Cords suspended from ceiling - photos please?

[cegates]

I am thrilled to be almost finished converting my garage into a beautiful studio.  One of the last things to do is figure out how to suspend the cords from my Millie from the ceiling.  Can anyone post photos of a set up that does that?  I know I've seen photos with long springs being used - but haven't been able to find any.  My handyman and I would really appreciate it!

 

Thanks,

Carol

[jimerickson]

Carol:  Here's a thought.  You could string a cable above and parallel to your horizontal track, fix a pulley and block to the cable, and then attach some sort of line from your cord to the pulley.  That way as you moved the machine, the cord would be dragged along almost effortlessly by the machine and pulley.  I haven't done this, so it's just a thought, but probably the way I'd attack the problem if I wanted to.   I just have 2 large wire thread guides screwed to the back of my machine, with a stiff wire between them, then a wire and spring hooking the cord, to that set up.  It all I need to keep my cord from catching on the back side of my table.  Jim

[cegates]

Thank you - that sounds like a good idea.  I'll report back on how it works.

 

[dbams]

Jim, could you please post a picture of your set up?  My powers of visualization are not up to the task.

Thanks!

[jimerickson]

Sorry Betsy, I don't have a camera, nor a smart phone, so photos aren't an option.

What I did was to use the large wire spool guides that came with my Ult 2, and faced them backwards (toward the back of the machine rather than to the front as intended). I used the screws that held a cover on the back of my machine, to fasten them.  I had replaced the original wire guides with some Gammill ceramic eyed guides earlier so the wire ones were just laying around.  I took some heavy stiff wire, and bent a hook on each end that captured the wire guide eyes, made a large loop around the cord with a zip tie, then hooked a coil spring about 5 inches long, one end to the zip tie loop and the other to the wire between the two repurpaced thread guides.  The full length of the rig is short enough (actually adjustable by the size of the zip tie loop) to lift the cord up and keep it from dragging on the table.  The spring serves to provide movement and forgiving tension in the event the cord should get stuck on something.  The spring just happened to be one I had laying around salvaged off something else I had at one time.  It looks like a short screen door spring with the typical hooks on the ends.

Hope this helps you understand what I did.  Jim

[dbams]

Thanks, Jim!  I'm going to print your description and study it.  If I still can't get the picture, well, I'm married to a mechanical engineer, and I bet he'll be able to do it.