Building The Perfect Extension Cord

After 40 years as a industrial electrician I have mad 100's of extension cords or devices with cord ends. One thing I quickly learned was that if you can read the printing on the cord properly left to right then the male plug end goes on the left end. This is so the wires don't criss cross inside the cord end. This is 99.9% accurate.

I did not know about the left or right thing regarding cords. Thanks for teaching an old dog new tricks.

Great video, very well done. But after watching you put so much emphasis on safety while building this extension cord, I was a bit surprised when, near the end of the video, I watched you pull the plug out of the extension box by yanking on the cord! This often bends the prongs - and possibly loosens the electrical connection.

As soon as I started watching, I thought 'Stud Pack' just recently did something like that. And then you mentioned them. Cool. Great ideas!

I made an electrical power block like this, but it has 3 gangs: AFCI/GFCI and USB and regular receptacle. Additionally, it has a LCDI cord to protect the entire cord in case it gets damaged, unlike GFCI protected cords that only trip if a ground fault occurs. Even more, it has a weather resistant cover for all the outlets. It also has a 15-amp breaker button. Both your power block, and my power block, are super beefy. The 3-gang covers are very difficult to find, but they exist. The metal power blocks are seriously built to last.

Perfect! I’ve watched a few of these extension cord vids and yours is best. Thank you

Couple of things. You're using a 12 ga. cord, you could use 20-amp outlets. And get the industrial type, much better "innards". And two, you never, ever, disconnect a cord by pulling on the cable.

Made cords in the ‘80’s but used button breakers mounted in the box- no fancy receptacle back then. 12/3 cords

One change I would make is leaving enough wood to cut a handhold on the board. Easier to carry and you can hang it on the wall with a nail. That said, this is NOT a UL approved device or approved by OSHA for a commercial job site. Oh, one more thing... do not feed a cord through a hole in a bucket. Cords like this must have free flowing air to stay cool and if used while coiled up in a bucket they may get hotter than you think.

Was thinking about building one of these to run power to my car port so I can put in some over head lights and plug in my pellet grill, stuff that wont be in use full time. I have a GFCI port about 20 feet from my car port and want something dual use. I like your design and is fairly straight forward and water proof, plus all the links are dang helpful. Just have to find cable and decide how much I want to buy.

Thanks for this video, I converted a old cord into something very useful

I use garden hose reel for my long extension cords. Can easily real it up and move around on the wheels

Not a bad build. I would swap the rain covers, for a bellows expanding in use coverplate, so you can safely use the cord in the rain. A side benefit is the clear cover will allow the nite light to be visible in the dark, and allow it to shut off during the day.

I really enjoy your channel! I’ve been a subscriber for a while. I return frequently to refresh my mind on clever tips and tricks! I have this handyman book from the 80’s with hand drawn pics of insane simple ideas 💡!

I watched both of stud packs extension cord videos, great channel

Great video! Best box I've seen so far! Clearly and well explained. I made one a while back after "Stud Pack's" design (I noticed you referenced him too) and it serves me very well. But I think after seeing this one, it may be time for a redesign. I really like your "anti-snag" base. The only difference for me might be leaving off weather proof doors as I really wont need them (but can keep them handy for future use if ever needed). Also, I used 20A outlets (very similar to your 15A versions). I can simply transfer from my current box to the new one. Just had another thought - will use 1/2" HDPE cutting board from Dollar Store rather than plywood base. I think it will hold up somewhat better than plywood in the areas I'll use it. I like this box! Great job!

Amazing video and I especially like the bucket idea! I bought the items to make one of these after watching studpack's video but I'll be upgrading a few parts. Specifically the aluminum box and the outlet with usb built in. Thanks for posting this!

Thank you for this. Love your videos.

WOW! That alignment tip!? Never heard before I am now wondering if cable over here is the same? I have always just bent the wires over. Glad you also forget the end! Bob England

A better way to remove outer insulation is to score it lengthwise for the length you need without cutting all the way through. You only cut through completely at the end, which you will either end up cutting off entirely or at least stripping insulation from the inner conductors, so minor nicks to the inner insulation aren't a concern. At the other end of the slit, score a perpendicular line all the way around. Then PEEL the insulation off, it will break along the slits where the insulation is weakest. You'll also have something to hang onto when peeling around the radial slit. This guarantees you won't cut into the inner insulation nor weaken anything with too sharp a bend radius. A very sharp knife is mandatory (I like Olfa black "ultra sharp" break-away blades). Thanks for the video! I just built two exactly to your specs (mainly to endanger the lives of all the OSHA armchair quarterbacks).