Tools That a Smart Data Cable Technician Carries

Up to this point, all the tools we've described are specific to the wire-and-cable installation industry. But you'll also need everyday tools in the course of the average install. Even if you don't carry all of these (you'd clank like a knight in armor and your tool belt would hang around your knees if you did), you should at least have them handy in your arsenal of tools:

• A flat blade screwdriver and number 1 and number 2 Phillips screwdrivers. Power screwdrivers are great time-and-effort savers, but you'll still occasionally need the hand types.
• A hammer.
• Nut drivers.
• Wrenches.
• A flashlight (a no-hands or headband model is especially handy).
• A drill and bits up to 1.5″.
• A saw that can be used to cut rectangular holes in drywall for electrical boxes.
• A good pocket knife, electrician's knife, or utility knife.
• Electrician's scissors.
• A tape measure.
• Face masks to keep your lungs from getting filled with dust when working in dusty areas.
• A stud finder to locate wooden or steel studs in the walls.
• A simple continuity tester or multitester.
• A comfortable pair of work gloves.
• A sturdy stepladder, preferably one made of nonconductive materials.
• A tool belt with appropriate loops and pouches for the tools you use most.
• Two-way radios or walkie-talkies. They are indispensable for pulling or testing over even moderate distances or between floors. Invest in the hands-free models that have a headset, and you'll be glad you did.
• Extra batteries (or recharging stands) for your flashlights, radios, and cable testers.

Tip

Here's an installation tip: Wall-outlet boxes are often placed one hammer length from the floor, especially in residences (this is based on a standard hammer, not the heavier and longer framing hammers). It's a real time-saver, but check the boxes installed by the electricians before you use this quick measuring technique for installing the data communications boxes so that they'll all be the same height.

A multipurpose tool is also very handy. One popular choice is a Leatherman model with a coax crimper opening in the jaws of the pliers. It's just the thing for those times when you're on the ladder looking down at the exact tool you need lying on the floor where you just dropped it.

One of the neatest ideas for carrying tools is something that IDEAL DataComm calls the Bucket Bag (pictured in Figure 1). This bag sits over a five-gallon bucket and allows you to easily organize your tools.

Figure 2: IDEAL DataComm's Bucket Bag

Wire-Pulling Lubricant

Wire- or cable-pulling lubricant is a slippery, viscous liquid goop that you apply to the cable jacket to allow it to slide more easily over surfaces encountered during the cable pull. Wire lubricant (see Figure 1) is available in a variety of quantities, from less than a gallon to five-gallon buckets.

Figure 1: Wire-pulling lubricant

The vast majority of cable jackets for premises cables in the United States are made out of some form of PVC. One characteristic of PVC is that, depending on the specific compound, it has a relatively high coefficient of friction. This means that at the microscopic level, the material is rough, and the rough surface results in drag resistance when the cable jacket passes over another surface. Where two PVC-jacketed cables are in contact, or where PVC conduit is used, the problem is made worse. Imagine two sandpaper blocks rubbing against each other.

In many cases, the use of pulling lubricant is not necessary. However, for long runs through conduit or in crowded cable trays or raceways, you may find either that you cannot complete the pull or that you will exceed the cable's maximum allowable pulling tension unless a lubricant is used.

The lubricant is applied either by continuously pouring it over the jacket near the start of the run, or by wiping it on by hand as the cable is pulled. Where conduit is used, the lubricant can be poured in the conduit as the cable is pulled.

Lubricant has some drawbacks. Obviously, it can be messy; some types also congeal or harden over time, which makes adjustment or removal of cables difficult because they are effectively glued in place. Lubricant can also create a blockage in conduit and raceways that prevents new cables from being installed in the future.

Tip

Make sure the lubricant you are using is compatible with the insulation and jacket material of which the cables are made (hint: don't use 10W30 motor oil). The last thing you need is a call back because the pulling lubricant you used dissolved or otherwise degraded the plastics in the cable, leaving a bunch of bare conductors or fibers. Also check with the manufacturer of the cable, as the use of certain lubricants may void the warranty of the cable.

Cabling @ Work: One Person's Trash Is Another's Treasure!

A couple of years ago the owner of an office building in Dallas leased a floor to a high-profile financial company. The IT director quickly realized that the UTP copper cabling would not support the bandwidth required for its workstations. A local data communications firm was brought in to specify and install new Category 6 cabling and equipment infrastructure.

Luckily there was plenty of space left in the ducting, which contained Category 3 cable. The installers had a bright idea: instead of leaving the Category 3 cable in place and adding new Category 6 on top of it, they decided to use the old cabling as pulling cords for the new cables. They tied the new Category 6 to the Category 3 and pulled the Category 3 out of the ducting, thereby installing the Category 6 cable in its place. Then, instead of throwing away the Category 3, they brought the Category 3 cable to a recycler.

Common Cabling Tools - Punch-Down Tools

Twisted-pair cables are terminated in jacks, cross-connect blocks (66-blocks), or patch panels (110-blocks) that use insulation displacement connectors (IDCs). Essentially, IDCs are little knife blades with a V-shaped gap or slit between them. You force the conductor down into the V and the knife blades cut through the insulation and make contact with the conductor. Although you could accomplish this using a small flat-blade screwdriver, doing so is not recommended. It would be sort of like hammering nails with a crescent wrench. The correct device for inserting a conductor in the IDC termination slot is a punch-down tool.

Different blades are used depending on whether you are going to be terminating on 110-blocks or 66-blocks. Although the blades are very different, most punch-down tools are designed to accept either. In fact, most people purchase the tool with one and buy the other as an accessory, so that one tool serves two terminals.

A punch-down tool is really just a handle with a special "blade" that fits a particular IDC. There are two main types of IDC terminations: the 66-block and the 110-block. The 66-block terminals have a long history rooted in voice cross-connections. The 110-block is a newer design, originally associated with AT&T but now generic in usage. In general, 110-type IDCs are used for data, and 66-type IDCs are used for voice, but neither is absolutely one or the other.

Blades are designed with one end being simply for punch-down. When you turn the blade and apply the other end, it punches down and cuts off excess conductor in one operation. Usually you will use the punch-and-cut end, but for daisy-chaining on a cross-connection, you would use the end that just punches down.

Tip

If you are terminating cables in Krone or BIX (by NORDX) equipment, you will need special punch-down blades. These brands use proprietary IDC designs.

Punch-down tools are available as nonimpact in their least expensive form. Nonimpact tools generally require more effort to make a good termination, but they are well suited for people who only occasionally perform punch-down termination work. Figure 1 shows a typical nonimpact punch-down tool.

Figure 1: IDEAL DataComm's nonimpact punch-down tool

The better-quality punch-down tools are spring-loaded impact tools. When you press down and reach a certain point of resistance, the spring gives way, providing positive feedback that the termination is made. Typically, the tool will adjust to high- and low-impact settings. Figure 2 shows an impact punch-down tool. Notice the dial near the center of the tool—it allows the user to adjust the impact setting. The manufacturer of the termination equipment you are using will recommend the proper impact setting.

Figure 2: IDEAL DataComm's impact tool with adjustable impact settings

With experience, you can develop a technique and rhythm that lets you punch down patch panels and cross-connections very quickly. However, nothing is so frustrating as interrupting your sequence rhythm because the blade stayed on the terminal instead of in the handle of the tool. The better punch-down tools have a feature that locks the blade in place, rather than just holding it in with friction. For the occasional user, a friction-held blade is okay, but for the professional, a lock-in feature is a must that will save time and, consequently, money.

Tip

You should always carry at least one extra blade for each type of termination that you are doing. Once you get the hang of punch-downs, you'll find that the blades don't break often, but they do break occasionally. The cutting edge will also become dull and stop cutting cleanly. Extra blades are inexpensive and can be easily ordered from the company you purchased your punch-down tool from.

Some brands of 110-block terminations support the use of special blades that will punch down multiple conductors at once, instead of one at a time.

If you are punching down IDC connectors on modular jacks from The Siemon Company that fit into modular wall plates, a tool from that company may be of use to you. Rather than trying to find a surface to hold the modular jack against, you can use the Palm Guard (see Figure 3) to hold the modular jack in place while you punch down the wires.

Figure 3: The Palm Guard

Tip

A 4″ square of carpet padding or mouse pad makes a good palm protector when punching down cable on modular jacks.

Common Cabling Tools - Wire Cutters

You can, without feeling very guilty, use a regular set of lineman's pliers to snip through coaxial and twisted-pair cables. You can even use them for fiber-optic cables, but cutting through the aramid yarns used as strength members can be difficult; you will dull your pliers quickly, not to mention what you may do to your wrist.

KEY TERM: aramid

Aramid is the common name for the material trademarked as Kevlar that's used in bulletproof vests. It is used in optical fiber cable to provide additional strength.

So why would you want a special tool for something as mundane as cutting through the cable? Here's the catch regarding all-purpose pliers: as they cut, they will mash the cable flat. All the strippers described previously work best if the cable is round. Specialized cutters such as the one shown in Figure 1 are designed for coax and twisted-pair cables and preserve the geometry of the cable as they cut. This is accomplished using curved instead of flat blades.

Figure 1: Typical wire cutters

For fiber-optic cables, special scissors are available that cut through aramid with relative ease. Figure 2 shows scissors designed for cutting and trimming the Kevlar strengthening members found in fiber-optic cables.

Figure 2: IDEAL DataComm's Kevlar scissors

Common Cabling Tools - Wire Strippers

The variety of cable strippers represented in this section is a function of the many types of cable you can work with, various costs of the cable strippers, and versatility of the tools.

Twisted-Pair Strippers

Strippers for UTP, ScTP, and STP cables are used to remove the outer jacket and have to accommodate the wide variation in the geometry of UTP cables. Unlike coax, which is usually consistently smooth and round, twisted-pair cables can have irregular surfaces due to the jacket shrinking down around the pairs. Additionally, the jacket thickness can differ greatly depending on brand and flame rating. The trick is to aid removal of the jacket without nicking or otherwise damaging the insulation on the conductors underneath.

The wire stripper in Figure 1 uses an adjustable blade so that you can fix the depth, matching it to the brand of cable you are working with. Some types use spring tension to help keep the blade at the proper cutting depth.

Figure 1: A wire stripper

In both cases, the goal is to score (lightly cut) the jacket without penetrating it completely. Then, you flex the cable to break the jacket along the scored line. This ensures that the wire insulation is nick-free. In some models, the tool can also be used to score or slit the jacket lengthwise in the event you need to expose a significant length of conductors.

Note

When working with UTP, ScTP, or STP cables, you will rarely need to strip the insulation from the conductors. Termination of these cable types on patch panels, cross-connections, and most wall plates employs the use of insulation displacement connectors (IDCs) that make contact with the conductor by slicing through the insulation. In case you need to strip the insulation from a twisted-pair cable, keep a pair of common electrician's strippers handy. Just make sure it can handle the finer-gauge wires such as 22, 24, and 26 AWG that are commonly used with LAN wiring.

Coaxial Wire Strippers

Coaxial cable strippers are designed with two or three depth settings. These settings correspond to the different layers of material in the cable. Coaxial cables are pretty standardized in terms of central-conductor diameter, thickness of the insulating and shielding layers, and thickness of the outer jacket, making this an effective approach.

In the inexpensive (but effective for the do-it-yourself folks) model shown in Figure 2, the depth settings are fixed. The wire stripper in Figure 2 can be used to strip coaxial cables (RG-59 and RG-6) to prepare them for F-type connectors.

Figure 2: Inexpensive coaxial wire strippers

To strip the cable, you insert it in a series of openings that allows the blade to penetrate to different layers of the cable. At every step, you rotate the tool around the cable and then pull the tool toward the end of the cable, removing material down to where the blade has penetrated. To avoid nicking the conductor, the blade is notched at the position used to remove material.

One problem with the model shown in Figure 2 is that you end up working pretty hard to accomplish the task. For its low price, the extra work may be a good trade-off if stripping coax isn't a day-in, day-out necessity. However, if you are going to be working with coaxial cables on a routine basis, you should consider some heftier equipment. Figure 3 shows a model that accomplishes the task in a more mechanically advantageous way (that means it's easier on your hands). In addition, it offers the advantage of adjustable blades so that you can optimize the cutting thickness for the exact brand of cable you're working with.

Figure 3: Heavy-duty coaxial wire strippers

Coaxial strippers are commonly marked with settings that assist you in removing the right amount of material at each layer from the end of the cable so it will fit correctly in an F- or BNC-type connector.

Fiber-Optic Cable Strippers

Fiber-optic cables require very specialized tools. Fortunately, the dimensions of fiber coatings, claddings, and buffers are standardized and manufactured to precise tolerances. This allows tool manufacturers to provide tools such as the one shown in Figure 4 that will remove material to the exact thickness of a particular layer without damage to the underlying layer. Typically, these look like a conventional multigauge wire stripper with a series of notches to provide the proper depth of penetration.

Figure 4: A fiber-optic cable stripper

Building a Cabling Toolkit

Throughout this chapter, a number of tools are discussed, and photos illustrate them. Don't believe for a minute that we've covered all the models and permutations available! This chapter is an introduction to the types of tools you may require, and will help you recognize a particular tool so you can get the one that best suits you. It is impossible for us to determine your exact tool needs. Keeping your own needs in mind, read through the descriptions that follow, and choose those tools that you anticipate using.

The Right Tool and the Right Price

Just as the right tools are important for doing a job well, so is making sure that you have high-quality equipment. Suppose you see two punch-down tools advertised in a catalog and one of them is $20 and the other is $60. Ask why one is more expensive than the other is. Compare the features of the two; if they seem to be the same, you can usually assume that more expensive tool is designed for professionals.

With all tools, there are levels of quality and a range of prices you can choose from. It's trite but true: you get what you pay for, generally speaking, so our advice is to stay away from the really cheap stuff. On the other hand, if you only anticipate light to moderate use, you needn't buy top-of-the-line equipment.

Myriad online catalog houses and e-commerce sites sell the tools and parts you need to complete your cabling tool kit. A few of these include:

• IDEAL DataComm at www.idealindustries.com
• Jensen Tools at www.stanleysupplyservices.com
• Labor Saving Devices Inc. at www.lsdinc.com
• MilesTek at www.milestek.com
• The Siemon Company at www.siemon.com

If you have to scratch and sniff before buying, visit a local distributor in your area. Check your local phone book for vendors such as Anicom, Anixter, CSC, Graybar, and many other distributors that specialize in servicing the voice/data market; many of these vendors have counter sale areas where you can see and handle the merchandise before purchasing.

We can't describe in precise detail how each tool works or all the ways you can apply it to different projects. We'll supply a basic description of each tool's use, but because of the wide variety of manufacturers and models available, you'll have to rely on the manufacturer's instructions to learn how to use a particular device.