NM dispenser

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mivey

Senior Member
Did you notice the cut off arm and hand in the red shirt sleeve in the photo?

Maybe it is a new selling point for this product.

" Not only is this a great product, we will gladly give you a hand pulling wire on your next project." ;)
From CEO Mr. Henry IV: "All the customers will be pleased to know that there will be an arm in every tub, at least on Sunday."
 

jmellc

Senior Member
Location
Durham, NC
Occupation
Facility Maintenance Tech. Licensed Electrician
I make hanging "spinners" from scrap lumber. Cross 2 2x4's a little larger diameter than your roll of NM, add a vertical 2x4 about 2' long. Use a long screw, screw a standoff (Minerallac) strap to the end and leave about 1/4" loose. Staple scrap NM in a curve from crosspiece ends & up the vertical post. Place NM or MC on it, hang from ceiling with a piece of wire, ready to go. Works well, can hang high or low. Haven't made one yet to rest on the floor. Guess I'd buy if needed.

1 day, I'll figure out how to get photos on here w/out having to get my wife & daughter to help.
 

Rewire

Senior Member
I make hanging "spinners" from scrap lumber. Cross 2 2x4's a little larger diameter than your roll of NM, add a vertical 2x4 about 2' long. Use a long screw, screw a standoff (Minerallac) strap to the end and leave about 1/4" loose. Staple scrap NM in a curve from crosspiece ends & up the vertical post. Place NM or MC on it, hang from ceiling with a piece of wire, ready to go. Works well, can hang high or low. Haven't made one yet to rest on the floor. Guess I'd buy if needed.

1 day, I'll figure out how to get photos on here w/out having to get my wife & daughter to help.

I have one of those stopped using it when we went to 1000 ft reels
 

davidmor

Member
The easiest and cheapest romex dispenser I have ever used is made with two 2x4's, a small piece of strapping metal and a nail. Take two 2x4's approx. 18" long each and nail them together so they look like a "T". Take a piece of romex and wrap it around all three corners to make a triangle. So essentially you have a "T" within a triangle of romex. Staple the romex on all ends of the wood and along the flat bottom. Take a 8" piece of strapping steel, (there should be lots in the trash on any job site) and punch a hole in the middle and two holes on each end. Bend the metal in the middle and nail it on the top of the 2x4 T so you have what I can best describe as a loop over the top of the "T". Leave a couple of inches between the metal and the top of the "T". Bend a 16d nail past 90 degrees to make a hook. Slide the nail through the middle hole of the strap so the hook is above the strap. Drop your roll of romex over the top of the T. Hang a loop of wire over a door header or rafter, hang the hook nail over the wire loop and spin the wire off. I have a few of these that I carry so I can have several wire sized/conductor counts that can all be hanging around a house to be roughed.

Cheap, easy and exceptionally effective. I have been making and using these for 20+ years and have yet to see a commercial made or even homemade spinner that works as well. The best part is you can toss it in the trash at the end of the job if you don't want to carry it around in your truck.
 

CFL

Member
The easiest and cheapest romex dispenser I have ever used is made with two 2x4's, a small piece of strapping metal and a nail. Take two 2x4's approx. 18" long each and nail them together so they look like a "T". Take a piece of romex and wrap it around all three corners to make a triangle. So essentially you have a "T" within a triangle of romex. Staple the romex on all ends of the wood and along the flat bottom. Take a 8" piece of strapping steel, (there should be lots in the trash on any job site) and punch a hole in the middle and two holes on each end. Bend the metal in the middle and nail it on the top of the 2x4 T so you have what I can best describe as a loop over the top of the "T". Leave a couple of inches between the metal and the top of the "T". Bend a 16d nail past 90 degrees to make a hook. Slide the nail through the middle hole of the strap so the hook is above the strap. Drop your roll of romex over the top of the T. Hang a loop of wire over a door header or rafter, hang the hook nail over the wire loop and spin the wire off. I have a few of these that I carry so I can have several wire sized/conductor counts that can all be hanging around a house to be roughed.

Cheap, easy and exceptionally effective. I have been making and using these for 20+ years and have yet to see a commercial made or even homemade spinner that works as well. The best part is you can toss it in the trash at the end of the job if you don't want to carry it around in your truck.

I have used those as well and while they do work, they're not near as good as mine. And I never have to keep building them.
 

jmellc

Senior Member
Location
Durham, NC
Occupation
Facility Maintenance Tech. Licensed Electrician
The easiest and cheapest romex dispenser I have ever used is made with two 2x4's, a small piece of strapping metal and a nail. Take two 2x4's approx. 18" long each and nail them together so they look like a "T". Take a piece of romex and wrap it around all three corners to make a triangle. So essentially you have a "T" within a triangle of romex. Staple the romex on all ends of the wood and along the flat bottom. Take a 8" piece of strapping steel, (there should be lots in the trash on any job site) and punch a hole in the middle and two holes on each end. Bend the metal in the middle and nail it on the top of the 2x4 T so you have what I can best describe as a loop over the top of the "T". Leave a couple of inches between the metal and the top of the "T". Bend a 16d nail past 90 degrees to make a hook. Slide the nail through the middle hole of the strap so the hook is above the strap. Drop your roll of romex over the top of the T. Hang a loop of wire over a door header or rafter, hang the hook nail over the wire loop and spin the wire off. I have a few of these that I carry so I can have several wire sized/conductor counts that can all be hanging around a house to be roughed.

Cheap, easy and exceptionally effective. I have been making and using these for 20+ years and have yet to see a commercial made or even homemade spinner that works as well. The best part is you can toss it in the trash at the end of the job if you don't want to carry it around in your truck.
Sounds similar to mine. I have 3 or 4 in the shed and always take at least 1 to a rough in. I take 2 if I'm using lots of both 12-2 and 14-2 and load 1 with each. If lots of 3w switches, I'll load a 3rd with 14-3, though I usually don't use lots of that.

Someone mentioned 1000 foot rolls. They are good too, to put on jack stands. But they can be a hard tug for awhile until the weight diminishes. But less waste on a large job.
 
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