Respooler!

aneel · March 2, 2026, 5:40am

After way too long (See, And), I finally got the respooler working again. The problematic axle has been replaced with an aluminum one that is now machined to tolerances that work. It seems much sturdier now, and has successfully respooled a bunch of spools in a row.

I’ve written up a wiki page here with tips on how to use it: Filament Respooler - Asmbly Wiki . As with all wiki pages, if you see a way to improve it, please do!

There are a bunch of empty spools in the back corner of the MPR that are there for folks to use. There are also a lot of plastic spool rims on the pegboard if you don’t have time to respool and need to start a print from a cardboard spool RIGHT NOW!!!

aneel · March 2, 2026, 5:44am

If you’re curious, I stopped chasing the rabbit of “machine a perfectly concentric ER-20 hex collet block” and just milled the axle oriented vertically on the Tormach.

I then turned off the back of the “key” on the lathe. I went a little too far and the shaft is a little too small for a good fit in the bearing, but hey, that’s nothing a wrap of blue tape can’t fix!