This is a neat little holder for small spools of hookup wire that are used in electronic projects. Actually, the whole project got out of hand and it turned into a complete system.

It all started with a box of assorted wire that I ordered from China. The spools came arranged neatly in a little box allowing you to feed out just what you need. But while the idea was great, the implementation was lacking.

The box was made out of cardboard, which didn't hold up very well in use, and I didn't care for the wooden stick running down the center holding in the spools. Also, because there were no separators between the spools, the wire had a tendency to despool off the sides of the spools and make a tangled mess.So I set about to improve it.

The first thing was the box. By designing a box with individual partitions, I cleaned up the mess. Also, by creating the press-to-fit spool holders on the side walls, I eliminated the need for a stick.

Then I discovered that I actually had wire in two different spools sizes, one narrow and one wide (for larger gauge). So I created another box size.

Next up was the spool. I designed half a dozen of these with different fastening mechanisms until I settled on a simple annular clasp that I liked.

After that, I wanted to solve the problem of how to put the wire onto a new spool. I designed a spool cover that would snap over the spool and allow you to spin it, winding the wire on it. Of course, I also needed a version for the wide spool. (Note, because of the design of the spool, it only works in one orientation. If you put the spool in upside down, you'll just spin the end of the spool and won't wind the wire at all.I should probably label the end of the spool, but I have to stop somewhere.)

After I snapped the cover over the spool, I discovered 2 things. 1) The cover is a great standalone dispenser for individual spools of wire. 2) It's hard to remove the spool from the cover. So, I designed a small tool that presses the spool out if you use it to push on the bottom.