Spool Drawer Stack (Base)

thingiverse

Human: I looked around for a solid base to stack Spool Drawer's and wasn't impressed with what was available. My first attempt at designing my own was too flimsy and quickly became unstable, leaning precariously. This new version is much more stable and keeps the stack upright. This design relies on a length of M8 (8mm diameter) Threaded Rod as a spine and uses two M8 Nuts to secure everything in place. The base itself consists of two parts, allowing the rod to be secured with a nut in two locations, making it much more rigid. Parts Required: - 1x M8 Threaded Rod - 2x M8 Nuts (base) - 1x M8 Nut (cap) - Printed Spool Centre's (to suit 8mm rod) Assembly: -Base- The inner piece requires two M8 Nuts to be press fitted into the top and bottom. Then, screw the threaded rod into place, making sure it doesn't pass beyond the bottom of the piece (top side when printing). I used a bit of Loctite to keep everything extra snug. Depending on your printer, the Inner and outer pieces should fit together tightly. To attach them, push the inner piece into the outer piece until it reaches its limit. Then, while applying downward pressure, rotate the pieces until the nubs at the bottom of the centre piece lock into the holes inside the base. -Spacers- This is the tricky part! Print 2 spacers for each Spool Drawer in your stack. The small columns can be press fitted into the holes and then two pieces pressed together (see pictures for a demo). I use a dab of super glue to bind it all tightly. I found that there was enough clearance between the nuts & bolts keeping the drawers in place to print the spacers three-quarters of the way up. You don't need one at the bottom, and you can use regular washers if you prefer. -Cap- The cap is designed for a M8 Dome Nut, but you can use a regular nut if you prefer. Don't over-tighten the cap or you may struggle to spin the top drawer. -Spool Centre's- Use your preferred Spool centre pieces - ideally ones that can be used or drilled to suit M8 thread (8mm). I personally use these: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1842680 - Drilled out to 8mm.