If you’ve ever pulled electric cable out of its coil in a random manner, you know how the wire loops can get curlier than Shirley Temple’s hair. There is a better way. I make a simple plywood spool a little larger in diameter than the coil — about 14 in. I sand the edges of the plywood to avoid cuts and splinters, and I drill it for a length of sturdy dowel. A spacer, such as the one shown here made of 1x stock, goes between the disks. Plywood blocks screwed from opposite sides to the axle unite the spool.
To use it, hang the dowel from adjacent studs, or tack the wire to the floor and roll the spool across the floor with a good shove. Either way, the wire will be nice and straight.
Michael A. Meredith, Springfield, VA
