Compressor Cord Wrap

Metal Cord Wrap

The cord for my portable compressor is always dragging the floor as I carry it. It's time to solve that problem.

I considered wood, but that's too bulky. I had this metal strap from a ceiling fan. I also wanted the finished product to look factory because it should have been factory. If you want to skip the reading, and watch the tutorial, here you go:

Purchase List:
Metal strap from my scrap pile. Final dimensions are 13" x 5/8" x 1/8"
You could buy metal or aluminum flat bar if you don't have scrap on hand

Tool List:

Hack saw
Vice
Hammer
Cut off wheel
Grinder
Flat and circular files

Punch
Drill/ drill bit
Adjustable wrench

Cut List:

I had to cut the end off the metal strap

It dimensions 1" / 2" 7" / 2" / 1" with 90* angles at each slash.

Introduction
I would try to wrap the cord around the handle of the compressor, but it would never stay put. A cord wrap would solve that. I was able to use the bolts for the plastic cover as mounting points. The mounting points are cast into the motor. My first thought was two short brackets on each bolt, but that would be prone to rotating with only one mounting point. I also wanted this to look factory.

Bracket Building
With two bolts in the perfect spot, I looked through my scrap metal and found the perfect strap. I think it was part of a ceiling fan installation kit.

First I marked off the mounting holes. Since the heat sink is close on one side, I kept that extension short. I sized the existing bolts and drilled holes into the bar stock a size larger. Before drilling I used a punch to dimple the metal, otherwise your drill bit will walk and scratch the strap. A round file was used to remove any slivers of metal for a smooth finish. I used a vice to clamp the bar and a hammer to bend it 90*. Then I mounted it to size the length for the cord.

I settled on 2" of length for the cord space. I wanted to keep this as compact as possible, but I also wanted to have enough room for the cord to loosely wrap. For reference, my cord is 72" long. You would need to adjust that 2" length based on length of cord. I determined 1" would hold the cord in place.

I placed the strap in the vice and bent the strap again on each side. I used a cut off wheel to cut off excess length, and then a grinder to shape it. Giving the ends a rounded shape makes this look like a retail piece instead of a piece of scrap hacked together. I finished the shape with a flat file to make sure there were no rough or sharp edges.

I realized one of my mounting holes was 1/16" off and I could get both bolts back in. I used a round file to enlarge the bolt hole just enough. It helps to mark it in pencil so you don't have to test fit as often.

Finish
Once the wrap was mounted in place, it didn't require any finishing. The cord wrap is the perfect size, allowing me to easily wrap the cord and tuck the end. It looks like the cord wrap came on the compressor from the factory which was the desired look. Functional and factory looking was always the end goal.