Buy reels
Wooden spools in Chicago
Wooden spools from 24 to 96 inches, one at a time or a few, for tables, displays, gardens, shops and rewinding. Every spool comes from a Chicagoland pickup, is checked before it goes out, and is delivered on the corridor day for your area.
What you get
A used one-way spool, checked for flat flanges, sound lagging / staves, a solid arbor hole and drive holes that aren't torn. Protruding nails and staples are pulled. Old stencils, scuffs and weathering stay; these are working reels, not furniture, until you sand and seal them.
Supply depends on what pickups bring in, so sizes come and go. Tell us the size you want, or the job it has to do, and we tell you what we have or when the next one is likely.
Choosing a size
| Flange | Usual use | Moving it |
|---|---|---|
| 24 in | Side table, plant stand, small display | One person, a car boot or hatchback |
| 30 in | Low coffee table, garden feature | One person rolling, a pickup bed |
| 36 in | Patio table, shop bench base | Two people, a pickup bed |
| 48 in | Dining-height table on its flange, big display | Two people and a ramp, or delivery |
| 60 in and up | Landscaping, farm use, large displays | Delivery with forks |
Before you order
- Measure where it is going, including gates, doors and gangways on the way.
- Decide indoor or outdoor: outdoor spools need sealing every season or two.
- Check the floor or ground can take the weight of a larger spool.
- If the spool is for food planting, line the drum; we can't vouch for every reel's treatment history.
Delivery
We deliver on the corridor day for your area: the city, the O'Hare corridor, the North Shore, the west suburbs, the I-55 and I-80 corridor, and Northwest Indiana. The driver unloads to the driveway, curb or alley; ask ahead if the spool must go further.
Indoors or outdoors
Indoors, a spool needs little more than sanding, nail removal and a clear coat. Felt pads under the bottom flange protect hardwood floors, and a round glass top turns the arbor hole into a feature rather than a crumb trap.
Outdoors, Chicago winters are hard on bare wood. Freeze-thaw cycles open the end grain of the flange boards; standing water rots the bottom flange from below. Seal every face, including underneath, set the spool on pavers or a gravel pad, and bring smaller ones into a garage from December to March.
Questions
Where can I get a large wooden spool for a table in Chicago?
From us: we deliver checked wooden spools from 24 to 96 inches across the city and suburbs on corridor days. A 36 or 48-inch spool is the usual choice for a table.
Are wooden cable spools treated with chemicals?
Most are untreated softwood, but some are preservative-treated, painted or fumigated, and old reels rarely say which. Look for an ISPM 15 stamp (HT means heat-treated; MB means methyl bromide). For food gardens, line the drum.
Can I pick one up myself?
We deliver on corridor days rather than run a counter. If you are near a stop on the day, a meeting point can sometimes be arranged.
Do you sell new spools?
No. Every spool is used, one-way and checked, from Chicagoland pickups.
Can a wooden spool live outside all year?
Yes, if it is sealed on every face, raised off the soil on pavers, and resealed regularly. Unsealed spools on grass usually rot at the bottom within a few seasons.
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.
- Arbor hole
- The centre hole a spindle, shaft or payoff bar passes through.
- Lagging / staves
- The boards nailed around the drum, and the protective boards sometimes nailed across the flanges over finished cable.
Ask for a spool or a quote
Work order received
- Reference
- Request
Next we read what you sent, sort the reels by tag and condition, and come back with what we buy, where returnables go, and a pickup day for your corridor. If it helps, reply with a photo of the stack and the reel tags.