the cable can bend at the back of the plug. (2) is harder: there are locking bails for the chassis version (no help in-line in a cable!), I run the mower cable over my shoulder and tuck the cable into my belt, so there's little force on it.

A much better solution is the Neutrik "Powercon True 1" range. Rated at 16A, but small and with a latching clip built-in, and support for the earth wire, and much better cable retention and strain relief. Note that professional connectors like this usually allow only a limited range of cable diameters - you can't use just any cable!

I'm guessing, but I think the Festool "Plug-It" ones were derived from an earlier version of the Neutrik Powercon (Neutrik are far and away the best at this sort of thing). I don't own any Festool tools, but I think their plug is only two pole, so carries no earth. THIS IS BAD for a general-use cable in the UK, as previously discussed.

Note I linked to Rapid Electronics above for Powercon. They tend to be fast and reliable, but not cheap. I'm sure you'll get better deals by searching - can't be bothered at the mo.

E.