I needed an upgraded spool spindle and thinking ahead I knew I needed one that could handle any size spool that I could potentially run into. I used 1" od by 3/8" id flanged bearings that I got locally at the hardware store and they snap in snugly. I would recommend 3/8" threaded rod, but all I had on hand at the time was 1/4" so that is the bushings in the picture. Jam nuts will be needed on the static position support cone and and the adjustable cone needs to slide freely.
The printed jam nut (knob) isn't necessary of course, a regular nut would work just fine, but I thought a knob keeping the same look would look neat and be a little less cumbersome. If using 3/8" threaded rod I would just drill the knob out and cut threads in the print. On the 1/4" rod I ended up having epoxy a 1/4" nut onto the knob because the print came out just a tad to big and was a little to loose.
I printed mine in PETG and it has held up well so far. I would recommend printing it with a high infill, especially if using PLA. Also, I wouldn't torque it down to tight as it isn't necessary and just lightly snugged up does just fine. If you don't have good layer adhesion tightening it too much could snap the claw fingers off.
bushing.stl | 180.7KB | |
jam_nut.stl | 345.1KB | |
spool_claw.stl | 317.1KB |