Low-Cost Filament Spool Holder

During the start of the Covid pandemic, I came to a point where I needed a standalone spool holder to accompany my printer, due to a shift in printer location. All the designs I came across either

a) required a LOT of filament or seemed unnecessarily large (due to a shortage of filament stock everywhere at the start of the epidemic, I was unable to print many designs due to my already low supply, combined with the inability to purchase more)

b) used bearings and ran on the ridge of the spool, which made the spool easy to tip over

or c) designed in such a way that it was a hassle to get the filament on and off the spool holder (like seriously people, make it little easier please)

So I whipped this holder, which uses 1/2" PVC pipe and relatively little filament, while also keeping the filament stable and easy to remove. Hallelujah.

Print instructions

Idk print how you like. PLA with 3 perimeters @ 0.2mm layer height with 5% infill worked great for me, while keeping the amount of filament low. Basically, all you need to do to assemble it is cut three equal lengths of PVC and glue them into the holes. I used superglue, but a slower-setting glue might be better, because then you can set the bottom on something flat to ensure the bottom is level after it's set.