Cheap & Lazy Filament Spindle

Just another filament spool, designed to be makerbot printable, relatively cheap to make and free spinning, and it doesn't require an overly tuned makerbot to print.

Inspired in part by : http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4641 which is an even easier option for a filament spool

Also usefull as a cheap revolving tabletop thing (note that the spokes tilt slightly upwards before attempting to put anything flat on it), unsure yet of how much weight it will hold.

I'm planning on adding more components (such as a bolt on filament guide and central core to hold the filament neatly) so more to come.

Note: Numbers on part filenames are just part of my rudimentry version management

01-DEC-2010: Filament Guide Add-on Kit now available from: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4982

Effort Required
Minimal Effort, Total Estimated Print time for printed parts is about 10 hoours or so.

Parts Note
Refer Parts List attached

Atleast 3x but preferably about 10x Marbles (around 16mm Diameter or anywhere near that is fine)

Until I add more parts to create the middle section for the filament you'll need something heavy and round to stick in the middle (a 50cd/dvd spindle works quite nicely)

Assembly

1. Bolt 5 of the SupportSection7 componenets together into a ring as per the photo, there are two 4mm diameter holes on each side of the components.

2. Seperate out the SpokePrintAssembly component into 5 individuaul spokes and bolt them on to the outer edge of the ring from step 1

3. Bolt 5 of the BaseSection9 components together into a ring as per the photo, there are two 4mm diameter holes on each side of the components

4. (This step is optional but highly recommended) Sand down the marble tracks so they are very smooth and free of sharp edges or bumps etc. I like to use sandpaper, then steel-wool and then a brass polishing liquid (this works similar to acetone but leaves a matt finish, it will discolor the plastic though) to get a nice smooth finish.

5. Roughly distribute atleast 3 but preferably more (10 or so is good) marbles onto the base ring you made in step 3 (don't worry to much they'll shift around and distribute on their own over time), if you only use a few marbles you will probably find they eventually all huddle together for warmth, so just add more marbles until this isn't a problem.

6. Pop the top ring over the marbles

7. Add some weight (it spins much better when its weighed down a little), put your filament on and you're ready to go

• If you're printing a plain turntable stop here

• If you want to add a Filament Guide head on over to http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4982 for the Filament Guide Addon Kit