Timothy B. Dennehy,
Spotsylvania County School System
Problem
A single power/data pole is not always large enough to carry all the power and data cables you want to send through it, and bidding two power/data poles into a job obviously doubles the cost of bidding in only one.
Solution
You can make a power/data channel by using two pieces of raceway base.
Procedure
1) Join the bases of two lengths of raceway back-to-back using nuts and bolts. You will have to drill holes through the bases first.
2) Using the bases` end fittings, position the raceway and then, using screws, fasten it either to the floor or to a piece of office furniture.
3) Run your power cables down one of the channels and your data cables down the other. Remember to use end fittings at the top of your newly created power/data pole.
4) You can custom cut the covers to suit your needs, allowing you to use any faceplate you want rather than limiting your options to faceplates that fit into prepunched holes.
Bolt the two raceway bases back-to-back.
Once the bases are bolted together, you can mount them to office furniture or to the floor. In this diagram, a cabling installer mounts the device to a piece of office furniture.
Timothy B. Dennehy, registered communications distribution designer (RCDD), is a network engineer with the Spotsylvania County School Board (Spotsylvania, VA). This tip was submitted for the Cabling Installer Tips Contest at Cabling Installation Expo `97, held last October in Charlotte, NC.