A wooden spool for a table

Height and size

Standing on one flange, a spool's height is its traverse plus two flange thicknesses. A 24-inch spool with a 14-inch traverse and 1½-inch flanges stands about 17 inches: coffee-table height. A 48-inch spool with a 28-inch traverse and 2½-inch flanges stands about 33 inches, close to a dining table. A 36-inch spool lands in between, at patio or low-bench height.

The flange is the table top. Leave about 12 inches of top per person around the edge; a 36-inch top seats four, a 48-inch top six.

Making the table

1. Pull every nail and staple left in the drum and flanges.
2. Sand the top flange smooth; fill the arbor hole or cover it with a glass or wood top.
3. Tighten or replace any loose stave; a wobbly drum makes a wobbly table.
4. Seal all surfaces, including the bottom flange that sits on the ground.
5. Add felt pads indoors, or set it on pavers outdoors so the bottom stays dry.

Spools to keep out of the living room

Skip spools with a strong chemical smell, an oily or tarry finish, or heavy staining. Avoid ones with rot at the bottom flange; it spreads. And remember that most reels were never meant for food contact; put a sealed top or glass on it if it will hold plates.

Weight and wobble

Spools are heavier than they look. A 36-inch spool can weigh 70 pounds or more, and the weight is low in the bottom flange, which makes it stable once set down. Wobble usually comes from a cupped bottom flange or a loose stave, not the floor: plane or shim the bottom flange, then screw any loose stave back to the flange rims.

If a table will be moved often, fit heavy-duty locking casters to the bottom flange before finishing.

Ideas that work

• A coffee table with casters on the bottom flange and a glass disc on top.
• A patio table with an umbrella through the arbor hole, the drum weighted with gravel.
• A bistro table from a 30-inch spool, stained dark and sealed.
• A shop bench from a 36-inch spool with a plywood top screwed on.
• A kids' table from a 24-inch spool, edges rounded and splinter-free.
• Stacked spools as tiered shelving for plants or books.

Tools you will want

A cat's paw or nail puller, a random-orbit sander with 60, 120 and 180-grit discs, a drill with screws for loose staves, a dust mask, and an exterior-grade sealer or spar varnish for outdoor use. A hand truck or two people make moving a 36-inch spool much easier.

Questions

What size spool makes a coffee table?

A 24 or 30-inch spool standing on its flange, about 16 to 20 inches high depending on the traverse.

What size spool is dining height?

A 48-inch spool with a deep traverse comes close, at about 30 to 34 inches.

Should I seal a spool table?

Yes, all over, and reseal outdoor tables every season or two.

Can I put an umbrella through a spool table?

Yes. Most arbor holes take an umbrella pole; weight the drum with gravel or pavers so wind can't tip it.

Reel words on this page

Flange

The round side discs that hold the cable in. Flange diameter, edge to edge, is the size a reel is known by.

Drum (barrel)

The cylinder between the flanges that the cable winds around.

Traverse

The inside width between the flanges: how wide a layer of cable can be.

Lagging / staves

The boards nailed around the drum, and the protective boards sometimes nailed across the flanges over finished cable.

Arbor hole

The centre hole a spindle, shaft or payoff bar passes through.

Nailed vs bolted

Nailed reels are held together with nails and built for one trip; bolted reels have through-bolts and steel plates for many.

One-way reel

A reel nobody is collecting. Once empty, it belongs to whoever holds it.

Drive hole

A smaller hole off-centre in the flange that a drive pin uses to turn the reel.