Thread: Overhead retractable power cable

Now this barely qualifies as a 'metalwork' project, apart from drilling a few holes and doing a couple of tack welds, but it may amuse some.

A couple of offcuts from the bin were just the right size. Drilled to tek screw to the underside of the mezzanine joists.And a eye bolt tacked in to each. Some spray can red oxide (handy).

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A 5m length of 3mm cable, pair of turnbuckles, four u-clamps and some keyring rings and it's a go-er.


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Couldn't find any tie-wraps, so cut some short pieces of chain, to hold up the loops of cable.

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It's certainly a bit untidy at first hang. I'll take it down, and wrap the cable around an appropriate diameter bit of something, in order to get a uniform coil set to the cable. If I am really keen, I'll Texta a line along the length of its 'natural' axis, and put it back up (with tie-wraps) while using the line to index to prevent twist.

Originally Posted by node105

Couldn't find any tie-wraps, so cut some short pieces of chain, to hold up the loops of cable.

At the mens shed we set up 4 of these lines and we used two linked key rings - a smaller one around the wire and a large one around the cable.

A hot air gun on its lowest setting played from a distance will relax the cable so it hangs nicely.

Originally Posted by BobL

A hot air gun on its lowest setting played from a distance will relax the cable so it hangs nicely.

Or using it to power your most power-hungry piece of equipment will also heat it up nicely.
If you keep popping the breaker, consider replacing with some higher amperage options:

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(Safety nazis- this is a joke)

Originally Posted by BobL

At the mens shed we set up 4 of these lines and we used two linked key rings - a smaller one around the wire and a large one around the cable.

A hot air gun on its lowest setting played from a distance will relax the cable so it hangs nicely.

good idea re heat gun, ta.

I had though initially about two rings, then thought it would be a pain to get them onto the cable - but it just occurred to me, that I have yet to put a plug on the end, so I could just feed the wire through.

The cable ties would stop the cable creeping though, and the spooled loop sizes changing, as it it pulled back and forth over time.

Originally Posted by node105

good idea re heat gun, ta.

I had though initially about two rings, then thought it would be a pain to get them onto the cable - but it just occurred to me, that I have yet to put a plug on the end, so I could just feed the wire through.

Thats what we did.

The cable ties would stop the cable creeping though, and the spooled loop sizes changing, as it it pulled back and forth over time.

When the heat gun is applied the power cable forms a sort of a broad bend over the key ring that does not creep as the key ring on the steel cable is slipperier that the power cable through the key ring.

Looks like Commander_keen has been getting his reference material from the Mumbai School of Electrical.

The fuse I find Particularly interesting is the rifle round. The audible alarm would be enough to make one S@hit if it "tripped". whole fuse panel might be "tripped" tho if it blows.

Nah, not me!

I can do the electrician. Look at my works.

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I can do the electrician. Look at my works.

Classy!!! Nothing to see here!

Mate was an apprentice sparky at Garden Island (Naval Dockyard).
It was in the late 60s.
A recent arrival in Oz fronts for a job.
Has a claw hammer and a screwdriver, “I am zee electrician”.
They didn’t even bother giving him a start.
H.

Originally Posted by clear out

Has a claw hammer and a screwdriver, “I am zee electrician”.

Back in the 1980's my younger brother did one of those open boat rides down the Amazon starting in Peru.
The boat he was on had two guides and a small outboard - everything went OK on the first day but on Day two the motor would not start. Bro is a pretty handy mechanic and offered to take a look and asked if they had any tools. The guides said "no problem" and dragged out a dirty wrapped up cloth bundle from under the boat seat and there was a hammer and screw driver. One of the guides proceeded to show bro how he removes the spark plug and cleaned it and off they went - had to do that every morning for about 10 days.

Another time same bro was in the middle of a desert in Kazakhstan consulting on why the slurry pumps on an open cut gold mine were haemorrhaging. Turned out the pump entry angles for the large steel slurry pipes were all wrong. Bro offered to stay behind and supervise the works as long as the mining company sent him replacement pumps, a certified welder plus some trades assistants, and the company said the they will be there in the morning. Bro stayed ON in one of the mine dongas and was awakened at 5:30am by the sound of a flock of sheep outside the donga followed by a knock on the door. The shepherds turned turned out to be the trade assistants. They even had some tools with them, again a hammer, a set of screwdriver and several pairs of multigrips! No welder ever materialised so Bro ended up doing the welding himself. The shepherds turned out to be pretty useful especially with those multigrips.

An electrician turned up at a factory where I was working in the fifties looking for a job. He even had a brief reference from his previous employer. It said "Mr X was in our employ from.... to.... The question of work did not arise." For some reason he did not get taken on.

Frank.

Couldn't find any tie-wraps, so cut some short pieces of chain, to hold up the loops of cable.

overhead_cable - 5.jpg

I did the same a long time ago in my old workshop, I found the use of a single jack chain link was the best, u can open them and pinch closed on the power cable to hold position and open to put on the catenary wire to hang up

Originally Posted by AGeckoCan

Couldn't find any tie-wraps, so cut some short pieces of chain, to hold up the loops of cable.

overhead_cable - 5.jpg

I did the same a long time ago in my old workshop, I found the use of a single jack chain link was the best, u can open them and pinch closed on the power cable to hold position and open to put on the catenary wire to hang up

THAT's the idea I was missing! I am using that type of chain, but had looped 3 or 4 links around each coil drop - clumsy (temp) solution. Squeeze the link loop - perfect. Thanks.

Got some new chain yesterday, didn't have the simpler link type, so prising open the double links on this was a bit awkward, but the fit on the cable was spot on. Thanks again AGeckoCan for the chain link suggestion.

The initial iteration used turnbuckles both ends, and U-clamps. Which made the stop point for the retracted cable about 200mm out from the wall.
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The final fit up used Wire Rope Thimbles both ends, and crimpable Swages rather than the U-bolts - neater and shorter.

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I had laid the cable out in the sun for a few hours, then coiled it around a bucket for a couple of days.

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Works well.
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