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 really appreciated you showing us the wrong end of the cord and forgetting to put the housing on first, both mistakes I've made before and at risk to make again.

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.

When building the outlet box, can you use a GFCI outlet or would that be useless?

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.

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

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

Lok at all those product links!! Yet j am not able to find a link to a cord!!

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

Nicely done. But pulling on the cord to remove the plug from the receptacle? And, as a suggestion, the quick formula for determining the amount of conductor you need from the supply in the bucket. You know, the diameter of the bucket x 3 (to make it simple) per loop. Or maybe, a mark of some kind (tape, bright magic marker, etc) every 3 ft on the conductor. BTW, Some of the older products were made from better quality materials as you well know, but nice when available.

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).

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

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!

I was trying to figure out which link was for the wire? Anyway you can help? I’m trying to make sure I order the right stufff for this project

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

Stud Pack is that you? I swear this is an exact replay of Stud Packs video. Do we all have an inherited extension cord? Lol I have one as well, I made a similar extension cord with one USB GFCI and one standard Commerical 20a outlet With a manual reset (in line gfci) on the male end that's wired in and water resistant, So you can't do a fancy led plug (well, i guess you could, but you're going to have to cut your inline)

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 💡!