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A Compilation from
the "Electrical Contractor" Magazine
Fresh Approaches to Organizing
Why Did't I Think of That?
Working Smart, Neat, and Tidy
Common Sense Approaches to Everyday Problems
Drill Yourself Out of These Jams
Spray Paint, Pencil Holders, Fishing with
Snakes, Taping Wire Ends, and Using a Phillips
Disclaimer:
The ideas presented in this article are for consideraton only. Before using such
ideas, make sure codes and safety issues have been fully adhered to. The
"Electrical Contractor" magazine and "Raymond Electric" disclaims any
liability from your use of this or any other idea.
"Fresh Approaches to
Organizing" |
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| "When threading a piece of PVC-coated
conduit on a chain vise, put a piece of angle iron on the top and bottom of the conduit. 
This will hold the conduit firmly while keeping the chain and vise teeth
from damaging the PVC coating. One-in. angle iron works well for 1/2-to 1-in.
conduit, while 1-1/2-in. angle iron is best for larger sizes." Steve
Whitmire,IBEW Local 613, Atlanta, Ga. |
- Getting Right to the Point
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| "Have you ever had an
urgent need for a pencil only to discover that the point is broken? Or have you
ever been marking an anchor location, only to have the pencil point break and you have to
stop and sharpen your pencil? Well, I've discovered that using a drafting or
mechanical pencil saves a lot of time and headaches. Lead is available at a click of
the button on the end of the pencil. The lead lasts for several weeks, depending on
use. The lead is strong enough to extend the lead out 1 in. and mark through thick
openings. These pencils are available at most office supply stoers. You can
buy extra lead and keep a supply in your toolbox." Eric Branning, Fort Wayne,
Ind. |
- Lengthen The Life of Fish Tape
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| "To make steel fish tap last longer,
spray it with silicone lubricant." Hamasaki Electric, Honolulu, Hawaii. |
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| "I do a lot of residential work and had
trouble keeping the various covers organized. I purchased an open plastic toolbox
that measures approximately 16X7X7 in. this toolbox serves as a storage area for all
the covers and keeps them organized and in an upright position. This system helps
avoid lost screws and damaged covers and also keeps the various covers easily
accesible." Anthony Sciarello, West Orange, NJ. |
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| "When I'm terminating many cables in
switchgear, there always seeems to be a shortage of phasing tapes. I developed a
method of keeping various colors of tape easily available. I cut a 12-in. piece of
3/8 bolt rod and put 
3/8-in. boiler washers and nuts on it. I wrapped the
tape between the washers to separate colors. It's easy to store in a toolbox and I
always have the colors I need. The tape lengths can be as long as you need to make
them." Phil Klein, IBEW Local 654, Aston, PA.. |
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"Why Didn't I Think Of
That?" |
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- Don't Alarm the Fire Department
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| "Call the fire department
before starting work on an existing fire alarm system. Let them know the building
addres tell them you are turning the system off, and to ignore alarm signals. This
can save lots of trouble and money. In the event fire trucks roll to a false alarm,
you could get a bill for about $500 to cover the costs-and possibly lose your
contract. When you've finished the work, telll the fire department you are turning
on the system." Jeffrey Camp, Wasatch Electric, IBEW Local 354, Salt Lake city,
Utah. |
- Get an Edge on Blueprints
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| "Try this neat little
trick the next time you get a new set of prints. Take some 3/4-inch wide masking
tape and apply it to the top, bottom, and sides of each sheet of blueprints. It
makes a great border, it's easy to turn pages, and they won't fray and rip with repeated
usage. You an also revive old prints in the same way." Tom Halm, IBEW Local
176, Ottawa, Ill. |
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| "A piece of discarded
I-beam, approximately 8 inches X 12 inches X24 inches long is very useful as an anvil for
shaping metal. It can also be used as a drilling platform, a stationary support
while assembling and installing lighting poles, and as a fulcrum to elevate heavy cabinets
and panels. In addition, you can stand on it to get that extra foot of reach." Richard
Junkes, IBEW Local 25, Southampton, N.Y. |
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| "Keep a small amount of
wax, like a birthday candle, in your tool kit. When working on hard-to-reach,
sensitive electronic parts where magnetic driver should not be used, or when a holding
driver will not work, try using wax to stick the screw to the driver. It worls with
both flat-head and Phillips screws. The small amount of wax residue will bot harm
components. Sometimes the wax may need to be heated for the screw to stick to the
driver." D.J. Rispone, IBEW Local 995, Baton,Rouge, LA. |
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| "When trying to locate the center of a
difficult object, use string. Extned two pieces, each from corner to corner.
Where they intersect is the center." Donald Moore, Bristol, Conn. |
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"Working Smart, Neat, and
Tidy?" |
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| "Before discarding worn
jeans, trim out the rear pockets, leaving intact the inner lining, along with part of the
belt line and one of the belt loops. Run your trouser belt through the belt loop on
the cut-out-pocket. Let it hang off your side. This makes a handy pouch to
carry small parts." Donald A. Kapit, IBEW Local 58, Detroit, MICH. |
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"When required to
remove a large-diameter vault or manhole lid without mechanical equipment, use a 6-foot
bar placed through the lifting eyes of the lid to raise it enough to slide a 2-inch pipe
under it. 
Place the pipe about halfway under the lid before sliding
the bar through the lifting eye on the opposite side of the lid. Lift the lid up and
pull. This will allow the lid to very easily be moved away from the opening, and
back into place. |
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| "When you have trouble removing miniature
lamps from small pilot light bases, and your remval tool is burried in the gang box,thry
this. Take a yellow or red scotch-lock and push it down over the lamp, twisting the lamp
out of its base. The lamp stays put in the soft rubber of the scotchlock." Morrie
Cook, IBEW Local 8, Toledo, Ohio. |
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| "Prior to installing conduit above a
lay-in ceiling or exposed, I have found it useful to spray paint the required number of
blank covers, 4 inches round, 1900 and 4-II/I6, to match the systems being piped in.
I use red for fire alarms, white for normal lighting, blue for receptacles, green for
emergency, and yellow for speakers. For instance, a 1900 box is fastened to the end
of a conduit for normal lighting. I attach a blank cover painted white with the
panel designation and circuit number printed on it. The cover is secured to the
corner of the box with one screw to allow for the wire to be pulled. There will be
no problem if and when you have to get back into that ceiling to trouble-shoot. The
painted covers will eliminate any tracing of circuit runs for various systems." Robert
N. Parks, IBEW Local 375, Slatington, PA. |
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"I recently had a hard
time keeping phasing tape together. I find tat the plastic containers that come with
Scotch electrical tape (33+ and 35) fit into coffee cans rather nicely. Also, I keep
screws, nuts and sta-kons in these tape containers.
This keeps them in one spot, making them easier to find on
the job." Sean Rogan, IBEW Local 163 Wikes Barre, PA. |
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"Common Sense
Approaches to Everyday Problems" |
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to bottom] |
- Reminder to Watch your Tools
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| "Each time you loan tools or equipment,
snip a tiny piece of tape and stick it on the face of your watch. This is a great
reminder to get everything back at the end of the day." Dale Bertram, IBEW Local
1, St. Louis, Mo. |
- Getting Color Coordinated
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| "When doing concrete pours with more than
one panel source, highlight conduit runs on blueprints with different colors of
highlighter for each source, and use phase tape colors to match on the conduit stub ups or
stub outs in walls and future pours to make it easy to ID later." Denney O'Brien,
IBEW Local 1547, Anchorage, Alaska. |
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"If you're cutting in
alot of one-gang boxes, using a template can save a lot of time an is much easier to use
than holding the box itself against the wall and leveling it. I made this template
from a discarded welding helmet plastic eyepiece. It is exactly the right width and
a little longer than needed, so some cutting is requires.
After marking the center lines with a permanent marker,
super glue on a bubble from an old level, then drill two small holes for the thumbtacks
and glue them in place. I then cut the thumbtacks off short so they will just
penetrate the wall and keep the template from sliding around while marking the outline of
the box." Donn Lawrence, IBEW Local 76, Olympia, Wa |
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| "I have an idea that I have used for
years to same my receptacle measuring tape. I used to have to buy new tape measures
because the numbers on the first 24 inches would become worn out quickly. So, I
solved this problem by getting a roll of clear Scotch tape and wrapping it tightly around
the first 24 inches of my tape measure. Now, my tape last twice as long." John
A. Roberts, IBEW Local 11, Pineville, LA. |
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| "Here's time-saving tip that we use on
pipe jobs. We take old/discarded shopping carts (the deep type) and make a mobile
carrier. They are easy to move from place to place and are a great place to place
and are a great place to keep fittings and tools. You can also slide a piece of pipe
into the wire sides and have an instant vise. If you lay a piece of plywood on the
top of the basket, you will have a moveable blueprint or work table. See how many
uses you can discover for a used shopping cart." David Norman, Hoilman Electric
Co., Inc., Valdese, N.C. |
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"Drill Youself Out Of
These Jams" |
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bottom] |
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| "Here's an idea that may help someone
out of a jam. A customer wanted a receptacle cut in an outside wall. This
room had a freshly painted ceiling and newly paneled walls. There was no basement or
crawl space, and the attic was very shallow so I couldn't drill from the attic. I
couldn't drill at all form below the ceiling because no damage could be done. I took
measurements and found I could drill from the roof. I lifted a shingle, bored
through the roof, hit the wall plate, and drilled through it. Then I pushed a fish
tape down and through the hole I cut. I secured Romex on the fish tape and pulled it
up through the roof. The panel was in the middle of the house, so it was easy
to get the Romex to the panel. I put a little tar in and around the hole on the roof
and pushed the shingle back down. The end result was a very happy customer." Michael
Revell, Revell Electric, Mishawaka, IND. |
- Long-Distance Running For Nuts
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| "In building cable tray supports and
pipe racks, it often becomes necessary to ru nuts long distances on the all-thread
rod. To speed the process up, put the rod in the chuck of a variable-speed 1/2 drill
motor and hold the nut with your channel locks. 
Use the drill in forward or reverse depending on the desired
direction. Although a battery drill is more versatile because the cord isn't in the
way, corded drills can be used with this tip, to." David E. Babbit, IBEW
Local 43, Syracuse, NY. |
- Playing The Numbers Game With Breakers
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| "Have you ever had to make up a branch
circuit panel with many wires that had to be landed on the breakers? Without the
deadfront on, it can be tedious and time-consuming to match the circuit number that
corresponds to the breaker. I found a use for the single-numbered square at the end
of a strip of numbers in a number book. You can put this numbered square on the
breaker and you'll be able to identify the circuit number, even with the deadfront
off."J. Eric Branning, LAUX and Arnold, Inc., Fort Wayne, IND. |
- 'This End Up' On Drill Cases
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| "Mark all drill cases "top" and
"bottom" with a magic marker so you don't open the wrong end." Curt
Swendberg, IBEW Local 96, Holden, MASS. |
- Weed Sprayer Doubles as Water Source
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| "When core drilling, it is not always
easy to strech out a garden hose for a water source. The hose can also create
tripping hazard. try a 3-or 5-gallon pump weed sprayer tank instead. Remove
the hand sprayer and replace it with an air hose quick connector with a matching fitting
on the core drill." Jim Goik, IBEW Local 58, Detroit, MICH. |
"Spray Paint, Pencil Holders,
Fishing with Snakes, Tapping Wire Ends, and Using a Phillips" |
| [back to top] [go to
bottom] |
- Identify rigs with spray paint
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| "While doing wall or ceiling rough-in
installations, take a moment to spray paint the plaster rings for future identification:
red for emergency, orange for ups, etc. After the wallboard is up, this
distinguishes specialized device locations from normal systems at a glance for accurate
and quick trimouts. Tips of fixture whips may also be sprayed for easy reference,
especially in large areas." Marty Crain, IBEW Local 1141, Oklahoma City, OK |
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| "When wearing and working with a tool
pouch, sometimes it is hard keeping up with your pencil. It either falls out of your
shirt pocket, falls deep in your tool pouch, or you cannot find it in your pants
pocket. Try cutting a piece of 3/8-inch flex about 4 inches long and tying or
ty-wrapping it to the side of your tool pouch. It is perfect for holding a No. 2
pencil. The next time you are working, you'll be able to pull out your pencil just
as easily as you can a screwdriver or a pair of side-cutters." Benjamin Foster,
IBEW Local 613, Atlanta, Ga. |
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| "When trying to fish wires in wall from
existing outlets or switch boxes, or from the first to the second floors, I use a 15-foot
piece of 18/2 thermostat wire. I push it from the knockout in the box or through the
hole drilled horizontally in both directions, making many loops. I then take my
snake, push it to the location, and twist it a couple of times, catching the wire and
pulling out the snake with your dragling attached. This works 90 Percent of the time
on the first try." Frank Galluzo, IBEW Local 25, Plainview, NY. |
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| "On long wire pulls, are you having
trouble keeping the pulling basket on the new, hard, slippery high-temperature
thermo-plastic cables? Try tapping the head going in the basket with a roll of
friction tape. It works great." David E. Babbit, IBEW 43, Lorain, OH. |
- New Use for Phillips
Screwdriver
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| "When you need to make a
hole for a plastic anchor in drywall, you don't need to drag out a drill or round up drill
bit when the right tool is in your back pocket. Since the shank on your Phillips
screwdriver is 1/4-inch, simply place the tip where your anchor needs to get set and tap
it through. This is an easy and effective way to make a perfect hole for your
anchor, without havng to fumble around with other tools." Rob Stonehill, IBEW
Local 32, Lima, OH. |
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