Meet Tom Shelbourne, the inventor of the Cable Tongue. The Cable Tongue is a flat and flexible tool designed for pulling cables through partition walls, above ceilings and below floors.
Tom is based in Cullompton, Devon, and works as an audio visual/networking engineer and owns his own business installing CCTV and Wifi.
What is your invention and what is it designed to do?
My invention is the Cable Tongue. It was originally created to replace plastic trunking lids being used to fish cables through walls, normally with wall insulation.
What is your background in the electrical industry?
I am an audio visual/networking engineer by trade. I now own a business installing CCTV and Wi-Fi in the South West of England.
What inspired your invention?
I lived in Australia for two years. While working out on commercial sites I noticed that electricians were using a tongue and groove flooring plastic strip (very similar to the Cable Tongue now sold today) to pull cables through partition walls. They would take this plastic when it was removed from site renovations and keep it in the van for cable pulling. I decided to manufacture a better version of this in the UK and called it the Cable Tongue. It was instantly a popular product, so I began conversations with Super Rod to take it to the wider market. Super Rod now has two products in its range – the original Cable Tongue and the Cable Tongue Pro. The Pro version is an upgrade of the standard version, allowing you to add Super Rod attachments to the end.
Are there any other scenarios where the Cable Tongue will prove useful
I’ve seen the Cable Tongue being used to pull cables in cars for car audio and I’ve even seen it being used to unblock a toilet!
Why is the Cable Tongue handy to have in your toolkit?
For an electrician and other trades that have to pull cables, such as AV installers, it is an essential tool. It complements other cable pulling tools like rods and wires to assist with general cable pulling. If you have rods and the Cable Tongue in your toolkit, there shouldn’t be a wall that you can’t get through.
Why did you work with Super Rod?
I knew that the Cable Tongue could help a lot more people than I was able to serve from my front room in the early days. I really liked what Super Rod was doing in the industry and I feel that the brand is constantly striving to improve productivity and safety for electricians. I was very happy when Super Rod wanted to include the Cable Tongue as part of its portfolio and it’s amazing to see it being sold in major electrical wholesaler branches and online.
Finally, any tips for would-be inventors?
If you feel you have any idea that could save time and/or create a safer environment for an electrician, get it drawn on a bit of paper and send it over to Super Rod. Malcolm and the team there have the resources to quickly bring a tool to market if they feel it will be of value to enough people. Another way to prove a product concept is to try and physically make one yourself, use it on-site, film it, create a social media page and start showing it in use. If there’s a big enough following and thirst for your product, you’ll have the confidence to take it to market.