Spool Holder for 10lb, 5lB, 2lb and 0.5lb spools using skateboard bearings as a "lazy susan"

thingiverse

I've been looking for an easy way to keep my 3D printer fed without relying on motors or worrying about tangles, and I finally found a solution that works great and keeps tension off the printer head. Using skateboard bearings was the key since they spin smoothly even with a heavy spool on them. This design is made up of two pieces: the base "table side" and the "spool side" holder. It utilizes any standard skateboard bearing, which is tapped into the spool holder. To print the spool holder, I used 50% fill to make it strong so hammering the bearing in doesn't crack it. The base has four screw holes to mount it securely to a board. This design works perfectly with the 10-pound spools and I'm happy to create adapters for other spool sizes if people request. For example, the "Spool_side_12-25-2014.STL" file is specifically designed for 1-inch hole spools (10-pounders), while the "Spool_side_2_inch 1-5-2015.STL" file is for standard Makerbot ones. I'd be more than happy to create additional sizes if people need them – just let me know. If you want to see this design in action, check out these videos: http://youtu.be/hhQFurWS7i4 and http://youtu.be/xo1MFLBwyD8 For those interested in buying standard skateboard bearings, you can find them on Amazon at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/189-4144984-6479618?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=skateboard+bearings