Introduction: Filament Spool Shelf

By Vintage Computers
About: A retired software developer, living in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, who appreciates having the time to make whatever the heck he damn well feels like!

I've only had a 3D printer since the spring of 2018. Over the past 5 years I have burned through quite a few spools of filament. For instance I recently ordered a spool of white filament from Amazon and was informed that I had already purchased this item 13 times. Yikes.

In addition to having quite a few "active" spools of filament on the go at any given time, I have found that the boxes that they are shipped in are very useful for storing the parts from the many projects I have been working on. While these boxes stack nicely, it never seems to fail that the box you are interested in is at the bottom of the pile.

So I decided to make a simple shelf to help organized my filament and project boxes.

Supplies

  • 6 - 8 foot lengths of 2x2 lumber
  • 8 - 3D printed corner brackets
  • 4 - 3D printed middle brackets
  • 80 - 3D printed shelf brackets
  • 64 - #6 x 1 inch wood screws
  • 320 - #6 x 1/2 inch wood screws
  • wood glue

Attachments

Step 1: Print the Parts

I printed the parts with no supports and the following settings (unless other wise specified):

Print Resolution: .3 mm

Infill: 20%

Filament: AMZ3D PLA.

Notes: Print the parts in their default orientation.

To make a filament shelf you will need to print the following parts:

  • 8 - Corner Brace
  • 4 - Middle Brace
  • 80 - Shelf Bracket

Step 2: Cut the Frame Pieces

Cut 2 feet off of each of the six 2x2s. With the two foot lengths cut and miter the end pieces based on the photo above.

Step 3: Assemble the Top and Bottom Pieces

Use the 8 Corner Braces to assemble the top and bottom frames using #6 x 1 inch wood screws and a little wood glue.

Step 4: Attach the Upright Pieces

Attach the top and bottom frames together at the four corners with the 6 foot lengths of lumber with the #6 x 1 inch screws. Install the two middle 6 foot frame pieces using the Middle Braces and again the 1 inch wood screws.

Step 5: Install the Shelf Brackets

Using a Shelf Bracket as a template, mark the screw holes on the insides of the frame pieces. The shelf brackets should be 3 1/8 inches apart. I marked all of the shelf holes and drilled starter holes for all of the brackets before I started installing them. The shelf brackets were attached using #6 x 1/2 inch wood screws.

Step 6: Add Your Filament and Project Boxes

The shelf works great and is very useful. Since I have finished it I have accumulated enough project boxes that I am going to make a second shelf.