Request a pickup or quote

What to include

What you want done

Buy, sell or recycle, or a question about returnable reels. You choose; nothing is filled in for you.

The product

Wooden spools and cable reels.

How many

A rough count is fine. "About forty" is enough to start.

Sizes

The flange diameter of most reels. Mixed is a real answer. How to measure.

Markings

Whether any reels carry a maker's return tag, stencil or steel plate.

Where

The ZIP and address of the yard, shop or site, or the delivery ZIP for a purchase.

Loading

Forklift, dock, liftgate needed, or hand-loading only.

What happens next

1. We read the request and reply by email, usually with a question or two about sizes or access.
2. If photos would help, we ask for them: one of the whole stack, one of a typical flange.
3. The quote lists which reels we would buy, which belong to a maker and which would be recycled, and any charge for a mostly broken lot.
4. Once you agree, the pickup is booked on the next run for your corridor, or a dedicated trip if there is a deadline.
5. On the day, the driver checks each reel, loads, and leaves one ticket for the stop.

Questions we may ask back

• Are any reels stencilled "returnable" or tagged with a number? If so, which makers?
• Is all the cable off, or are there tails and remnants to strip first?
• How far are the reels from where a flatbed can park, and on what ground?
• Is there a gate code, badge, escort or delivery window?
• Is there a date the yard or laydown has to be clear by?

Regular pickups

Distributor branches, plants and busy contractor yards often want empties cleared on a schedule rather than one call at a time. Mention the rough monthly count and the dock hours in the notes and we will suggest a frequency. See recurring yard pickup.

Job sites and laydowns

For a construction site, name the site contact and the general contractor if they control access, and say whether the reels are already in the laydown or still in the building. See job-site cleanout.

Outside the city

Suburban Cook, DuPage and Will counties and Lake County, Indiana are covered by regular corridor runs. Farther sites can be served when a run goes nearby or the lot fills a truck; the reply will say plainly either way.

Only a few spools?

Homeowners and small shops with two or three spools in a garage, basement or driveway can use the same form. Choose sell or recycle, give the count and ZIP, and mention where the spools are sitting. Small lots are collected when a corridor run passes nearby, so timing is flexible rather than same-day.

Recycling only

If every reel in the pile is rotten, split or missing staves, say so in the notes. The quote will cover breaking them down and taking the wood and metal to recycling, and will state any charge up front, before anything is booked.

Mistakes are easy to fix

If you picked the wrong option, guessed a count badly or forgot a gate code, just reply to our email with the correction. Nothing is booked until both sides agree a date, so an early mistake costs nothing. If plans change after booking, tell us as soon as you know and the stop moves to another run day. Weather delays work the same way: heavy snow, ice or a flooded yard simply means picking another day together.

Buying instead

For reels to buy, say what the reel is for: a cable size and length to hold, a payoff stand to fit, or a table height you want. Give the flange size if you know it, the number you need, and whether you will collect or want delivery. The capacity calculator can work out the size for a length of cable.

By email

If the form does not suit, write to info@chicagowoodenspools.com with the same details. There is no phone line; email keeps the counts, sizes and photos together in one thread, which is how quotes stay accurate.

Privacy

What you send is used to answer the request and arrange the work. The privacy policy explains what is kept and why.