I designed this kitchen roll holder to fit on the 14mm diameter rod that is normally used to support one end of the table. I designed it to do the following:
- Self adjust to the thickness left on the roll.
- Maintains a pressure on the side of the roll to prevent loose sheets flapping about and starting to unwind.
- Has enough pressure against the roll to allow a sheet to be pulled out and torn off one handed.
- You can slide it along the rod without interfering with the switches and outlets on the panel.
- Utilise hardware I already had.
I designed the holder to fit Velvet Wipe & Clean (from Costco) kitchen rolls but it should fit others. The central tube insert is 45mm diameter and the range of travel is 35mm. As long as the diameter of the hole through the centre of the kitchen roll is more than 45mm and the thickness of cardboard tube and paper on one side of the roll isn't much more than 35mm (a little more than 35mm is fine as the paper can be squashed a little, the starting turns will be harder to pull though) the kitchen roll should fit this holder.
Extras you will need unless you have the same junk as I do in your shed:
1 x 3mm diameter bungee, approx. 300mm long (to be able to feed it through and knot).
3 x M4 Phillips round head bolts, 18mm long. Slightly shorter will also work.
2 x Stick on felt pads to stick on the bottom rear of the bracket to protect the panel behind.
A length of 3mm diameter bungee cord keeps the device under tension. It is routed internally from the rear bracket along the bottom and up through the central tube insert. I used this route so that the bungee cord was as long as possible to get as even tension as possible across the 35mm range of movement.
Printing:
Print in the orientation of the STL files. Follow the steps below and refer to the print settings section.
- The Base and Bracket need support as shown in green on the images and I used 6 perimeters (2.4mm) and 6 solid layers (1.2mm) top and bottom with 20% infill.
- The Central Tube Insert needs no support and I used 4 perimeters (1.6mm) and 4 solid layers (0.8mm) top and bottom with 10% infill.
Assembly:
- After printing remove the supports and clean up as necessary. Ensure the base can slide freely along the slot in the bracket, a little sanding may be required.
- Before screwing the base to the central tube insert, insert the bungee cord as per the image. Starting between the bracket and central tube insert, feed one end into the hole at the end of the slot in the bracket and push it through and up to the opening at the rear of the bracket. Tie a simple overhand knot to stop the bungee being pulled back through.
- Feed the other end through the hole in the base and up through the central tube inset. Again tie a simple over hand knot to stop the bungee being pulled back through. Tensioning is done later. I left holes in the base of the bracket and bottom of the base and central insert tube in case I needed to poke the bungee through with a stiff wire but this wasn't needed as the bungee cord pushed through easily. It's an option if you have problems getting it through.
- Ensure the base is located in the slot of the bracket and insert the three bolts through the base and screw them into the central tube insert. The bungee should be free and not caught up anywhere.
- Place a kitchen roll on the holder and adjust the tension on the bungee cord (by pulling on one end) so that you can pull a sheet out and tear it off one handed. It's worth trying this with a full roll and a nearly empty roll. Tie an overhand knot close to the hole at the point required.
- To mount the holder onto the rod remove the kitchen roll, invert the holder so that the opening of the clip is facing up and clip it on to the rod from underneath. Then rotate it down to sit flush against the panel. When clipped to the rod in the campervan, pulling off a sheet requires a slight downward and outward motion to stop the holder pivoting up.
- The knots should fit in the ends of the hole so that they are not exposed. When you are happy with the tension cut off the excess bungee cord.
I hope you find this project a useful addition to your campervan.