If you do a lot of printing, you will soon end up with a ton of partial rolls of filament. Right now I’ve got about 20 rolls open. I used to shove them all in a cabinet, and what a pain that was. Anytime I wanted to use a roll, inevitably I had to pull half of them out to find the one I wanted, then shove the rest back in. And it’s dark in the cabinet. No bueno! So what to do? I want my filament out where I can see it, but not cluttering up my work surface.
So I happen to have a big metal cabinet in my 3D printing room, and there’s plenty of dead space on the side of the cabinet. So I figured why not turn that dead space into storage. So I whipped up a magnetically attached filament spool holder that holds two 1 KG spools. It’s designed to print sitting upright on the bed, with NO SUPPORTS required.
Chances are, if you're here, you play tabletop games. So hopefully you'll like Waddle Waddle, a brand new penguin-themed tabletop game that I created using photos of penguins that I took while in Antarctica. If you printed one of my 3D designs, please check out Waddle Waddle on GameFound.
Pictures
The steampunkish gear pattern is not just for good looks. The indents on the side give your fingers something to grab onto, and believe me you’ll need them to pull this off the metal. The other holes are a way to reduce filament usage, and the ring of small holes give you plenty of mounting options.
I sized it to hold two 1 KG rolls of filament, which realistically means it has to support a 5 pound lateral load. If you’ve ever played with magnets, you might have noticed it takes way more force to pull magnets apart than it does to slide them apart. That means I had to use really strong magnets, since all of the force in this design is sliding down the cabinet.
Materials
To build this project, you’ll need:
- The filament of your choice
- Disc magnets with countersunk holes (see below)
- 4 #6-32 countersunk machine screws
- 4 #6-32 hex nuts
Filament Choices
Depending on your slicing settings, it will take about 125 grams, give or take, at 20% infill.
I often print with PETG, which I have used a lot because it’s more flexible than PLA and holds up well in the Florida heat. If you go the PETG route, I have had good luck with Overture PETG filament. I usually buy a multi-pack to get a discount. It’s pretty affordable.
But my new favorite filament is IIIDMAX’s PLA+. Like PETG, PLA+ is more flexible than standard PLA. But PLA+ has the advantage of printing faster than PETG, and with quite a bit less stringing and blobbing. I also find the finish of PLA+ to be smoother than PETG. PLA+ also comes in a TON of great colors. All that AND a great price. I typically pay about $12/Kg, and sometimes as cheap as $10/Kg when they’re running a sale. Use my referral code and you’ll even save 5% off that price.
Magnets
After trying some 3/4 inch magnets that were just a bit too weak, I settled on these on these 1 inch neodymium magnets that are rated to hold 60 pounds EACH. With four of these magnets, the holder will hold two full 1K rolls rock steady. The magnets come in a 12-pack, which is enough for three holders, which holds six spools.
Non-Magnetic Mounting
If you don’t have a steel filing cabinet handy but you still want to mount filament to the wall, use #6 wood screws, or for drywall use a drywall anchor kit with a #6 or 1/8" screw.
Print Times
| Nozzle Size | Layer Height | Print Time |
|---|---|---|
| 0.4mm | 0.3mm | 5 hr 13 min |
| 0.6mm | 0.4mm | 3 hr 49 min |
| 0.8mm | 0.55mm | 3 hr 48 min |
| Nozzle Size | Layer Height | Print Time |
|---|---|---|
| 0.6mm | 0.4mm | 3 hr 53 min |
| 0.8mm | 0.55mm | 3 hr 21 min |
Downloads
| Item | Download Link | |||
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This work is released under the CC-BY-NC-ND-4 International License
How To Support Me
Chances are, if you're here, you play tabletop games. So please check out Waddle Waddle, my penguin-themed tabletop game that's perfect for family game night. It plays 2-6 players and is great for players 9 and up. Waddle Waddle is a game that's both fun AND educational. It features six real world penguin scientists and dozens of great photos of penguins that I took while in Antarctica.
If you printed one of my 3D designs, please check out Waddle Waddle. It’s in-stock now!
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. By purchasing the products that I recommend through affiliate links you directly support the creation of more great content at no cost to yourself. I only recommend products that I use myself. You can read more about it here: Affiliate disclosure.
My designs are all designed to minimize filament usage, and that directly saves you MONEY, and many hours of print time. Most of these designs take two or three generations to perfect. You can show your thanks for me saving you money and many HOURS of your time making by a small donation to defray the cost of professional software licenses, printer wear and tear, and the filament I use to develop this content for you: