Yellow jacket makes a nice cord.

 

should have mentioned, I don't need heavy duty, these would be for routers, sanders Etc. what weight cord for these type of tools, 10/4, 14/3, Etc?

 

I don't need heavy duty, these would be for routers, sanders Etc. what weight cord for these type of tools,

The current carrying capacity of extension cords depends on the wire gauge and the length:

Extension Cord Size Chart - Understanding Wire Gauge and Amps

This definitive extension cord size chart helps you understand how wire gauge, amps, and length affect how power gets to your tools.

www.protoolreviews.com

Another good chart:

Cord Length and Current Rating Chart | Construction Electrical Products

Conductor Size (AWG) Maximum Current Carrying Capacity Length 6 – 50 feet Length 51 – 100 feet 2 Wire 3 Wire 2 Wire 3 Wire #18 10 7 7 5.6 #16 13 10 10 7 #14 18 15 15 10 #12 25 20 20 15 #10 30 25 25 20 #8 40 35 35 25 […]

cepnow.com

For most hand held sanders and routers under 2 HP, I use 16 GA, but under 25 ft in length.
Those tools have AC/DC motors with brushes and don't draw as much current on start up as higher HP induction motors, like on a cabinet table saw or 15" planer.
Also understand that those higher HP motors, 3 HP and over are typically run on 240 Volts at 1/2 the amperage draw they would require on 120 V.

 

@JoeFromSD
based on the name you are in south Dakota.
so the cord needs very flexible in cool to cold shop conditions.

I use three different cords in my shop. # 12 for motors. #14 for general use.
the for small hand tools # 16 -18 gage cords.

most are very flexible in florida. the #12 in the winter not so much.

ok when hot not so much in the winter great to get power to the bench then to shorter ones like 8' to 12' unfortunately some of the short ones are black.

most what I have came second hand. when the socket end (female) goes loose I just cut the end off and it goes to a tool to replace a poor one. lst one I bought cost less than a replacement end.

then ones with an idiot light are ok. but it seems that clear ends do not last.
at work we have a Tension checker / plug pull tester and if the cord fails it end gets cut off. the testers they look like this

they about $90 min pull test is 4oz. they test blades or the ground pin.


get bright colors. trip hazard. maybe less with yellow. the round are like shakte when stepped on. the flat ones a trouble to roll up.

i must have ten different brands. mostly I do not know brands.

 

LOL, I'm in San Diego, no cold weather here!!

 

I have several rubber covered 12 ga. extension cords I made up myself. They vary from 6' to 12' in length as my shop is only 12' wide. They are quite old, but quite flexible, and I don't recall exactly where the wire came from, but the plugs and receptacles are from HD. This one has a tool triggered switch mounted to turn on the shopvac when the tool is started. The rest have a regular closed face grounded receptacle.

I do have a 95' cord (it used to be 100' but I cut it in two with an electric mower) for outdoor use. It's 14 ga. and is PVC covered so it's a bit stiff. I keep it coiled in a 3 gal. bucket for ease of extension and rewinding.

 

12 gauge is always good, but I’ll buy 14 gauge especially at Christmas time.

 

When I built my 25x35 shop, I made sure there is no location that's more than 12-1/2 ft from an outlet.

I use cheap ten foot orange extension cords from Harbor Freight in the shop, and I have a bunch of 50 & 100 footers for outdoor use.

 

a lot more cable trivia.
the weak point of most cables is the socket on the end weather there be a multi end or not.


Some cables are marked like this 3x14 AWG,15Amp 125Volt ,1875 Watts ,10 Feet

AWG Average wire gauge over 100 ft industry standard

10 gauge extension cord how many amps Outdoor Cord-12/3 SJTW Heavy Duty 3 Prong Extension Cord-for Commercial Use ( Yellow), 50 Feet
SJTW SJTW means a hard service cable with a thermoplastic jacket, rated for 300 volts, and weather-resistant for outdoors. S stands for Service, J is for Junior, T is vinyl Thermoplastic, and W means Weather approved.

most of this list based 25 feet

10 Gauge for 16-20 Amps 2,200 Watts or 2.9 hp
12 Gauge for 14-15 Amps 1,980 Watts or 2.6 hp
14 Gauge for 11-13 Amps 1,650 Watts. or 2.2 hp
16 Gauge for 1-10 Amps 1,430 Watts. or 1.91 hp max
1 hp = 745.7 Watts


18 gauge cord may only be rated for 5 to 7 amperes (amps) of load at a length of up to 25 feet

25ft extension cords: 16 gauge for up to 13 amps;

14 gauge for up to 15 amps;

12 or 10 gauge for up to 20 amps depending on the length of cable


Not all extension cords are equal. this list found at most wire company's

To help you select the appropriate extension cord for specific conditions of use, they come with helpful ratings such as the following:

S = Service Grade (also means extra hard service when not followed by J, V, or P) J = Hard Service V = Vacuum cleaner cord (also light duty cable)

O = Oil Resistant* T = Thermoplastic W = Outdoor-includes sunlight resistant jacket and wet location rated conductors (formerly "W-A") H = Heater cable VW-1 = Flame retardant FT2 = Flame retardant * When only one "O" appears in a classification (i.e. SJEOW), only the outer jacket material is oil resistant. If two "O's" are in the classification (i.e. SEOOW), the insulation covering the conductors and the outer jacket insulation are all oil resistant

When using a power tool outside, use an extension cord marked for outdoor use with “WA” or “W”. These cords are made for outdoor use.

The Different Gauges of Wires Remember:

Thicker copper wire is lower gauge Thicker copper wire is lower resistance. it is all about voltage drop.

 

a lot more cable trivia.
the weak point of most cables is the socket on the end weather there be a multi end or not.


Some cables are marked like this 3x14 AWG,15Amp 125Volt ,1875 Watts ,10 Feet

AWG Average wire gauge over 100 ft industry standard

10 gauge extension cord how many amps Outdoor Cord-12/3 SJTW Heavy Duty 3 Prong Extension Cord-for Commercial Use ( Yellow), 50 Feet
SJTW SJTW means a hard service cable with a thermoplastic jacket, rated for 300 volts, and weather-resistant for outdoors. S stands for Service, J is for Junior, T is vinyl Thermoplastic, and W means Weather approved.

most of this list based 25 feet

10 Gauge for 16-20 Amps 2,200 Watts or 2.9 hp
12 Gauge for 14-15 Amps 1,980 Watts or 2.6 hp
14 Gauge for 11-13 Amps 1,650 Watts. or 2.2 hp
16 Gauge for 1-10 Amps 1,430 Watts. or 1.91 hp max
1 hp = 745.7 Watts


18 gauge cord may only be rated for 5 to 7 amperes (amps) of load at a length of up to 25 feet

25ft extension cords: 16 gauge for up to 13 amps;

14 gauge for up to 15 amps;

12 or 10 gauge for up to 20 amps depending on the length of cable


Not all extension cords are equal. this list found at most wire company's

To help you select the appropriate extension cord for specific conditions of use, they come with helpful ratings such as the following:

S = Service Grade (also means extra hard service when not followed by J, V, or P) J = Hard Service V = Vacuum cleaner cord (also light duty cable)

O = Oil Resistant* T = Thermoplastic W = Outdoor-includes sunlight resistant jacket and wet location rated conductors (formerly "W-A") H = Heater cable VW-1 = Flame retardant FT2 = Flame retardant * When only one "O" appears in a classification (i.e. SJEOW), only the outer jacket material is oil resistant. If two "O's" are in the classification (i.e. SEOOW), the insulation covering the conductors and the outer jacket insulation are all oil resistant

When using a power tool outside, use an extension cord marked for outdoor use with “WA” or “W”. These cords are made for outdoor use.

The Different Gauges of Wires Remember:
View attachment 453256
Thicker copper wire is lower gauge Thicker copper wire is lower resistance. it is all about voltage drop.

a lot more cable trivia.
the weak point of most cables is the socket on the end weather there be a multi end or not.


Some cables are marked like this 3x14 AWG,15Amp 125Volt ,1875 Watts ,10 Feet

AWG Average wire gauge over 100 ft industry standard

10 gauge extension cord how many amps Outdoor Cord-12/3 SJTW Heavy Duty 3 Prong Extension Cord-for Commercial Use ( Yellow), 50 Feet
SJTW SJTW means a hard service cable with a thermoplastic jacket, rated for 300 volts, and weather-resistant for outdoors. S stands for Service, J is for Junior, T is vinyl Thermoplastic, and W means Weather approved.

most of this list based 25 feet

10 Gauge for 16-20 Amps 2,200 Watts or 2.9 hp
12 Gauge for 14-15 Amps 1,980 Watts or 2.6 hp
14 Gauge for 11-13 Amps 1,650 Watts. or 2.2 hp
16 Gauge for 1-10 Amps 1,430 Watts. or 1.91 hp max
1 hp = 745.7 Watts


18 gauge cord may only be rated for 5 to 7 amperes (amps) of load at a length of up to 25 feet

25ft extension cords: 16 gauge for up to 13 amps;

14 gauge for up to 15 amps;

12 or 10 gauge for up to 20 amps depending on the length of cable


Not all extension cords are equal. this list found at most wire company's

To help you select the appropriate extension cord for specific conditions of use, they come with helpful ratings such as the following:

S = Service Grade (also means extra hard service when not followed by J, V, or P) J = Hard Service V = Vacuum cleaner cord (also light duty cable)

O = Oil Resistant* T = Thermoplastic W = Outdoor-includes sunlight resistant jacket and wet location rated conductors (formerly "W-A") H = Heater cable VW-1 = Flame retardant FT2 = Flame retardant * When only one "O" appears in a classification (i.e. SJEOW), only the outer jacket material is oil resistant. If two "O's" are in the classification (i.e. SEOOW), the insulation covering the conductors and the outer jacket insulation are all oil resistant

When using a power tool outside, use an extension cord marked for outdoor use with “WA” or “W”. These cords are made for outdoor use.

The Different Gauges of Wires Remember:
View attachment 453256
Thicker copper wire is lower gauge Thicker copper wire is lower resistance. it is all about voltage drop.

i got sick of tripping over cords had more power outlets installed

 

I think the challenge is if you work in the middle of the shop then what you end up with an extension cord to work in that space. for a ceiling mounted retractable cable.

I do not like the ones with the three-way ends they just Tangled on everything.

the problem is how to feed them. it comes with such a short cord.

so provide a dedicated Outlet to it. or you end up with some extension cord for an extension cord. still no real gain to solve the problem. so it's cords from the wall to where I'm working.

 

I do t hink it’s a big deal. I buy whatever I need in whatever lengths.

I finally got a cord reel, and I never use it, partly b/c I hate the triple outlet on the end. Impossible to use with hand tools. I’m gonna replace it with a single, just haven’t gotten around to it.

Having handy outlets is key. I never use a cord over 25“.

 

I own many cords, I only have one 5 foot 16 gauge cord in my wood shop. When I wired my shop I cut 10 foot conduit in half and installed alternating 2x4 and 4x4 boxes every 5 feet. I also have 2 columns in the wood shop with outlets on them. Wood shop is 20x30 has 15 boxes with 23 duplex receptacles in it. My 5 foot cord rarely gets used.

 

Soon as I get an electric floor I'm throwing out all the extensions and work barefoot in the rain..

 

I cut the triple outlets off with wire to spare and replace with a single outlet, then add a plug to triple cut-off in case I ever want to plug in more than one tool. Finding I need extension cords less and less now that cordless tools work so well.

 

I believe the belt sander is your heaviest draw portable tool in the shop. What ever it needs, everything else is downhill from there..

 

this might help

 

For flexibility I try to match 2 wire cords with 2 prong tools.