Frictionless Spool Holder

thingiverse

I've seen a number of spool holders on Thingiverse, but none fully met my need so I designed my own. This is a "frictionless" spool holder that uses ball bearings and fits over a 1" wood dowel. I use this to hold my flexible filament to minimize the amount of friction feeding into my Raise3D N2 printer. Made to fit the majority of spools. I've tested with MakerBot, NinjaFlex, Hatchbox, and Matterhackers. The bearings are a little excessive and larger than what you'd need, but it works well. These parts could be modified to fit a smaller dowel size and bearing size to make it cheaper. Threads work right off the printer without any sanding needed. I also used 3D printed hose clamps designed by jabixby that you can find [here](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1594991) These work great to keep the spool from moving left and right on the dowel. I've included my STL files of these clips as I modified the diameter to better fit my dowel. There are two pipe clip files, you can print with either. One has a large gap to allow using support and a better finish, but both work. - Pipe Clip v2 - print with support or, - Pipe Clip v2b - print without support and use bridging Print List: - 1X threaded cap - 1X threaded nut - 2X Pipe clips Purchase Materials: - 2X [McMaster ball bearings](https://www.mcmaster.com/60355k605) - 1X 1" Hardwood dowel similar to [this](https://www.homedepot.com/p/6416U-1-in-x-1-in-x-48-in-Hardwood-Round-Dowel-10001808/203334068)