To hide cords and cables, consider the following tips:
- Position furniture slightly away from the wall to create space for cords.
- Route cords along the back of the furniture, securing them with clips or zip ties.
- Bundle excess cord length with cable ties to avoid tangling.
- Push furniture back against the wall to keep any cords hidden behind it.
- Hide TV wires by hooking cables to furniture, positioning your couch, bookshelf, or entertainment center against the walls.
- Mount raceways to the surface of the wall or ceiling to conceal the wires running inside. Some are even designed to look like trim or molding.
- Use strategically-placed decor to hide cords and cables.
- DIY an aesthetically-pleasing cord cover, run them along baseboards, swap for battery-powered options, hang and paint cord covers, and use strategically-placed decor.
- Disguise cords by running them underneath a rug, wrapping cords as small as possible, and tape to the back of furniture.
- Store the power strip inside of the cabinet rather than having it hang out behind the media unit.
- Cut a dado or rabet in a baseboard or cut a 45-degree miter off a baseboard to hide the wire in the gap.
- Order a set of cord bundlers to keep long electrical cords in a neat loop tucked behind furniture or on the side of a dresser or credenza.
- Match the cord to the flooring or use fabric cord covers.
- Tape cord bundlers to the legs of a console, depending on the specific condition.
📹 GENIUS Ways to Hide Wires and Cords 💡
Cables and wires are necessary….and also the worst. They take over counters, lay around on floors, and generally just cause a …
📹 How Pros Wrap Extension Cords, Cables & Hoses
Are you wrapping your cords, cables and hoses the hard way? There’s a better way! Two, actually! Check out the way pros wrap …
Ok, this is definitely proof our phones are listening to us. I was doing yardwork with my brother and after using the extension cord we talked about the best way to wrap it up and didn’t know what to do. I come home, hop on youtube, this is the first article I see…And no, I do not watch construction/carpentry articles ever on youtube so any like-minded articles I ever watch would be a far stretch
Thank you for passing on these techniques! I learned the loop/counterloop technique while volunteering in a theatre/panel room at a big convention from an audio engineer, and have relied on it countless thousands of times over my IT career. Having neatly coiled cables of all kinds keeps things tidy and makes you faster, more efficient, and helps prevent damaging cables, especially the ends (how many folks have broken the tabs off of an RJ-45 plug trying to untangle a spaghetti mess of patch cables from a box in your MDF?).
I have been using the loop/counterloop technique for 50 years and I learned it in a recording studio much as you were mentioning. It’s by far the best technique and it’s actually quite fast once you’ve mastered the counterloop process. There was one thing that you didn’t mention though. When you have an extension cord that has been wound in the same direction like a spring for years and years and you cannot use the new technique until you undo the damage from previous wrappings. You have to stretch the cord out on the ground and unwind all of those kinks until it’s a straight cord. You have to remove all of those springlike windings, or your efforts will be useless. There’s one other thing that deserves honorable mention here. When you buy a new extension cord, imagine in the factory how they process it. They put the cord on some sort of reel and wind it onto the reel for shipment. If you think about it, that process is exactly the same as wrapping a previously used cord between your hand and your elbow since each wrap is in the same direction. There is no difference between a brand new cord, and one that has been improperly wound in the past. It’s a bit of a pain, but the proper way to open a brand new extension cord out of the package is to literally unwind it. Reverse the process that was used in manufacturing. It’ll take several minutes because it’s awkward and you don’t have tools and you just have to do it by hand However, once you’re finished, you have a perfectly straight cord without any twists.
One suggestion… I personally like to keep those Velcro straps attached to on end of the extension cord and not remove it. I just unwrap the tail of the Velcro when I want to unwrap the cord and leave the “head” (the part with the hole in it) of the Velcro strap attached to the cord. To do this I put the Velcro strap “tail” into the Velcro strap “head”, which creates a loop; put one end of the extension cord through the Velro “loop” you just created and pull the Velcro “tail” all the way until it is snug agains the cord; now you have a fairly long Velcro “tail” which you can wrap and unwrap from the cord, while the Velcro “head” remains attached to the cord. It’s really simple, but I’m not sure if my explanation is helpful or makes it sound worse.
One of the very first things I was taught in my job as a stagehand was how to properly coil a cable. They’d tear your head off if they saw you using your forearm. For those that don’t know, using your forearm can cause the cable sheath to twist and separate from the core. That’s why 90% of extension cords look like a tangled mess.
Well I COIL (not wrap) cables for a living (I’m a lighting tech) and there’s a few things I feel like missing: 1: under over really is the best way in my opinion although the reason you want to make sure the plugs end up by their correct sides of the reel is because if you pull them thru all the loops you end up with as many knots as loops you have. Pretty much the only downside, you just need to be careful. The other thing I feel like missing is the explanation of why the under over is superior. It is because the only way to put a cable into a spiral shape is to twist it continuously in one direction. But by using under over you alternate the direction you’re twisting the cable so it stays completely straight. Also neither I or any other professional I have ever come across in my 20+ career would ever use the “chain” method on any cable, it is good for climbing rope though if you store it for a longer amount of time.
I was skeptical at the beginning, but when he showed how it works with the hose, I was convinced. Been wrapping my hose the old ways. Always annoys me how it would create a spiral like the old phone cables. Ends up taking more space when in use than saving it when storing. Sometimes the hose hits the side of my car. This is one of the best tips I’ve watch on YouTube. Thanks!
thank you so much!! I just started as a audio/visual tech and the first thing my boss told me was to learn cable management i.e. coiling cables. Logically speaking the over-under technique didn’t make sense to me, because i’d thought wrapping the cables in counter direction would tangle it more. But after seeing your unravel the cord I realized that the counter coiling is keeping the cables in a un-wound position, and thats why its not tangling. Great article!
The most informative and useful article I’ve ever seen on YouTube. Hands Down. I’m 64 years old and have a lot of education and varied experiences in my life. I am stunned that I’ve never heard of either of these methods. Every Christmas the neighbors look over at me pulling 100ft and 50ft cords all tossed in a box. The I stomp around, cursing under my breath and look like a crazy moronic clown. For an hour or so. Think of how much time this could have saved me in 64 years. Not to mention being grumpy and missing out on the joy of putting up Christmas lights.
If you have male and female ends, it is always a good idea to connect them because unless you have somehow put a knot in when coiling (if one end slips through any of the turns in the coil), it is impossible for it to become knotted. I always end my over and under coiling with an ‘over’, even if it means having two ‘overs’ together, because if there isn’t a male and female end which I can connect together and the loose ‘under’ end is shorter than the diameter of the coil (so it doesn’t hang lower than the bottom of the coil), it tends to sneak out between coils and cause knots.
One more thing about the over-under technique: It doesn’t damage cables. One of the reasons you want to use it with, for instance, microphone cables is that the outer wire layer of the cable is a braid. If you just wind it like on your forearm, you are putting all the tiny wires in the braid under tension, increasing with each wind. This leads to breaking the individual wires and eventually ruining the cable’s ground effectiveness. If you do the over-under technique, you will be tensioning the braid one direction on one loop, and then the other direction on the next loop. Each loop counteracts the tension of the previous one instead of multiplying it. Cables last longer. This applies to any cable with a braided outer layer, from a 50-headed grounded snake to your USB charging cable.
You can also do this by wrapping it around your palm and elbow but doing a figure eight instead of a circle. The way you’re doing it is essentially a figure eight but folded at the midpoint. This is also the recommended way to fold vacuum cords: figure eight the cord instead of making a loop prevents the cord from being tangled.
Thanks for your well thought out presentation. One issue, though. I use what I call the ‘doubling up’ method. It’s much faster and I can access it in half the time as well. Simply grab both ends of your cable and carry them to the ‘midpoint’ of the cable (as created by making two parallel lengths, each 50% of the entire cable). Next, you should have 4 lengths on each end now and, grabbing all 4 strands at one end and carry them to the other end (also of 4 strands) which will now appear as 8 parallel lines (also 1/8 of the full length). Continue until you have a manageable length of multiple lines. To unwind for use, notice where the folds (bend points) are when you folded the sections of the cable and you will notice places where the cable is grouped together in some places more than others. With practice, you can see where these groupings are and divide-by-hand the groups to ‘un’ -group the wrapped wire to the second or first ‘wrap’ then finish by tossing the line out in front of you so the cable can rotate freely if you need to reward the cable again.
Your Velcro tie has the slot in it so it would stay on the cord at all times. You put the end through the slit so it is wrapped around just the one cord then you wrap this around the entire bundle. To me it seems to simply be about the twisting, and maybe the over under technique helps keep it from twisting to some degree. Wrapping up network cables I just twist them as you did with the extension cord to remove the twisting when coiling up.
Your article explained everything so well! I struggled to learn the chain technique from other articles, but yours did the trick. Thank you! So, now the chain technique is BY FAR my favorite. The advantage you pointed out (can pay out just enough cable instead of unraveling the whole thing) is HUGE, but there’s more: * Each winding takes up 2 arm spans’ length, vs 1 for over/under or simple loops, so it’s literally 2 times faster * While winding, can let excess wire sit on the ground, no need to carry entire weight on hand, and won’t run out of space on hand either. My 100 ft cable weighs several pounds so this is a big plus too! And to pay it forward, I have my own hacks to contribute: * Mark the midpoint with contrasting tape (more durable than marker) → locate midpoint instantly, no need to track it down from the ends. Also, thieves are less likely to steal extension cords with tape from job sites because they look damaged (mind blown? Me too, when I first heard of this). Someone mentioned making a knot, but that’ll stress out the internal wires; the tape won’t. * Cut a small slit near one end of the Velcro strap, but not all the way to the end, just enough to fit the plug. That gives you a loop that you can insert one end of the cable into. Then the Velcro will stay on the cable when not in use; you don’t have to manually stick it back on as in the article. You can insert either the male or female end into the loop, but I prefer the male end because when the cable is in use, the male end stays on the outlet and out of my way, whereas the female end is attached to my tool, so if the strap goes there it’ll be dangling on my side the whole time.
I always, for the most part and weather permitting, end up laying my cord/hose out in my (long) drive to roll them up, so this looks much easier and will be doing it that way next time. One thing about leaving thecord/hose ends open, however. Given that I live in the country, we have certain bugs who just love to build their litttle hidey-holes for their larve in anything even remotely resembling a hole, which includes the ground pin hole on extension cords, and especially the ends of air or pressure washer hoses. As a result, connecting the ends together is an absolute necessity.
Nice! I’ve been contracting since I was twelve, my teacher always called that second method the “contractor’s braid.” I thought it was so unique until a recent trip to a horse ranch where I saw a bunch of ropes done up in the same manner. I love seeing trade skills and tips like these being shared, just wholesome and positive.
Good tips. Here’s another one to add to the list. Buy a cheap plastic electrical cord reel, mark the middle of the electrical cord with a Sharpe, or a piece of electrical tape. At that midpoint, attach to the reel and roll the two ends up on the reel. Easy Peezy! You can reel it up in half the time as it takes to do a single strand and unrolls in twice the time, also. There are no tangles and it’s easy to store. Also, like your last example, you can unroll just as much as you need to use and then roll it back up. No messing with Velcro tape, either.
While working in construction in N.Y.C. in the 90’s a few guys used a method called the “California Roll”, it may have been this, can’t quite remember. I do remember that the union electricians hated it for some reason, maybe cos they hadn’t thought of it first and looked down at it as a “West Coast/Hollywood ” thing. It’s the best method I’ve seen.
I’m surprised that the “flaking” method for cords wasn’t mentioned. It’s a method involving ropes that comes from sailing and it keeps the them from tangling when they unravel, even at high speeds. I’ve been flaking all my extension cord for years now and they always unravel easily with no tangles. Keeps them neat and provides a nice loop to hang them from. Look it up.
Variation that works well for me: plug the two ends together, find the midpoint, bring the midpoint up to the plugs, find the new midpoint, bring it up to the plugs, each time you do this you halve the distance so the cord gets short quick. When done, Twist the bundle into a figure eight and velcro-wrap the loops. When you want to lay the cord out, remove the velcro tie, hold one plug end and throw the coil… and the whole cord pretty much lays itself out in a straight line.
The over/under technique is great and I use it regularly, but it is much easier if you make your loops toward you rather than away from you as shown. At the beginning, hold the connector facing away from you and make the first loop toward you at the top. The second loop is then reversed by turning the top of the loop inward between the standing part and the first loop, then repeat the alternating loops. The result is the same as shown, but the awkward flip of the cable over the back of the wrist is eliminated.
Back in my fire department days we called the second method “daisy chain”. After washing and inspecting the ropes we would chain them. As there were less contact points within the rope itself it would allow more airflow resulting in better drying. Works great on the boat as well for dock lines, anchor rope and ski rope. Prevents tangling and makes for easy deployment as well!
you might find the over-under under technique easier if you start with the end pointing away from you instead of towards you. Then all it takes is a flick of the right wrist to twist it for the “under” part. For those who are familiar with crocheting, the chain technique is simply crocheting. Both work very well.
Sailors often use the same technique, but rather than use a velcro that you probably don’t have, take the last ~1.5 loops and wrap it tight around the bundle perpendicular several times, then push a final small loop through the hole and pull it back over to cinch the entire thing. Hard to describe in words, but quick and easy, and also just as easy to undo (like all sailor knots).
I mostly knew both of these, except for the trick for the chain method where you start at the middle. Theoretically, you don’t have to fold the whole thing in half at the start, but it does help reduce the amount of slack you’re dealing with. Though, if you don’t want a bunch of weight right at the center of your loose slack, you might want to go not-doubled-up. You can leave the bunched-up section over by the wall with the power socket that way.
As an apprentice carpenter 50 years ago, I learned to “daisey chain” all power cords, especially those that are 100 feet and heavy. And that’s how all the pros I knew, did it and they taught me. Every time you coil a rope or a hose, you’re training it to lay in loops. Subsequently, everytime you go to use it, you end-up with a pile of tangled loops. Break the chain by learning to “daisey chain.”
I’ve used the over-under (with a slightly different technique) for years. It makes a difference whether the end you start with comes from your hand towards or away from your body. Just when you think you have it down pat, you start the end the wrong way around, and your gathering hand doesn’t seem to know what it’s doing! Pro tip for when you throw your coil and it magically ties itself into a series of overhand knots: Take an end and pass it back along itself through each of the knots. The whole string will untie itself just as magically. My grandfather taught me the chain technique, though I don’t use it much. (Not enough long cords to need it.) An additional word against the ’round-the-elbow technique: A lead sound technician I worked with went as far as to forbid after-show tear-down volunteers from touching the mic cables precisely because they would invariably wrap them around their elbows. Tightly wrapping a cable around your elbow puts a kink in the cable every cubit (forearm length.) Eventually, a wire will break in one of these dozens of kinks. It’s dead simple to cut a cable in two and repair the ends, but finding the kink where the break happened can be very hard. He tied the last end in a knot around the loop. When the cable breaks somewhere in that knot, cutting off 5 inches and replacing (or salvaging), the connector is much simpler. This also means your cables stay meaningfully long instead of slowly devolving into a sporadic collection of various lengths.
Absolutely amazing idea!! I have never seen this over/under method before and can’t wait to get to the shop today and try it. 50 years ago I was winding an air hose at a place I was employed and did the around the arm method and was quickly chastised for that method. I was told that for every loop I put a twist in the hose or cord. The method I have used for years and was taught that day was to make my loops 4′ to 5′ long and ended up with maybe 5 twists instead of 25. But your over and under method cancels each twist and you can keep your coils small. Thanks so much and thanks for the education. I just love this idea.
You can do under over round your elbow, it’s just a case of technique. Just as you described, it’s all about feeling when the cable or hose is fighting to twist in the opposite direction and rectifying it as you make your loop. If you treat it like a jump rope as you coil it, you can shake the twists out of it.
I usually use the forearm method, except I cross over the forearm each time (both up and down) so you end up with a figure 8. That way it doesn’t twist or tangle either, but it’s a lot faster and the end result is more elongated than a coiled loop, which is useful for storing in narrow spaces. Downside is that it creates tighter bends on the cord.
I’ve been using the braided method since my grandfather taught me that technique in the early 80’s. I also use it for ropes. I’ve never had any issues with the breaking either, as many will claim. I wrap my hoses around a spool, so I don’t typically roll them by hand. Then when I’m done, I crank the spool and never have any issues.
Good tips. I learned the “chain” method in construction and used that my whole life, but only for heavier gauge cords. Kinda silly to use that for small cords. Can start wrapping from the connector end right away, you just lose the ability to uncoil less than the entire cord. For smaller cords, ropes, etc I’ve always used the forearm trick. Yes, it doesn’t keep it from tangling, but it’s quick and gets it into a neat bundle.
I’m glad to see this advertised on a more popular website. I learned this when I did audio engineering. One thing you missed and I feel like should be covered is how it prevents cable memory and can remove memory in cables. This is important for the longevity of the cable and the strain relief on extension cords so they don’t become electrical hazards. I’ve personally fixed so many cords by doing over under. Two other points, I find your technique a bit weird and less efficient overall. There are some tricks of the trade to wiggle out possible kinks in the line. Also you can throw the cord single handed and it will lay straight as compared to two hands.
Here’s one from the Navy, useful from coiling long hoses. Instead of coiling in circles going in the same direction, coil the hose in a figure-of-eight flat on the ground. When you uncoil it to use, it will not make those annoying coils which often squeeze shut and cut off the water. Simple but very effective. Alternatively, you could have two pegs mounted on a wall, and do the same there. works equally well.
There are TONS of methods for coiling climbing ropes and nylon cords/slings that are worth checking out. A straight coil is almost never a good option because of the twist it introduces. For particularly long ropes or extension cords I use a butterfly coil. Simply pull out a full arm span of cord and drape it around the back of your neck. Switch hands and repeat in a back and forth manner. When you’ve got only a bit left remove the coils over your head, maintaining the bend in the middle. There are then several options for how you bundle the two “butterfly wings” together. With 60 meter climbing ropes you can even lash it your back like a backpack.
For the Velcro, if you make a slit(along the length or a hole, you pass the velcro around the wire, through itself, and snug it up. That will leave a tail that you can use to secure the wire and it will keep the velcro attached to the wire when you release it. Not a big thing, but it is quick and nice to not worry about dropping the velcro. Great article.
Been doing the around the elbow method since I was a little kid and I can honestly say that I hardly ever get my cords tangled up when using them. Even with my heavy gauge 50 and 100 foot cords I have no problem. The few times that I have gotten tangled up is when I was using a cheap cord, those tend to get twisted as you wrap them around your arm. But just as you were doing with the over/under method, you can feel the twist and adjust it as you wrap it. I never try to wrap large garden hoses, the ones I have are too big and heavy to use any kind of wrapping method. I either wind them up on the hose reel, or over the hose rack mounted onto wall. Same with air hoses.
I think the best way is to stretch out the cord/whatever and make your first loop on one hand then with the other hand, using thumb and forefinger, apply pressure and pull away from the loop hand letting your thumb and forefinger slide along the cord . After pulling a little les than arms length create a loop and put it on top of the start loop . After a few loops give the cord a good flick with a strong up and down motion . This and the pressure of your thumb and forefinger sliding down the cord as you pull away from the loop hand is designed to remove the twist from the cord as you add more loops. At the end you wind up with a relaxed coil of cord that has zero twist and can be redistributed by reversing the above or just by holding onto one end and tossing the coil out in front of you. . Thanks for the share. :O)
I’ve used the over/under method for nearly 50 years, since a mobile recording engineer taught me – a technique he’d learnt from a sailor, who used it for ropes. One of the key advantages (not shown in the article) is that you can hold one end of a coiled cable and throw the coil. It will unwind nice and straight along the room or venue you’re working in, in seconds. The most important thing is before you start coiling, make sure the cable has no kinks.
We were trained to roll cords as an apprentice. We were held accountable for all the tools of the trade. We learned to support the journeymen that we trained under. We were trained to do better and take pride in our role as team members. These turned out to be life skills that continue to serve me very well.
I spent 40 years in the trades across multiple states and never saw this method. When I was young I worked for several companies who had preferred method of wrapping cords and would insist their employees learned and used it. Some of them were pretty good, others not so. My favorite one is based on having the cord hang from a metal loop on a truck rack, I learned that 30 years ago and still use it today. It’s fast, easy to hang and unwinds great. Looks nothing like your method TBH.
FWIW, the forward-and-back method is most easily and quickly done by just rolling your fingers holding the cable back and forth until each loop lays flat. (You don’t have to consciously create each loop and hand each back loop under/etc.) Also, if you attach a second velcro piece half a loop away from the first, you can anchor both sides of the coil to make it even neater. (Using three may be considered overkill, but it will also keep that coil absolutely solid when in a toolbox/etc.) Cheers!
These methods basically even out the tension in the cable by making the bends go in alternating directions, this doesn’t only make deploying them mucheasier but it also protects the conductors inside the cable by not stretching them to very different degrees. Around the elbow you can do a figure-8 wind so that the cable crosses itself over your forearm, and the over-under wind is basically what you get if you fold each ‘8’ in half before starting the next one.
As an alternate you can also rotate the coil in the hand that is holding the coil which does the same thing as going over-under with the hand that is gathering and coiling. I do this with my 50′ pressure washer hose because it just feels easier to me with the the heavy stiff hose. I can feel when there is a twist in the gather hand and it is easier to move the coil to meet the twist than fight the twist coming from the length of hose that is laying on the ground.
I love how you’re out here teaching DIYers and handypeople how to crochet, that’s really great 😂 But in all seriousness, I used that “chain” method to shorten a 50 leash for my dogs down to a much more manageable length for quick walks when I was driving truck and in a hurry. That worked really well because one end is a loop, so feeding the clip through that loop at the end let me tighten up the whole thing and made it so much easier to handle
Simpler for cords, I fold cord in half, then continue folding in half repeatedly until it is of a folded length that you can tie up with an old shoe string or with the cord end. It is faster and generally will unfold tangle free since there were no loops. I have been doing that with my guitar cabled and 50 foot extension cords for decades once I was shown that. I will have to try the over under method with the garden hose. Thanks for the article.
I started with the ‘wind around your elbow & hand’ method when I was younger. I quickly learned that this resulted in many kinks. Having to work with 50′ lengths of electrical cord & hoses in my business (and around home), I started using coils about 3’+ in diameter, always focusing on the way the cord (or hose) wanted to naturally lay flat in the coil. But this resulted in a few kinks when having to stretch out 50′ lengths. I can see how the over-under method of coiling will solve that issue. I’ll be using it at the end of the Summer when I have to put the hoses away for the Winter. I also use the velcro ties for both electrical cords & hoses. Thanks for demonstrating the method. Now if I could only get my other half to put away extension cords using this method ….
Incredible, have to try it! Have been a treeworker for a while and now in event and catering business since a couple of years – I did what my electrician dad taught me, and it was still better than the insanity the chefs and lorry drivers leave us with 😅 but I want something you won’t struggle with next day
I love the loop method. I argue with my Grandson all the time as he winds cords up on his arm which as we all know creates all kinds of annoying twists.. Never been a fan of the daisy chain technique but then again I’m not an electrician. i can imagine with a bunch of cords thrown on top of each other the daisy chain helps keep ’em separated..:)
In a mathematician article that talked about knots it argued that there just happens to be way more configurations of strings that are in knots so weirdly enough just tossing a rope on the ground could lead to knotting. The suggestion to prevent nots while coiling was to make a figure 8 symbol. It does work however! It really twists up your coords, so I think the over under way is superior.
This is a great instruction on how to master over and under cord and hose coiling. People find it difficult, and your description is great. You should add on a section of how to over—under coil a hose while it’s on the ground for longer hoses. It would be a helpful addition, because I myself find it harder to do than the one you showed. The reason that you have to adjust the coils once in a while to make them lay flat is because of the manufacturer twisting the three wires along their length (under the outer insulation), to make them more compact. Anyone who has cut open an extension cord for more than a few inches has seen this twist, along with supporting strands of filler to make the cord round and stronger. All this means that every cord has a natural “Lay” of the three wires inside, depending on how many twists per foot that the manufacturer engineered into their process. Imagine taking a 50 foot extension cord held down in a straight line every two feet on a concrete floor. Now split the outer insulation jacket down the entire length and take the jacket off in your mind. The three stranded insulated wires would still lay there nicely on the floor, but the minute you picked them up and twisted them, they would wildly start popping apart and splitting all over. The reason I wrote that long boring description is to help everyone understand what’s going on with cord winding. When the cord needs to be hand-twisted on one coil to make that coil lay flat while you’re winding it up like you showed, it’s because there is tension between the outer jacket and those nicely twisted together three wires inside.
I went through a vocational interactive media program in high school. The over-under method was the one thing that has ALWAYS been the most valuable takeaway from that entire course. I might not be doing sound or article production these days, but everyone needs to wrap up an extension cord. The second one, we called a daisychain when I was going through survival school about 15 years ago. To this day, I still store paracord with that method. With longer, thinner line like that or a rope, you can layer it over too. I think mine are folded over like 4 times (so 16 strands) before I chain it, so you end up with 50 feet of cord compressed to an easy-to-unravel braid about 3 feet long.
That is a pretty quick and easy technique. Me personally, I like the quick release knot style of winding my long extension cords, and ropes. Since in that fashion, you can toss your cord/ rope anywhere, or hang it on the wall, and you will never have to worry about tangles binding up if you drop your cords, it’s already in an organized tangle which allows for quick release and use, and a selective amount of cable length. It’s a longer process of re knotting. All things done require time. But ask yourself this, if you drop your cord and the windings intertwine, and you have to un tangle them consistently, then does that saved time for the wind and counter wind process, versus quick release knots, actually save you time ??
No doubt this has already been commented on, but you need to remove the bulk of the twists the first time you want to use one of these techniques. When really bad I lay it out on the ground and just drag it a ways and the twists mostly work themselves out. For lesser problems it’s adequate to just flake the rope/wire/hose onto the ground from one end to the other.
Wire. Strands are spooled. Then they’re braided. And then they’re spooled. And then they’re sheathed. And then they’re spooled. The spooling action is critical. Always “wrap” your wires as of they are being spooled. I have run pro audio at clubs and festivals for over 20 years. Other people have to replace their cables frequently. I rarely replace mine. Another cool thing you can do if your cables are properly rolled, is you can THROW your cable. It will unfurl cleanly and almost in a straight line. Add to that if your cable/wire is not behaving, lay it out in the sun in as straight a line as you can and then re-spool it as per the article.
There’s an another way I like to tie extension chords and more pleasant to the eye. You can also hang them on hooks. Both ends must meet depending on how long the chord is but make a loop then bring the slack through it to form another loop and so forth. Looks like a series of rings and you can pull one end to unravel. But you can’t toss it like you did yours..you win 😂
I worked as a cable guy in broadcast, where you roll kilometers of cables for every show. Literally it can be 1000m cable for a single connection. And sometimes you have like 40 cameras plus power, network, audio of course and whatnot. THAT is where you really learn how to work with cables tbh. Usually, these long runs will be stored in a figure eight kind. Over-under like shown here will not work for several hundred meters and thicker cables, because you’ll end up with a pretty high “roll”. So you start putting down these 8s. With longer cables they will be larger of course. But these will “run off” very easily and quick. Like real quick if you have a person lifting the loose end at this figure eight thing a tad while the other person runs or walks quickly with the connector. Which could be for a camera run. Here’s the thing; #overunder really is the same thing as an eight, just that you fold those two rings of an eight together with every round. I found out when I had to carry a larger cable-eight and folded the whole eight in the middle so it was easier to carry from A to B. Hard to explain 😂 But these methods work great! Learned the overunder technique some years before at a professional recording studio in #LosAngeles from my Japanese colleague. Mind was blown back than 😂
Say what now? A key grip doesn’t wrap audio or article cable and we call extension cords stingers. 2nd we don’t wrap stingers over under that’s a sure way to get fired by the Best boy. You’re correct that twisting the cable to aling the 3 wires inside makes life easier. Data cable like BnC or multi cables that have several wires inside are wrapped over under.
Thanks for sharing. I learned this over/under technique many years ago in college, in my media/film production courses. I still use it to this day, with electrical cords and hoses to avoid any tangled mess. Every once in awhile the opposing loops can create a knot, especially with cable (not with a hose) if you’re not careful unwinding it.
I recommend over-under for just about everything. Since cables typically have the internal wires wrapped in a spiral, over under helps maintain that inner spiral. If you ever notice a cable you have wrapped the same direction for a long time, it ends up looking funny; reason is because the wires inside have begun to straighten out and now warps the outer wrapping and won’t coil up properly. I used to run FOH PA for a while and once I learned this technique I never wrapped a cable any other way. Highly recommend to keep your cables in top condition!
For audio lines it may be no problem if the unused length is coiled up, for power lines it is an issue as it is a largel coil (inductivity), a lot of people burned ther cable drums as only using a few meters and letting the excess coiled up. So if using a bigger tool with a lott of wattage lay out ALL the power line and let it NOT be coiled up.
Only ladies and small children wind up their extension cords that way. Take a tip from the old sailors playbook: if you want a rope to act the way it should. Then wind it up the way “It” wants to be wound up. When you force it to do what you want it to do when you’re winding it up it’s not gonna do what you want it to do when you’re actually using it. Same applies to extension cords. I also found that when unwinding a properly wound extension cord if you unwind it in reverse onto the ground(even just into a pile), it will not tangle. But if you put a wound up extension cord on the ground and try to pull it out, it will tangle.
My problem is that all of my cords are all twisted and very difficult to work with. I did try this on my least twisted orange wire and it worked but the twist in the wire did cause problems. The clincher though was the moment I threw it out and it worked just as in the article. What I need now is a solution to fix those kinks in my wiring. If anyone has a solution, lets hear about it.
Excelente explicação! A segunda técnica é chamada em marinharia (arte de fazer nós) de “catau de reboque”, porque é utilizada quando é necessário encurtar o tamanho de um cabo de reboque. Sou muito agradecido por compartilhar conosco esta sua técnica maravilhosa! Que haja muitas alegrias no seu viver!
You can coil rope, cable or hose without the “under” movement if you add in a little twist of the wrist each coil. This is the way sailors coil up a rope to avoid kinks when it is uncoiled. As someone else commented below, you are actually taking out the twist on each loop. If you have a cable with a coloured band along its length, you can verify what is happening.
as a sound engineer I only came to see if this article was going to be a disaster tip. Fortunately it was exactly right. If I have to add something I would say there is a less stressfull move for your wrist in doing the “under” part, but I have no idea to explain it in pure text. Also I always “listen to” (feel the) the cable. You mention it as willing to twist a little. Sometimes the cable wants two overs or an extra under. You do not have to be absolute in under, over.
0:12 – that’s exactly how I have done it for ages too. The main difference is – I add the loop in the way where the line is not fighting itself while I’m doing it. Basically, the necessary deliberate twist or sensing whether the loop coming on feels ‘relaxed’ (unstressed) allows the cable to wound using that popular style. The main thing is to understand what needs to be done. So when I finish, the set of loops is not twisted up and fight itself. The around the shoulder technique is the best technique in my opinion. The over-under process works just fine with the shoulder technique. And, the shoulder technique has one advantage, where you can use your shoulder/body as a convenient tool for holding the loops. The around the shoulder method definitely works when the ‘go with the flow’ concept is remembered, and applied.
Yeahhh over under works SOMETIMES. I always ask if the shops coils over-over or over-under. Some stuff like camera cables are great over under for practical reasons of how they’re being used, but for lighting cables for example over under kinda sucks when we wanna actually use them. Most shops are gonna ask that you coil over-over for power extensions and short&soft data cables (i.e. not cat6 or SDi)
Audio and article cables are indeed wrapped in an over/under manner on film sets and stage/live event work. However, a key grip is not an individual who would ever be wrapping an audio or article cable. Electricians wrap electric cable. Everything from a version of the extension cord you are using there to 4/0 cam-lok. The grip department deals with modifying light, supporting camera, and rigging equipment to name a few things. They do not really ever have a need to touch cables or cords. Electricians would not typically wrap that extension cord in an over under manner. Instead they do a straight clockwise wrap with a little twist to get the cable to lie flat against itself.
Oh yes it makes sense. It isn’t twisted into a coil so it prevents tangling. I think I may start liking my fifty and hundred foot extensions. Thanks for taking the time for this. It’s the tricks of the trade that make everything soo much nicer. Especially for me since I have to do everything myself whether it be the house or my Jeep or my car. Now that I’m teaching myself, I cannot fathom paying a shop to work on my car or home. The only drawback to this is it takes me forever to do all the work being that every single project is my first time doing that task. It always takes ten times longer the first time. By the twentieth, you can breeze through it. I don’t want this because it would mean I failed the repair or upgrade and am doing it again to get it right. I’d rather do it only once, thanks! 🙏 So grateful to have you tube and you men teaching me how to do these things. Excuse me, I must now go take out my front end and suspension to replace old worn control arms, ball joints etc… 🛠️
This pro, takes a $5 chord reel, and wraps it around that. I laugh at dudes that take 10 minutes to braid their chord, like a hair dresser. I save 10 minutes a day not doing this fancy crap. While my buddies are still at the job wrapping chords, I’m on my way home. In the morning, my saw is the 1st one on, bc it doesn’t take me any time to unreel a chord. Time is money.
If you just coil it up, you also wind it up like a spring. Then when you let go, the spring unwinds, and a tangled mess results. I am the only person where I work who can coil up an air-line successfully. Every time I add a coil, I add a twist, that counters the twist coiling it up adds. The uncoiled bit of line on the floor rotates, and the twist is gone.
The hell? How are so many people unaware of this? I swear it’s like most of the people here commenting have never even had to roll up any thing. Most hoses won’t let you do anything other then over under unless it’s attached to a roller Or you have it laid out lengthwise, so the end of it can freely spin to unwind itself As you roll it up with the elbow technique And it’s the same for wire. I figured this stuff out on my own when I was 5. I swear people nowadays lack thinking skills.
Just leave the damned hose out… Get another if you need one in a different location… Get one of those spool things if you want it retracted… As for extension cords… Carpenter’s loop is fine for 50’ of less, o/u for anything longer… Can’t believe people don’t know this stuff… I learned it when I was 6 years old, back in 1975. It’s all pretty much common sense. What’s next? Doofus’s that can’t properly coil Christmas lights? Like cardboard should only be thrown away? Sheesh… You would think people were born without friggin brains.
A plumber taught me about training your extension cords. He used a kiddie pool and hot water up in Illinois. I live in Texas now. Once a year, on a near 100 degree day, I will stretch out my cords/hoses in the sun and let them sit for about an hour. Then, wearing gloves, roll them up. For hoses, I run water through them. For extension cords I bring them inside to cool off. they wil “remember” their shape and roll up easier for you. (but not for wives who have different length arms)
over/under technique – we do this not just becaue the cable comes out nice but far more importantly it doesn’t put twists in the cores that cause damage. CHAINING CABLE! no no no no! see how tight some of the loops become? this damages the cable! if not done carefully it probably twists the core as well. in 30 yrs in the entertainments biz i have never seen any one mistreat a cable like this (plenty of other ways though). and not undoing all the chain!? this article is in the US – 110v and high current. your cable is very likely to hot, potentially dangerously so, with all those loops. great for my rigging ropes though 🙂