Nailed wood reels

How it is built

Each flange is two or more layers of boards laid at right angles and nailed together, cut round. The drum is a ring of staves nailed to the inside faces of the flanges, sometimes over solid discs. Steel arbor plates or a pipe sleeve may reinforce the centre hole on larger reels. Everything is held by nails, which is why these reels are cheap to make and quick to fail when wet.

How it fails

• Bottom-flange rot from lying flat or standing in water.
• Staves popping loose as nails rust or the wood shrinks.
• Torn drive holes from powered payoffs.
• Split flange boards from forks or drops.

Where it goes

Sound nailed reels without a maker claim are bought and resold. Some makers do run returns for nailed reels: Service Wire's program, for example, takes back its own labelled nailed reels from 30 to 72 inches in full truckloads, and AFL's program through Sonoco EcoReel accepts nailed wood reels only. So check the tag. Worn nailed reels are recycled.

What separates a good nailed reel from a tired one

Fresh from the cable maker, a nailed reel is tight: the flange layers sit flat against each other, the staves butt together without gaps, and the nail heads are flush. After one trip it has usually been dropped once or twice, rolled across gravel, strapped down on a flatbed and spun on a payoff. A good one shrugs that off.

A tired one shows it. Flange boards start to cup as they dry unevenly. Nails back out as the wood shrinks around them. Staves crack along the grain where a forklift tine caught them. The arbor hole, if it has no steel ring, gets chewed oval by spindles. Any one of those is fixable on a table spool; on a reel meant to carry cable, two or more usually mean recycling.

Species vary by maker and region: pine, spruce, fir and mixed hardwoods all turn up. Heavier hardwood reels last longer outdoors but weigh considerably more. Weight differences of a third between two reels of identical dimensions are normal.

Spotting one in a yard

Look at the flange face: you will see boards in two directions and rows of nail heads, no bolts and no steel plates beyond perhaps a thin arbor ring. Stencils may name the cable maker, but without a return notice or numbered tag the reel is usually one-way.

Keeping them reusable

• Stand them on edge, never flat on the ground.
• Use timbers or pallets under them so water drains away.
• Chock both sides so they can't roll.
• Pull loose nails before they snag the next cable.

Buying nailed reels

Most reels we sell are nailed wood. Ask by flange, drum and traverse; mention whether looks matter (for furniture) or only strength (for cable). Furniture buyers usually prefer a weathered grey patina; cable buyers want clean, tight staves and an unworn arbor.

1. 1. Buyback Sound one-way reels, paid for.
2. 2. Maker take-back Returnable reels, routed home.
3. 3. Recycling Past reuse, broken down.
4. 4. Resupply Checked reels to new owners.

Questions

Are nailed reels returnable?

Usually not, but some makers take their own nailed reels back. Look for the maker's tag or stencil.

How many times can a nailed reel be reused?

There is no fixed number. Kept dry and handled with care, a sound nailed reel can make several more trips.

What kills a nailed reel fastest?

Standing water. A reel left flat on wet ground rots at the bottom flange within a season or two.

Can I take a nailed reel apart for the wood?

Yes. The boards are usually pine or similar softwood, rough-sawn and full of nails. Expect weathering and stencil ink. Wear gloves and eye protection when prying.

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.

Drive hole

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

Lagging / staves

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

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.

Returnable reel

A reel its maker expects back, usually stencilled or tagged to say so.

One-way reel

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

Reel tag

The label or plate carrying the maker, the reel number and sometimes the return terms.

Payoff

The stand or trailer a reel turns on while cable is pulled off it.