Low friction Wanhao I3 spool holder

thingiverse

I wanted a spool holder with minimal resistance for holding rolls or loose filament. I opted to adapt https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1889438 and repurpose its components to suit my needs. This design utilizes 123mm of the leftover 5/16 or 8mm threaded rod from the Z-Brace mod, along with some spare 608 bearings from spinners. To secure the bearings, I employed a vice; however, you can carefully use a hammer if that's all you have available. Be cautious and sand if necessary due to its tight fit. Additionally, I created a roller that uses plain threaded rod exclusively, in case you don't have access to 608 bearings. Since my largest rolls weigh 1kg or less, those are the only ones I can test it with, and so far, it's worked fine. If you find the spool holder too low-friction and excess filament is unwinding, you can tighten the end nut slightly to introduce a bit of drag if needed.