Dingoboy's Folgertech FT-5 Overhead Spool Holder

thingiverse

Similar to some other FT-5 spool mounts, this one boasts a few key differences:\r\n\r\n1. I designed a horizontal lip to hold the weight in place, rather than relying on bolts & T-nuts to support all of it.\r\n\r\n2. This design works seamlessly with a 1" standard PVC pipe. (That's 1" ID, 36mm outer diameter) PVC pipes are lightweight and cost-effective compared to metal rods.\r\n\r\n3. Optional: I designed two different ring clamps to hold the pipe itself in place on the brackets & to hold the spool in place on the pipe.\r\n\r\nAll you need to print for this is the pair of brackets, which are designed to mount with the same M5x10mm bolts & M5 T-nuts that the FT-5 melamine parts mount with. The brackets feature five mounting holes on the side and five on the horizontal lip. I chose the horizontal lip and found that three bolts were sufficient for a secure hold.\r\n\r\nThe ring clamps can be used to hold the pipe on the brackets, and to hold the spool in place on the pipe. \r\n\r\nI didn't want the pipe to vibrate off the brackets during printing. So I designed set-screw type rings to hold it firmly in place. You can use one on each end, two on each end, or whatever works best for you. I used two on one end, leaving a gap around the bracket, so I could tilt the pipe up from the other end without snapping anything. This left the other end open for easy spool swaps. The set-screw clamps have three holes and nut traps to give you options: M3, M4, or M5 bolts and nuts can be used. Just press the nut into the appropriately sized trap with pliers. ***DO NOT USE NYLOCK NUTS- they are too tall, and they will not let the clamp fit onto the PVC.\r\n\r\nIf, like me, you want your spool to stay in place during printing, I would print two of the spring clamps & slide them into place around the spool. They take a little force to slide onto the end of the pipe since they are purposely undersized to provide the spring pressure. You can easily lift the spool over them to remove & replace, but they will slide by hand as well to accommodate different widths of spools.